Support methods, support systems, and programs

Abstract

This disclosure provides a method to support equipment designers who design equipment to be installed in a property. [Solution] The support method in this disclosure is a support method for an equipment designer who designs equipment to be installed in a property, and includes: a first generation step of generating non-considered information that is not considered in calculations in non-coupled calculations that calculate information related to the property; a second generation step of generating a coupled calculation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated in the first generation step; and a coupled calculation execution step of performing a coupled calculation of information related to the property using the coupled calculation model generated in the second generation step.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a support method, a support system, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for supporting the design of equipment to be introduced into a building has been known. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for supporting the design of equipment to be introduced into a building by simulating the cooling and heating capacity by referring to building data and selecting and displaying the type of air conditioning equipment to be introduced into a room.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a support method, a support system, and a program that can support an equipment designer who designs equipment to be introduced into a property.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The support method in the present disclosure is a support method for supporting an equipment designer who designs equipment to be introduced into a property, and includes: a first generation step of generating non-considered information that is not considered in a calculation in a non-integrated calculation for calculating information related to the property; a second generation step of generating an integrated calculation model based on the property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated in the first generation step; and an integrated calculation execution step of performing an integrated calculation of information related to the property by the integrated calculation model generated in the second generation step.

[0006] Furthermore, the support system in this disclosure is a support system for assisting equipment designers who design equipment to be installed in a property, and comprises: a first generation unit that generates non-considered information that is not considered in calculations performed in non-coupled calculations that calculate information related to the property; a second generation unit that generates a coupled calculation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit; and a coupled calculation execution unit that performs coupled calculations of information related to the property using the coupled calculation model generated by the second generation unit.

[0007] Furthermore, the program in this disclosure is a program executed by a computer that assists an equipment designer in designing equipment to be installed in a property, and the computer is configured to function as: a first generation unit that generates non-considered information that is not considered in calculations in non-coupled calculations that calculate information related to the property; a second generation unit that generates a coupled calculation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit; and a coupled calculation execution unit that performs coupled calculations of information related to the property using the coupled calculation model generated by the second generation unit.

[0008] Furthermore, the support method in this disclosure is a support method for supporting an equipment designer who designs equipment to be installed in a property, and includes: a first generation step of generating non-considered information that is not considered in calculations by WEBPRO that calculate information related to the property; a second generation step of generating a simulation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated in the first generation step; and a simulation execution step of simulating information related to the property using the simulation model generated in the second generation step.

[0009] Furthermore, the support system in this disclosure is a support system for assisting equipment designers who design equipment to be installed in a property, and comprises: a first generation unit that generates non-considered information that is not considered in calculations performed by WEBPRO which calculates information related to the property; a second generation unit that generates a simulation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit; and a simulation execution unit that simulates information related to the property using the simulation model generated by the second generation unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the program in this disclosure is a program executed by a computer that assists an equipment designer in designing equipment to be installed in a property, and the computer is configured to function as: a first generation unit that generates non-considered information that is not taken into account in calculations performed by WEBPRO for calculating information related to the property; a second generation unit that generates a simulation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit; and a simulation execution unit that simulates information related to the property using the simulation model generated by the second generation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The support methods, support systems, and programs described herein can assist equipment designers in designing equipment to be installed in a property. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Diagram showing the configuration of the support system in Embodiment 1 [Figure 2] Diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device in Embodiment 1 [Figure 3] A diagram illustrating the generation of property information in Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] Flowchart showing the operation of the terminal device in Embodiment 1 [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying the simulation results in Embodiment 1.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] (Findings etc. underlying the present disclosure) When the inventors arrived at the idea of the present disclosure, there was a technology for assisting in the design of facilities to be introduced into a property. By the way, in the design of facilities, information related to a building such as the primary energy consumption is calculated by non-coupled calculations such as WEBPRO and presented to the designer. In recent years, outputting information related to a building by coupled calculations such as simulations as described in Patent Document 1 has been considered. Since various information can be considered in coupled calculations, the inventors discovered the problem that there is room for improvement in design support, and in order to solve this problem, they arrived at constituting the subject matter of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure provides an assistance method, an assistance system, and a program that can assist a facility designer who designs facilities to be introduced into a property.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, there may be cases where more detailed explanations than necessary are omitted. For example, there may be cases where the detailed explanation of well-known matters or the redundant explanation for substantially the same configuration is omitted. Note that the attached drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims by these.

