The tests in this chapter are intended to verify that the candidate software correctly constructs the standard design model and applies rules of the Nonresidential ACM appropriately to the proposed and standard design models. The ruleset implementation tests cover representative portions of the rules for building envelope, lighting, daylighting, space use data, and HVAC. For each test, a set of three models is defined:

• User Model – The user model contains the user inputs for the as-designed building. In most cases, the values for the proposed design will be taken from user inputs with no modification. However, there are some cases where the building input is prescribed for the proposed design or constrained by mandatory minimums or other rules.
• Proposed Design Model – The proposed model is defined by the rules in the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual, created by the vendor candidate software, and is the building modeled for compliance. This model takes user inputs for building geometry, building envelope, space functions, lighting, and HVAC, and is used in the compliance simulation.
• Standard Design Model – This is the baseline model defined by the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual modeling rules. It is used to set the energy budget that is the basis for comparison which determines whether a building passes compliance using the performance method.

These tests do not require that simulation outputs be verified, but they do require that simulation input files for the proposed design and standard design are properly constructed according to the rules in the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual. Some tests require that sizing runs be performed for HVAC inputs with values that depend on autosized standard design systems.

The test runs described in this chapter represent the Title 24 Nonresidential and Multifamily ACM code compliance calculation and use the following prototype models: small office building, medium office building, large office building, warehouse building, medium retail building and small hotel. For further details on the prototype models, refer to Chapter 3.5: Software Sensitivity Tests. Each standard design test case shall be created by modifying the prototype model as described in Chapter 3.4: Ruleset Implementation Tests of this document. The modified prototype model shall form the proposed case for each test run. The standard design model shall be generated by compliance software as per the rules in the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual. The standard design and proposed model files for each test case shall then be evaluated to verify that:

• The standard design building envelope constructions are correctly substituted for exterior opaque surfaces and fenestrations.
• The fenestration area in the standard design building is reduced in accordance with the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual, when the proposed design fenestration area is greater than 40 percent of the exterior wall.
• The skylight area in the standard design building is adjusted in accordance with the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual, when applicable.
• Default schedules of operation are applied for both the standard design building and the proposed design building.
• The proposed and standard design cases use the same defaults, or tailored inputs, for internal loads as required by the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual.
• The standard design building lighting system is correctly specified.
• Receptacle loads and process loads are modeled according to the rules in the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual.
• The standard design building uses the correct system types as prescribed in Table 5: System Descriptions of the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual.
• An economizer (of the right type) is included in the standard design building, if required.
• The primary and secondary standard design building systems are properly specified and sized.
• Fan inputs are correctly specified for the standard design building.
• Prescribed modeling assumptions are applied for both the standard design building and the proposed design building.
• Conditioned, indirectly conditioned, and unconditioned spaces are modeled.
• Other standard design building specifications or modeling assumptions or both are correctly applied.

As the candidate software developer verifies the various test conditions, the input and output files should be annotated with comments or other methods to demonstrate that the modeling rules specified in the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual are correctly applied. Candidate software developers should use the spreadsheets included in Appendix 3C to report the results of these tests. These annotated files shall then be submitted to the CEC for further evaluation. Any errors discovered shall be corrected by making modifications to the candidate software, the runs shall be repeated, and the new results shall be annotated for submittal to the CEC.

The standard design tests are labeled using the format:

The tests listed in Appendix 3C shall be performed to verify that the compliance software correctly creates the standard design model and applies modeling rules as per the requirements of the Nonresidential and Multifamily Buildings ACM Reference Manual.

The characteristics of the user model and inputs to be verified in the proposed and standard design models are described in Appendix 3C.

Results Comparison

The applicant shall perform all tests specified in Chapter 3.4: Ruleset Implementation Tests and Chapter 3.5: Software Sensitivity Tests and report the outputs in the forms provided in Appendix 3C. The standard design for some inputs, such as cooling efficiency and pump power, depend upon the autosizing of the HVAC equipment. The ruleset implementation tests do not check that the autosized capacity matches the reference method but that the standard design input is properly defined in relation to the autosized capacity.