About the Calculator
What is the Energy Plus-Calculator?
It’s a unique and easy-to-use tool that makes it simple to figure out how to design a highly energy efficient solution that meets provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 so that you can take advantage of the tax deduction offered under the Act, provide a view of the related maintenance, tax implications and an easy to view summary of fixture selections.
Who is the intended audience for the Calculator?
As the name implies, the Energy Plus-Calculator is intended to serve the interests of the engineer, builder, contractor, distributor and specifier, and anyone looking to save energy, reduce the environmental impact, rebates, and take advantage of the EPAct 2005 tax deductions so a decision can be made on retrofit, redesign and or new construction projects.
What are some of the key features and benefits of the Calculator?
On August 8, 2005 President Bush signed the largest overhaul of the national energy policy since 1992. The Energy Police Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) offered accelerated tax incentives to combat the nation’s growing energy crisis. In order for the building owner or designer, in the case of schools, to submit the tax deduction, the building must be commissioned by December 31, 2008 by a qualified individual.
To reduce the energy consumption, it was determined that ASHRAE / IESNA 90.1-2001 Light Power Density (LPD) standards, also referred to as watts per square foot, would be the baseline. All buildings / spaces, excluding warehouses, have a sliding scale ranging from 25% to 40%. The tax deduction for these areas ranges from $0.30 per square foot to $0.60 per square foot. For warehouses, the LPD must be beat by 50% to receive a $0.60 per square foot tax deduction.
On the Project Information section of the Project Setup tab if the answers YES to ‘Are you Appling for EPAct? the Energy Plus-Calculator will determine if the building / space potentially qualifies for the tax deduction.
The Energy Plus-Calculator will calculate the energy savings, impact on the environment, ROI, simple payback and calculate financing if that is the factor. The energy savings takes into account the ballast and lamp type being used, the impact on the HVAC and additional savings by incorporating lighting controls. Maintenance cost, rebates, installation, disposal and recycling can also be calculated in to the simple payback. The installation, disposal and recycling can be entered one of two ways.
1. On the Project Information section of the Project Setup tab, if Lot is selected from the Pricing Method drop down, then on the Capital Cost Summary section of the System Setup tab a lot price can be entered.
2. On the Project Information section of the Project Setup tab, if Detailed is selected from the Pricing Method drop down, then on the Capital Cost Summary section of the System Setup tab additional cost can be entered.
Fixture Comparison:
By selecting the comparison type as a Fixture Comparison on the Project Information section of the Project Setup; tab the energy savings, impact on the environment, maintenance, impact of controls, the ROI and simple payback for up to four (4) luminaires can be calculated and compared.
System Comparison:
By selecting the comparison type as a System Comparison on the Project Information section of the Project Setup tab the energy savings, impact on the environment, maintenance, impact of controls, the ROI and simple payback for up to four (4) luminaires can be calculated.
Both levels show whether a site design meets the 50% LPD target set by the Act; what energy features the tax deduction site will need to have; and basic financial messaging regarding pay-back and monthly cash flow savings that may result from the tax deductions and related energy reduction rebates and savings.
Other Features:
Other features allow the user to account for the benefits of dimming controls, related state rebates, air conditioning reductions, and capital invested in an easy to see format demonstrating the energy savings and payback for each lighting proposal.
Customized Fixture Database: The tool allows the user to customize the lighting solution to better fit a particular site’s needs and assess and revise the fixture database to better reflect each site’s known performance criteria, labor and materials costs and the utility rates specific to each building site. All data must be entered manually.
Recalculate Function Allows What-if Scenarios: The tool allows the user to run through what-if scenarios by changing energy efficient features and then recalculate in an effort to find other compliance paths that they prefer.
Report Generator: The tool allows the user to generate and print a report presenting the compliance path for the tax deduction, environment compliance, financial summary and other related energy reduction benefits and rebates. This report can be saved in the user’s files as evidence for future comparisons.
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What are the system requirements for use of the calculator?
Processor |
Pentium 4, 1.00 GHz or higher |
Operating System |
Windows Vista (SP2 or later)
Windows XP Professional (SP2 or later)
Windows XP Home Edition (SP2 or later)
Windows 2000 Professional (SP4 or later) |
Memory |
128 MB; 512 MB recommended |
Hard Disk |
100 MB of available hard disk space. |
Drive |
CD-ROM drive |
Display |
High-resolution monitor (1024x768 or higher) |
Can I use on a Mac?
This program was designed to run on a PC/Windows environment . It was not configured for use on a Mac. Since the program is Microsoft Excel based, it may function as inteded on a Mac System. However, technical support for Macs is not available at this time.
My company restricts downloading applications (why is this a download rather than a web-based tool)? How do I load the software on my computer with the software restrictions my company has in place?
Despite its simple and intuitive user-interface, The Energy Plus-Calculator was designed in a historically known platform, Excel, allowing almost all users the capability to perform the complex calculations with spreadsheet usability and easy to download format. Given these facts, this tool is best suited as a desktop software tool in order to provide optimal system performance and enhanced user experience.
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