[0015] [[ID=2~0]](Embodiment 1) [1-1. Configuration] [1-1-1. Configuration of the assistance system] Referring to FIG. 1, the outline of the assistance system 1000 will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the outline of the assistance system 1000.

[0016] The assistance system 1000 is a system that assists a facility designer P1 who designs the facilities 1 to be introduced into the property BL. Note that the design of the facilities 1 includes the selection of the facilities 1.

[0017] Examples of the object BL include houses, offices, warehouses, stores, factories, school buildings, hotels, etc. In the present embodiment, non-residential buildings such as commercial buildings are exemplified as the object BL.

[0018] The facility 1 introduced into the object BL includes an air conditioning facility 11. Examples of the air conditioning facility 11 include an air conditioner having an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, a ventilation device, etc. In FIG. 1, an air conditioner is exemplified as the air conditioning facility 11 introduced into the object BL, but the air conditioning facility 11 introduced into the object BL may include a ventilation device. Note that the ventilation device may be a device having a total heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the air supplied from the outside to the inside and the air exhausted from the inside to the outside, or a device not having a total heat exchanger. Also, the ventilation mode of the ventilation device may be any of the first type ventilation, the second type ventilation, and the third type ventilation. Also, the air conditioner is assumed to be an air conditioner equipped with indoor units in various forms such as a four-way ceiling cassette type, a two-way ceiling cassette type, a one-way ceiling cassette type, a ceiling built-in type, a ceiling suspended type, a wall-mounted type, a floor-mounted type, etc. In addition, the indoor unit is configured to include a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a floor temperature sensor, and measure and record the thermal environment of the indoor temperature and humidity in time series. The outdoor unit is configured to include a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor that measure the outdoor temperature and humidity. Note that the above-mentioned respective sensors may be provided in devices independent of the air conditioner (for example, a ventilation device, a remote control, a measuring device equipped with the above-mentioned respective sensors). Furthermore, airflow application devices such as a circulator, an air conveyance fan, an air curtain, a ceiling fan, etc. may be provided to eliminate stagnation of indoor air and temperature unevenness in the room.

[0019] The support system 1000 of the present embodiment exemplifies a case of supporting the design of the facility 1 to be introduced into a newly constructed object BL1 and also supporting the design of the facility 1 to be introduced into an existing object BL2. In FIG. 1, the newly constructed object BL1 is shown by a dotted line, and the existing object BL2 is shown by a solid line.

[0020] The support system 1000 includes a server device 2 and a terminal device 3. Server device 2 is a device that processes information using devices connected to the network NW as clients. The network NW includes the internet, telephone networks, and other communication networks. Note that in Figure 1, server device 2 is represented by a single block, but this does not necessarily mean that server device 2 is composed of a single device. Terminal device 3 is an example of a "computer".

[0021] Server device 2 acquires operational data D1 from the management device that manages the existing property BL2 at predetermined intervals (for example, every hour; data at 1-minute intervals is required for detailed analysis of operating conditions), and ideally stores the acquired operational data D1 cumulatively for more than one year. When requested by terminal device 3, server device 2 transmits the stored operational data D1 to terminal device 3.

[0022] Operational data D1 is data that shows the operation related to the property BL. The operation shown in operational data D1 includes at least one of the following: the operating history of equipment 1, the entry history to the property BL, the exit history, and the behavioral history of users using the property BL. The operating history of Equipment 1 is a record of the time periods during which Equipment 1 was in operation. The entry and exit history for property BL is a record showing who entered or exited the property, and at what time, minute, and second. The activity history of users of the property list (BL) includes, for example, the individual schedules and meeting schedules of the users of the property list.

