The best way to get the numbers, period.
Accuracy. Condense was developed over many years by building industry experts. Calculations cover multiple dimensions of building performance, including energy use, water, financial, construction cost, ongoing maintenance, trash, and more. Energy use is by far the most complex item to estimate, which is why we insisted on adapting the Energy Plus platform. Energy Plus was created (and is maintained) by energy experts at the U.S. Department of Energy, and is widely considered by professional engineers to be the gold standard for accurate building energy modeling. It takes a 3D model of the building and subspaces against real weather data and models energy consumption over every 8760 hours of the year, taking into account radiant and convective movement of heat within spaces and across surfaces, and the corresponding HVAC system response. There are over 800 categories of inputs (each containing multiple sub-inputs) in an Energy Plus model.
Because of this complexity, we worked hard to pare down and focus the modeling process. We spent years conducting sensitivity analysis to determine which factors are most critical to an accurate energy model, devising ways to automate the energy models, and eliminating the need for graphical inputs. The accuracy of Condense tests out to be within 2% of a traditional Energy Plus model. So, you get the advantages of Condense's simplicity paired with the robust accuracy of Energy Plus. Learn more about Energy Plus here.
Because of this complexity, we worked hard to pare down and focus the modeling process. We spent years conducting sensitivity analysis to determine which factors are most critical to an accurate energy model, devising ways to automate the energy models, and eliminating the need for graphical inputs. The accuracy of Condense tests out to be within 2% of a traditional Energy Plus model. So, you get the advantages of Condense's simplicity paired with the robust accuracy of Energy Plus. Learn more about Energy Plus here.
Less user error. Because of the way we simplified the inputs in Condense, there is much less opportunity for human error in the modeling process, thus ensuring even greater accuracy. For example, on the energy modeling calculations, our sensitivity analysis effort helped us to determine the most critical inputs, and remove the rest. Less inputs to begin with means less opportunity for error. The remaining energy inputs are almost 100% pre-populated with smart defaults based on the preferred energy code standard (ASHRAE-90.1, 1998 through 2016, or IECC 2015), climate zone, and other basic facts about the project. This allows for unknowns in the model to be automatically covered by the most likely scenario. This is useful on existing building audits, where some things are un-knowable, such as the R-value of insulation inside walls. It's also useful on brand new construction during the design process, when engineers are still guessing as to what's going in the project.
All in one. Condense is not just an energy modeling platform. Condense combines most of the calculations building owners care about in one place: financial, maintenance, energy, water, trash, carbon footprint, and more. This means no more weeks of coordination time to combine your calculations into bottom-line conclusions. Even better, Condense already speaks the language of building owners, so no translation is needed.