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User's Manual

Version 2.0, ©2018,2019 jeplus.org

[Deprecated - Please upgrade to the latest version of jEPlus v2]

Disclaimer

jEPlus v2.0 (the software) is provided by Dr Yi Zhang free of charge for commercial or non-commercial use. It is provided on the basis of “as is”. Any express or implied warranties, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are disclaimed. In no event shall Dr Yi Zhang or his employer be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages, (including, but not limited to, procurement of substitute goods or services; loss of use, data, or profits; or business interruption) however caused and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including negligence or otherwise) arising in any way out of the use of this software.

The software is released under the free, copyleft license GPLv3. The use of the software is done at your own discretion and risk and with agreement of the foregoing disclaimer.


New Features

The new changes in jEPlus introduced in Version 2.0 include:

  • jEPlus project file format changed to JSON
  • Select and store information of multiple EnergyPlus versions
  • New Result Collection tab for editing RVX information
  • Improved consistency such as detecting project changes
  • Internal script engine changed to JavaScript
  • New example project showing various parameter definitions and result collection options
  • Jython library is removed
  • Branching parameter tree is no longer supported

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction – This chapter describes how jEPlus works with diagrams, and explains some of the key concepts and terminologies used in this users guide. Also covered are the things you need to know about installing the software.

Chapter 2 The GUI – Description of the graphical user interface, including the menu structure, the project tab, the result collection tab, the execution tab, the utility tab, and the output/editor pane. Controllable elements are annotated on the screenshots.

Chapter 3 The Project File – This chapter explains the contents of a jEPlus project file, its format, and the tools can be used to edit the file. [not updated]

Chapter 4 Parameter Definition – This chapter is all about the jEPlus parameter definitions, including the syntax you can use to specify the parameter values. [not updated]

Chapter 5 Result Collection – jEPlus v2.0 provides a new GUI tab for editing result collection options specified in the RVX object. The use of ReadVarsEso, SQLite, CSV, user-supplied table, Python scripts and user-defined metrics in result collection are explained. Also described are the output files of jEPlus, such as the aggregated result table and the user metrics table. [not updated]

Chapter 6 Running Simulations – The simulation execution options jEPlus provides are described in this chapter. You can test and run a jEPlus project in various ways, such as using random sampling. The control of computing resource is explained here, too. [not updated]

Chapter 7 Utilities – jEPlus includes a few utilities to help you prepare your project and extract/post-process results. These utilities include an EnergyPlus version updater shell, a Python script tester/executor, and an E+ ReadVars executor. [not updated]

Chapter 8 Using Python in jEPlus – You can use Python in various ways with jEPlus v2.0. This chapter summarizes how to use Python scripts in pre-processing and post-processing stages, and tips on how to test your scripts in jEPlus. [not updated]

Chapter 9 Interface with jEPlus – For advanced users, the command-line interface and the programming interface of jEPlus are explained in this chapter. Also covered are the use of the job list files, the parameter file and skeleton project. [not updated]

Chapter 10 Examples – A few examples are described in this chapter, including the use of EP-Macro, and the different ways to parameterize window size. [not updated]

Contact

I hope you enjoy using jEPlus. Should you have any questions relating to the use of jEPlus, please post them on Unmet Hours with the tag #jeplus. To report issues and request new features, please use jEPlus' Github project pages. Some previous questions and answers are available on the jeplus forum, although it is closed to new registrants due to security concerns. You are also welcome to contact me directly by email on yi@jeplus.org

References

Please use the references below for citing jEPlus' works. More publications related to jEPlus can be found here.

Zhang, Y., Korolija, I (2010) “Performing complex parametric simulations with jEPlus”, SET2010 - 9th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies, 24-27 August 2010, Shanghai, China pdf

Zhang, Y. (2009) “‘Parallel’ EnergyPlus and the development of a parametric analysis tool”, IBPSA BS2009, 27–30 July 2009, Glasgow, UK pdf