[0023] Terminal device 3 is a PC (Personal Computer). In Figure 1, a laptop PC is shown as an example of terminal device 3, but terminal device 3 can be a desktop PC, a tablet PC, or a smartphone.

[0024] When equipment designer P1 receives a design request from design client P2, P1 uses terminal device 3 to design equipment 1 to be installed in the building line building (BL). Equipment designer P1 is the person who designs equipment 1 to be installed in the building line building; for example, P1 may be the person who designs equipment 1, or the person who built or designed the building line building. Design client P2 may be, for example, the owner of the building line building, or a person who has been commissioned by the owner to perform management duties.

[0025] Equipment designer P1 uses terminal device 3 when designing equipment 1. Equipment designer P1 inputs data representing the building BL (such as the building BL's location, purpose, orientation, and number of floors) into terminal device 3, including drawings of the building BL and data representing the building BL created using the building BL drafting tool.

[0026] When equipment designer P1 makes the above input, terminal device 3 generates property information J1 and non-consideration information J2.

[0027] Property Information J1 contains information about property BL and is in a format compatible with WEBPRO. Property Information J1 includes property-related information J11 and equipment information J12.

[0028] Property-related information J11 contains information indicating the structure of property BL and the material of the building's exterior. Furthermore, property-related information J11 records information such as the building's use (e.g., shop, office, factory), the use of rooms (e.g., conference room, office), the year the building was completed, its location, and the total floor area. In addition, property-related information J11 includes room information for each room in property BL as information indicating the structure of property BL. Room information includes information such as the room's location in property BL, the floor number of the room (information indicating which floor it is on in a multi-story property BL), the room's floor area, ceiling height, floor height, the number of windows in the room, the area of ​​the windows in the room, the direction in which the windows are installed, the occupancy ratio (the percentage of floor area occupied by people), the heat generated by the lighting equipment installed in the room, and the heat generated by equipment other than lighting equipment installed in the room. Property-related information J11 also records information about property BL as defined in WEBPRO.

[0029] Equipment Information J12 is information that indicates, for each room in property BL, the type of equipment 1 to be installed in the room, the specifications of the equipment 1 to be installed in the room, and the number of equipment 1 to be installed in the room, and records information regarding equipment 1 as defined in WEBPRO. The specifications of equipment 1, if equipment 1 is an air conditioning system 11, include information such as rated cooling capacity, rated heating capacity, rated power consumption, and COP that indicate the performance of the air conditioner, and information such as rated airflow, total heat exchange rate, and rated power consumption that indicate the performance of the ventilation system. WEBPRO demonstrates an example of "uncoupled computation".

[0030] Now, let me explain WEBPRO. WEBPRO is a program provided by the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, and is used to calculate the energy consumption performance of a building's building line (BL). The government provides a WEBPRO calculation service for performing calculations using WEBPRO. The WEBPRO calculation service performs calculations based on building-related information J11 and equipment information J12, and outputs the calculation results. The calculation results output by the WEBPRO calculation service include the standard primary energy consumption and the design primary energy consumption. This explanation assumes the standard input method for WEBPRO for non-residential buildings. However, this disclosure may also apply to WEBPRO for residential buildings. The standard primary energy consumption is an energy consumption value that indicates whether the design primary energy consumption, described later, conforms to energy conservation standards. The WEBPRO calculation service calculates the standard primary energy consumption based on publicly available standards for building envelope and equipment specifications that set the primary energy consumption standard. For example, for Equipment 1, the calculation is performed by WEBPRO based on information such as the standard primary energy consumption per unit, which is determined for each piece of equipment, region, and room use, according to the design specifications. The design primary energy consumption is a predicted energy consumption value calculated using the calculation logic published in the calculation specifications of WEBPRO's energy consumption performance calculation program. This value will serve as the target value for energy consumption management during the actual operation phase.

