How do building systems really behave — and what should a design team do about it?
6+ years turning EnergyPlus simulations into decisions project teams can act on.
Inspired by SimBuild 2024 · NREL / LBNL / DOE
This interactive dashboard demonstrates the kind of analysis from our SimBuild 2024 research — a simplified recreation using the same methodology to show how climate zone shapes the energy-comfort tradeoff. When a thermostat setback saves energy in Chicago but barely moves the needle in Miami, that's a design decision, not just a number. Same house, same mechanical system, five cities.
Building model: single-family home with central AC + gas furnace — EnergyPlus AirflowNetwork example, representing a typical mechanically-conditioned residential building.
Cross-Climate Analysis
Same control strategy, very different outcomes. Denver saves 14%, Miami saves 6% — because heating dominates in cold climates and setback cuts gas directly. But night setback also increases ASHRAE 55 discomfort hours, sometimes dramatically. This is the real tradeoff a design team needs to quantify by location.
Work
About
Building performance analyst with 6+ years using EnergyPlus to support high-performance design — from early-stage energy studies through detailed analysis. My work at NREL centers on turning simulation workflow outputs into clear, decision-ready information for multidisciplinary teams, government stakeholders, and industry partners.
My analytical focus spans energy modeling, HVAC behavior, thermal envelope performance, thermal comfort, and weather-driven analysis — with a strong emphasis on communicating results as graphics and dashboards that design teams can act on. Co-authored "Simulation-Driven Rating of Smart Thermostats" at SimBuild 2024 (NREL, LBNL, DOE); MS thesis on thermal comfort. Experience includes AMY weather file creation, ASHRAE 55 analysis, HVAC controls and schedule studies, and direct collaboration with industry stakeholders on building performance projects.
Other work: data center co-simulation platform (MOSTCOOL / ARPA-E COOLERCHIPS), ResStock building stock analysis, 2,000+ parallel EnergyPlus runs on HPC at PNNL, eQuest modeling, custom early-design simulation workflows.