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Buildings & HVAC · Data sources

Building Energy Analysis

Weather, building characteristics, measured energy and modeled load profiles.

Explore selected organizations, manufacturer libraries and research repositories. Each entry explains what it provides, how to access it and which operating conditions to check.

Source guide · Links reviewed

Data sources & references

5 selected sources · Links to original publishers. This is a curated guide, not an exhaustive directory or a hosted dataset.

Measured building data

DOE / LBNL — Building Performance Database

Anonymized building characteristics and energy-performance data, with peer-group analysis and an API described by DOE.

Use it for
Compare appropriate building groups. Annual benchmarking records do not automatically provide interval meter data or occupancy histories.
Operating conditions
Match building use, climate, floor-area basis, fuel, meter boundary and reporting period. Annual energy does not identify an interval peak load.
Where & how to access
DOE links to the BPD interface and documentation. Check current API access, privacy, attribution and permitted reuse.
Open source ↗
Usage terms & attribution

Follow the selected dataset’s license, required citation and contributor notices. If redistribution terms are not explicit, ask the publisher before reusing files. This page provides links only.

Modeled building-stock profiles

NLR — End-Use Load Profiles

ResStock/ComStock-based end-use time series and links to dataset access.

Use it for
Analyze load shapes by building category and geography. These are physics-based model outputs informed by measurements, not raw meter records for individual properties.
Operating conditions
Retain release, geography, building category, weather year, end-use and timestep. Check aggregation weights and energy-versus-power units; outputs remain modeled.
Where & how to access
The project page links to public datasets and documentation. Select a release and review its license, citation, geography and file definitions.
Open source ↗
Usage terms & attribution

The official dataset catalog identifies CC BY 4.0. Retain dataset attribution, license and change notices for any reuse; software and other releases can have separate terms.

Measured weather observations

NOAA NCEI — Climate Data Online

Historical weather/climate records and station information, with search, data tools and web-service documentation.

Use it for
Supply weather inputs for benchmarking or a defined historical building-energy study.
Operating conditions
Check station history, distance/elevation, units, quality flags, interval and time convention. Daily summaries cannot replace hourly inputs without a documented method.
Where & how to access
Search by station or location, choose dataset/variables and dates, then follow the download or web-service instructions. Some API access requires a token.
Open source ↗
Usage terms & attribution

Follow the dataset’s citation and use guidance, including any identified third-party conditions. Public access does not certify suitability for a building or guarantee a complete series.

Simulation weather format & methodology

EnergyPlus — weather-file reference

Documentation for the EnergyPlus weather format and its location, period and weather-field structure.

Use it for
Interpret an EPW file correctly before using it in a building simulation. This documentation is not a collection of measured building energy.
Operating conditions
Check location, time zone, elevation, typical versus actual year, missing-value conventions, interval and the weather period. A typical-year file is not a recorded historical year.
Where & how to access
Read the weather-format guide and its related data dictionary; obtain the actual weather file from an identified provider and retain that file’s source metadata.
Open source ↗
Usage terms & attribution

Documentation, software and weather files may have different licenses. Review the documentation notice and each weather provider’s terms separately before copying or redistributing material.

Manufacturer HVAC equipment documentation

Trane — commercial chiller literature

An example commercial chiller product library with catalog and installation literature.

Use it for
Find equipment characteristics and request project-specific performance for building-energy models.
Operating conditions
Match configuration, capacity, leaving-water temperature, ambient conditions, flow and fluid mixture. Preserve part-load assumptions and distinguish equipment input from whole-plant power.
Where & how to access
Open Product Literature on the CGAM page. For another family or detailed selection, use the relevant Trane product page or representative.
Open source ↗
Usage terms & attribution

Manufacturer documents and selection results remain subject to the publisher’s terms and notices. Use the original library; public access or an export option is not a license to republish its tables, curves or software.

Practical use

Use measured peer-building data for benchmarking and modeled end-use profiles for time-sensitive scenario studies. Keep a building’s annual energy total separate from its interval demand profile.

Check before using the data

  • Match building use, floor area basis, climate, fuel and metering boundary.
  • Check energy versus demand, interval duration, time zone, weather year and occupancy assumptions.
  • Keep measured observations separate from calibrated-model outputs and label aggregation levels.

Put the data to work

Use the related studio for calculations, simulations and practical learning.

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