Building Simulation Users Group
The Building Simulation Users Group (BSUG) was created in 2009 to help to start a community centered around architecture and engineering-focused building simulation. Three years, later, BSUG secured funding for another three years from the Idaho Power Company, whom also provided funding for the 1st three years. Dubbed "BSUG 2.0" the second cycle of the group made some tweaks to its mission and aspired to provide more value to its members than just a static lecture series. Users groups are in unique positions to generate content that draws upon the diverse expertise of its members and guest lectures. This content has the potential to help support and add value to the established simulation community. The goals of BSUG 2.0 include:
- Continue to procure a lecture series from internal speakers, local experts, and regional/national/international
- Create a website to house newly archived sessions and serve as a gateway of knowledge concerning building simulation
- Create a living document that outlines the simulation protocols used by the UI-IDL on projects
- Conduct market assessments of the market penetration of building simulation in the local market
BSUG 2024
There are six lectures given each year. Lectures are split up to be presented in the first half of the year and the end of the year. Topics include energy modeling software, integrating building performance in the design process, and workflow/methods for an integrated design process. Door prizes are given away each lecture. Prizes focus on energy efficiency or related lecture topics.
Newsletter Sign-Up
Click here to sign up for the BSUG newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest information and lecture topics.
Video Archive
All BSUG session are streamed live and then uploaded to our YouTube channel. To view past lecture please click here.
2024 Calendar
Click here to see this year schedule or past years of BSUG.
2024 Schedule
The schedule will be updated as details become available and is subject to change at any time. We are considering the following topics this year: Passive vs. Mechanical Design Strategies, Heatpumps for Cold Climates, High Performance Envelope Design, Introduction to Parametric Modeling and Analysis using Grasshopper & Ladybug, Performance Modeling for Early Design, Electrification in Cold Climates, Embodied Carbon, and OpenStudio Scripting.
May 1st 2024 - Improving the Building Energy Modeling Experience with Open-Source Tools by Eric Ringold
Current building energy modeling tools offer unprecedented opportunities for developing custom workflows and integrations with general-purpose programming languages. However, these tools can be intimidating to modelers without extensive programming experience. This talk will explore one modeler's experience integrating programming into building energy modeling practice, and demystifying the open-source tools and resources to get started expanding your modeling capabilities.
June 12th 2024 - The Existing Tools & Solutions Driving Embodied Carbon Action by Vaclav Hasik
Embodied carbon presents a huge opportunity for decarbonizing our built spaces. Luckily, there are a plethora of tools currently available to help building professionals prioritize embodied carbon reductions through green procurement. During this talk, Vaclav Hasik, Program Director at Building Transparency, will share more about the solutions that provide the data and insights necessary to enable the level of action needed to reverse climate change. Providing an overview of the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator and tallyCAT, Hasik will arm attendees with the insights needed to leverage these tools, identify carbon reduction opportunities, and drive decarbonization.
August 14th 2024 - TBD
Description Coming Soon!
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In-Person Registration: Click Here.
September 4th 2024 - TBD
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In-Person Registration: Click Here.
October 2nd 2024 - TBD
Description Coming Soon!
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In-Person Registration: Click Here.
November 6th 2024 - TBD
Description Coming Soon!
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In-Person Registration: Click Here.