[0031] The various energy consumption figures calculated by WEBPRO include, for example, the following seven types of standard primary energy consumption. Of these, only the standard primary energy consumption for the entire facility 1 over a year is used in the calculation of whether the facility meets energy conservation requirements. Annual standard primary energy consumption of air conditioning equipment 11 Annual standard primary energy consumption of ventilation equipment Annual standard primary energy consumption of lighting equipment Annual standard primary energy consumption of hot water supply equipment Annual standard primary energy consumption of elevators Annual standard primary energy consumption of other facilities Annual standard primary energy consumption for the entire facility 1

[0032] The annual standard primary energy consumption for all of Equipment 1 refers to the total annual standard primary energy consumption of Equipment 1 installed in Property BL.

[0033] Furthermore, the various energy consumption figures calculated by WEBPRO include, for example, the following seven types of design primary energy consumption. Each of the following values ​​will be the target value for each piece of equipment 1 and the target value for equipment 1 as a whole for energy management during the actual operation stage. Annual design primary energy consumption of air conditioning equipment 11 Annual design primary energy consumption of ventilation equipment Annual design primary energy consumption of lighting equipment Annual design primary energy consumption of hot water supply equipment Annual design primary energy consumption of elevators Annual design primary energy consumption of other facilities Annual design primary energy consumption of the entire facility 1

[0034] The annual design primary energy consumption of Equipment 1 as a whole refers to the total annual design primary energy consumption of Equipment 1 installed in Property BL.

[0035] WEBPRO is a conformity assessment program stipulated by the Building Energy Conservation Act, and therefore its calculation logic and the data used in calculations are standardized. Furthermore, WEBPRO defines building models and equipment models in a simplified manner, and roughly calculates the aforementioned energy consumption. On the other hand, the simulation used in this disclosure is intended for users of a building block (BL) to accurately understand annual power consumption and thermal environment during operation. The simulation identifies the user and purpose of the target BL, constructs building, equipment, and operation models that reflect the actual situation of the BL user (current operating status in the case of existing buildings; operating plan in the case of new buildings), and performs calculations that reflect that reality. Thus, there is a difference between WEBPRO and the simulation model, at least in terms of accuracy. In this embodiment, the simulation model is created using the information from the WEBPRO model, enabling the simulation to be performed. In other words, non-considered information J2 is defined and made available to bridge the gap between WEBPRO and the simulation model. It is assumed that the system automatically inputs or the equipment designer selects and inputs non-considered information J2, which is not described in WEBPRO. For example, in the case of a property BL, the materials of the interior walls, ceilings, and floors are not defined and used in WEBPRO. Also, in the case of Equipment 1, WEBPRO defines the specifications of the air conditioner using the performance at rated load (e.g., COP, power consumption). Therefore, it is not possible to evaluate the performance of the air conditioner at low load or high load. For this reason, in order to perform a simulation, it is necessary to define the air conditioner using a simulation model that is close to the rated load specifications of the air conditioner defined in WEBPRO. As will be described later, the simulation model is modeled to reflect the performance characteristics of the air conditioner from low load to rated load to high load, by referring to information such as the product catalog and technical documents of the manufacturer used, so that simulation evaluation can be performed. Furthermore, in the case of the operational model of a property BL, WEBPRO standardizes and defines operational models according to the use of the property BL and the room use. Details will be described later. Many of the simulation operational models are designed to be freely defined, so it is necessary to define an operational model that is appropriate for the user and use of the property BL.Based on these points, we will now explain the non-considered information J2.

[0036] Non-considered information J2 indicates information that is not considered in calculations using WEBPRO. In this embodiment, the non-considered information J2 includes model number information indicating the model number of equipment 1 from a predetermined manufacturer, corresponding to the specifications of each piece of equipment 1 shown in the equipment information J12. Here, the predetermined manufacturer may be a manufacturer designated by the entity providing the support system 1000, or a manufacturer designated by at least one of the equipment designer P1 and the design client P2.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the non-considered information J2 includes material information indicating the materials used in the interior of property BL. More specifically, the non-considered information J2 includes material information indicating the materials used for the ceiling, interior walls, and floor of property BL.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the non-considered information J2 includes operational information that indicates the operation related to the property BL. The operations indicated by the operational information include at least one of the following: the operation of the property BL as defined in WEBPRO, the operating history of equipment 1 installed in the existing property BL2, the entry and exit history to the existing property BL2, and the behavioral history of users utilizing the existing property BL2. The operating history of equipment 1 refers to the history of the time period during which equipment 1 was operating and the type of operation of the air conditioning equipment 11. The entry and exit history to the existing property BL2 refers to the history of who entered or left the property, and at what time, minute, and second. The behavioral history of users utilizing the existing property BL2 refers to, for example, the personal schedules and meeting schedules of users of property BL2.

