Comparison of DOE-2.1E, DOE-2.2, PowerDOE and eQUEST

Comparison of DOE-2.1E, DOE-2.2, eQUEST and PowerDOE

DOE-2, in its "raw" standard form is a command line, or "batch"-oriented program, for which you create input files, using a text editor, with your building description in DOE-2's building description language (BDL.) The learning curve on raw DOE-2 is 6-12 months and it is very difficult to master unless you take at least one training course and have plenty of time to "practice". DOE-2, in this raw form, however, is available in source form inexpensively to anyone as well as portable to many operating systems with minimal effort. End user single computer licenses for executables of our versions of DOE-2 are available at no charge; limited to one per person and subject to US export restrictions. We also offer inexpensive licensing options for anyone to build and distribute applications which incorporate all or part of DOE-2; this licensing is available for 2.1E and 2.2 in DOS/Win3.x or Win95/98/NT executables or Win16 DLL's or Win32 DLL's and as well as source code for a fixed annual fee without per copy royalty.

DOE-2.1E comes in two versions: the standard DOE-2.1E (pre-110 version numbers) developed in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Simulation Research Group and also available to end users directly from the U. S. Government via their Energy Science and Technology Software Center; the enhanced DOE-2.1E (post-110 version numbers) which incorporates many bug fixes and new features (that formed the early initial implementation of a subset of features now found in DOE-2.2) which is also available from our resellers and other DOE-2.1E vendors.

We have resellers that market interfaces for DOE-2.1E, but none of these interfaces provide access to all of the modeling capabilities of DOE-2.1E. If you do not already have experience using DOE-2 and wish to begin today, you should consider either starting with our PowerDOE or eQUEST DOE-2.2 products. PowerDOE is our "experts" tool for those who have used energy analysis programs previously and/or those plan do perform such analysis regularly. eQUEST is our "Energy QUick ESTimator" for those who have never perform energy analysis before and/or those who want a quick answer to a set of basic design alternatives. Alternatively, visit the web sites of DOE-2.1E vendors who offer 2.1E-based products with user interfaces; one excellent example is VisualDOE from Eley Associates. We only recommend these other products, however, for new DOE-2 users as you may find that you quickly outgrow their flexibility. They do, however, allow you to get started very quickly.

DOE-2.2 is much changed and upgraded from 2.1E. Most of the extensive changes are in the HVAC area - particularly in the central plant descriptions. If you are already using DOE-2.1E, we recommend you convert to DOE-2.2 as soon as possible since we will discontinue bug-fixing and support on 2.1E soon after DOE-2.2 is main version in use (within the next 6 months at the current rate of conversion.)

DOE-2.2 has many new capabilities, but the conversion of 2.1E inputs to 2.2 should not take long since all the main concepts of 2.1E are similar to those in 2.2. DOE-2.2 is still in a pre-release test phase. You can get a pre-release testing and evaluation version of DOE-2.2 from us at no charge. The documentation, though mostly complete and comprising a complete new set of manuals, is still in draft form; we expect it to be in publishable form by October 1999. Unlike DOE-2.1E, where a set of manuals costs a couple hundred US dollars, DOE-2.2 documentation will be supplied in electronic form with the program (free from us.)

eQUEST is a freeware, complete, fully interactive, professional DOE-2.2 simulation environment based upon technology first developed for PowerDOE then enhanced for use in the current generation of Windows operating system versions. eQUEST is a sophisticated, yet easy to use tool, which provides professional results quickly. EQUEST was designed to allow you to perform detailed analysis without requiring extensive experience in DOE-2 modeling. This is accomplished by combining a building creation wizard, an energy efficiency measure (EEM) wizard and a graphical results display module plus the full DOE-2.2 program. Additionally, eQUEST has a detailed building description interface mode that includes 2-D and 3-D display of your building geometry (including CAD file import for point-and-click layout drawing), graphical display of HVAC equipment layout, and access to all DOE-2.2 input parameters and summary/hourly report data. The detailed interface also includes the capability to describe and perform parametric runs and the graphical display of results includes multi-run comparison graphics. Distribution licensing for eQUEST, as well as source licensing that allows derivative works, is also available inexpensively for a fixed annual fee without per copy royalty.

PowerDOE is a complete DOE-2.2-based simulation environment. It is very graphical in its presentation of both the building description and the display of results. It is very flexible and is a super-set of DOE-2 capabilities, NOT a subset like most other DOE-2 products. It has input, output, weather processing, building component libraries, and other functions integrated into a single windows users interface. It includes 2-D and 3-D display of your building geometry, graphical display of HVAC equipment layout, and access to all DOE-2.2 input parameters and summary/hourly report data.

PowerDOE is an interactive simulation environment, unlike other DOE-2 products, which produce DOE-2 BDL files and run the batch DOE-2 BDL/SIM in the background. PowerDOE stores its building description in the BDL language and is capable of exporting BDL files for portability and compatibility with non-windows implementations of DOE-2.2. PowerDOE has all documentation online that, like all new DOE-2 documentation, will contain some errors or missing items that will be corrected over time. PowerDOE, like DOE-2, is complex so training is highly recommended and with training can be picked up quickly - usually in only a couple of days for someone familiar with any energy-modeling program.

PowerDOE is in the final stages of testing prior to release to our resellers; we expect that release in October '99. Distribution licensing for PowewrDOE as well as source licensing that allows derivative works is also available. PowerDOE distribution licensing always includes a per copy royalty.

Click here for information on how to receive a PowerDOE evaluation license.

Thank you for your interest in PowerDOE,

The PowerDOE Development Team