After a TPGX is open, you have several options to get to work on a modeling project:

Open Project:

Opens a selected project in the TPGX.

New Project:

Start a new project. A dialog box allows you to create a project with defaults as specified in your Preferences file, or you can select the New Building Wizard. This option will save time by automatically creating the spaces, surfaces, windows, lighting, and appliances in the building.

Note: The New Building Wizard is not recommended for use in Multifamily projects due to the complexity of those models.

 

Import Project:

Create a new project populated with the data from a TREAT xml import file. If your input file has just the basic administrative and billing data, select New Building Wizard, to get right to work entering modelling data. Choose Create Blank Project if you want to override default project data, such as Number of Bedrooms, etc. with data from an external source.


Note: The new project or any changes to an existing project will not be permanently saved to the TPGX file until you click Project Group -> Save on the main menu or press F2.

Creating a Project using the New Building Wizard:

The New Building Wizard provides a quick and easy way to create a building with up to three conditioned spaces, a foundation space (basement or crawlspace), and an attic. The New Building Wizard can be accessed by clicking Project Group -> New -> Blank Project Group. Then in the Main Screen select New -> Start New Building Wizard.

New Building Wizard: Step 1(General)

Step 1 contains information related to the general building description. Some inputs are similar to the ones entered on the TREAT main screens. Other inputs are used only in the wizard and determine the content of the following wizard steps and the way a building is created after the wizard is completed.

  • Number of Stories: determines the number of conditioned spaces generated by the wizard. TREAT will create a separate conditioned space for each floor of the building. You will be asked to describe the shape and dimensions of each space on the following screens of the wizard.
    • If Foundation is set to any type of basement or crawlspace, then the wizard will create the corresponding foundation space.
    • Infiltration of the foundation space is set in accordance with TREAT defaults for vented and unvented spaces. Basement ceiling height is assumed to be 7 ft. Crawlspace ceiling height is assumed to be 4 ft.
  • Number of Bedrooms: This input is used to help TREAT determine the number of living spaces
  • Number of Occupants: This input helps TREAT estimate certain water and electricity usages
  • Foundation Depth Below Grade input is available if the foundation type is basement or crawlspace. Enter the average depth of the foundation floor below grade in this field.

Example:

If the Basement Foundation Depth Below Grade is set to 4 ft., then each basement wall will be described as two wall sections in the TREAT project. One section will be 4 ft. high and adjacent to ground; the other will be 3 ft. high (basement ceiling height of 7 ft. minus foundation depth of 4 ft.) and adjacent to outdoors. If foundation depth is greater than the default ceiling height for the space, then TREAT will assume that ceiling height of the space is equal to the foundation depth and only the below-grade portion of the wall will be generated. That would correspond to a space that is entirely below grade.

  • Air Leakage: Can be input as ACH or CFM50
  • Shielding Class: used to determine amount of solar radiation absorbed by the spaces
  • Fuels: this input selects the fuels for heat and hot water from a list. Fuels can be added to the list by canceling the New Building Wizard, clicking Project Group > Preferences on the main menu at the top of the TREAT screen, selecting the fuel on the Fuels/Rates tab, and clicking Save and Close on the Preferences screen.

New Building Wizard: Step 2 (Surface Construction):

The Surface Construction input allows you to specify the construction of walls, floors, and ceilings in the building. Construction can be selected from the list or from the TREAT library. To access the TREAT library, select library at the end of the list. The selected surface constructions are used to generate the surfaces in the building after the wizard is completed.

 

Note: Surface construction is set to NA, and input is disabled if your building does not have any surfaces of that type.


New Building Wizard: Step 3(Geometry):

  • Enter the geometry for each floor of the building. If you have entered that your building has three stories in Step 1, you will be able to enter three spaces in Step 3. Spaces may have different ceiling heights and are assumed to be stacked one above the other starting from the foundation space (if a foundation was selected).
  • Elevation of the first floor space is equal to the ceiling height of the foundation space (if any). Ceiling height is used by the wizard to generate the height of walls in this space. It is also used as the set point for the elevation of the ceiling for this space and to calculate the elevation of spaces above this space.

Example:

If the ceiling height of the first floor is set to 8 ft. then the first-floor ceiling height on the TREAT Spaces screen will be 8 ft., the height of each wall generated for this space and shown on the Surfaces screen will be 8 ft., the elevation of the ceiling for this space will be 8 ft., and the elevation of the second floor (if any) will be equal to the elevation of the first floor plus 8 ft.

Remember: Spaces may have different footprints.

The wizard may be used to describe a cape-style house where the second floor is smaller and of a different shape than the first floor. In this situation you may need to enter some of the roof section above the first floor on TREAT main screens after the wizard is completed. The footprint of the foundation is assumed to be the same as the footprint of the first floor. The footprint of the attic is assumed to be the same as the footprint of the top floor.

  • Enter dimensions for each wall shown on the sketch of the selected footprint.
  • Enter the number of windows on each wall.
  • Select the exposure of the building by using the drop-down list to select the direction represented by the arrow on the sketch.
    • The Next button allows you to enter data for the next space. If you have already entered data for all the spaces, it opens the next step of the wizard.

New Building Wizard: Step 4(Floor Details):

Step 4 of the Wizard completes the description of the building.

  • Space Type selection is used on the TREAT Spaces screen. The space type determines the default lighting and appliances that are generated for this space once the wizard is completed. The lighting and appliances that may be generated for each space type are specified on the corresponding tab of the Preferences screen, accessible by clicking Project Group –> Preferences on the main menu at the top of the TREAT screen.

Note: If there is more than one living space, then Generate Typical Appliances should only be checked for one of the living spaces, unless duplicates of typical appliances are desired, for example, in a two-family house.

 

After the New Building Wizard is completed, there are a few more details to enter on the regular TREAT input screens.

  • Complete the Heating/Cooling screen.
  • Enter cooling Thermostat Set Points on the Thermostats screen if there is cooling in the building
  • Enter Domestic Hot Water information on the Hot Water screen.

The base building model energy consumption may now be calculated.

Creating a New Project using the Input Screens:

Clicking Create Blank Project on the Start New Project screen will start a new blank project. All project data can be entered using the input screens.

Opening an Existing Project:

To open an existing project select Project > Open Project from the main menu, or, using the Input Panel, double click the project you want to open or highlight the project name and click Open. The existing projects may be sorted in alphabetical order by any column. To sort projects, select the sorting criteria in the drop down box below the table (titled “Sort Projects By”).