KC-19-A043 -- Window Enhancements in Prototype Buildings

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) maintains a suite of 16 prototype building models simulated in EnergyPlus to analyze energy codesapplicable to commercial and high-rise residential buildings. PNNL periodically enhances the models to improve assumptions, accuracy or to addadditional details. The windows objects were traditionally modeled using the detailed approach in which explicitly accounted for window component.Studies suggest that the Simple Glazing method can be a comparable approach. This report presents the limitations of the previously used detailedmethodology and the code savings impact of switching from detailed to simplified glazing and updated U, SHGC and VT assumptions.