Solar Domestic Hot Water & Space Heating

Solar Domestic Hot Water (DHW)

Ekotrope has a different input for solar DHW than other energy rating software.  Files from REM/Rate with solar DHW will not be imported correctly and solar DHW should be manually added in Ekotrope.  To add solar DHW, either copy or edit the water heater type(s) on the house and specify the Solar Hot Water System Type and estimate the % Generation from Solar.  If the library type(s) in question are used on other projects that do not have the same Solar DHW system, you should copy the entry through the Component Library interface, add the solar details and select that type in the project, otherwise it is fine to edit the entry while editing the Building Design.

If you have an estimate of the % Generation from Solar from previous projects or from an experienced solar DHW system designer, this estimate should suffice.

Alternatively, you can estimate % Generation from Solar by using NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM) to model the solar hot water system.  Once the model is completed in SAM, use the ratio Annual Energy Saved/Aux Without Solar as the % Generation here.  This is probably the most precise method without data from previous projects.

Active Solar Space Heating

Ekotrope does not currently support active solar space heating (i.e. a system that heats a fluid in a solar collector and uses that heat to heat the house).  Ekotrope does model passive solar heating (i.e. solar gain through windows).  If you are modeling a house that does have active solar space heating please contact support and tell us about it.  It helps us determine if and when we should add support for active solar space heating and we may be able to suggest a workaround.