[0039] Terminal device 3 generates property information J1 and non-considered information J2, then generates a simulation model based on the generated property information J1 and non-considered information J2, and simulates information related to property BL using the generated simulation model. The simulation model will be described later. The simulation is an example of "coupled computation".

[0040] In this embodiment, the information related to property BL that the terminal device 3 simulates includes information related to the energy of property BL and information related to the evaluation of the living environment of property BL. The energy-related information for property BL includes, for example, the 14 annual primary energy consumption figures mentioned above. Furthermore, the energy-related information for property BL includes the annual and monthly electricity consumption of the entire facility 1. Furthermore, the information related to the evaluation of the living environment of property BL includes at least one of the following: room temperature, humidity, discomfort index, comfort index, and outside temperature. The information related to the evaluation of the living environment of property BL may also include the wall temperature of property BL and the degree of condensation on the windows of property BL.

[0041] As described above, equipment designer P1 designs equipment 1 to be installed in the project BL based on a request from client P2. Equipment designer P1 performs the design work for equipment 1 based on the simulation results, which are the result of a simulation performed by terminal device 3. For example, equipment designer P1 selects the air conditioning equipment 11. Furthermore, for example, equipment designer P1 is responsible for determining whether the newly constructed property BL1 will comply with energy conservation standards during its operational phase, and for conducting studies and revisions to ensure compliance with those standards during the operational phase. For example, equipment designer P1 evaluates the living environment of property BL.

[0042] [1-1-2. Terminal Device Configuration] Figure 2 shows the configuration of terminal device 3. The terminal device 3 comprises a control device 30, a communication unit 31, a display 32, and an input unit 33.

[0043] The control device 30 is a device that controls various parts of the terminal device 3. The control device 30 includes a processor 300 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processor Unit), memory 320, and an interface circuit. Other devices and sensors of the terminal device 3 are connected to this interface circuit.

[0044] Memory 320 is a memory that stores programs and data. Memory 320 stores program 321, simulator 322, and data processed by processor 300. Memory 320 has a non-volatile storage area. It also has a volatile storage area that constitutes the work area of ​​processor 300. Memory 320 is composed of, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0045] Program 321 is a program that assists in the selection of equipment 1 to be installed in property BL.

[0046] Simulator 322 is a program that performs simulations using the simulation model generated by processor 300. Simulator 322 is configured to output information related to the energy of property BL and information related to the evaluation of the living environment of property BL, upon receiving the simulation model generated by processor 300. As for Simulator 322, an energy simulator such as EnergyPlus, TRNSYS, or BEST may be used.

[0047] The simulation model input to simulator 322 consists of a building model, a solar radiation model, an operational model (including a human body heat generation model, a lighting equipment heat generation model, and an equipment heat generation model), an air conditioning equipment model, and a total heat exchanger ventilation equipment model. More specifically, the simulation model includes a solar radiation model and a weather model, and for each room in the building (building model) where the air conditioning equipment 11 is installed, a human body heat generation model, a lighting equipment heat generation model, an equipment heat generation model, an air conditioning equipment 11 equipment model, and a total heat exchanger ventilation equipment model are defined. If the target is a store or restaurant, these models may also include a kitchen equipment heat generation model, a ventilation fan ventilation equipment model, and a range hood ventilation model. When running the simulation, the location (e.g., prefecture, city, town, or village) is specified, and the weather conditions of that location are reflected.

[0048] Here, we will explain the power consumption of the air conditioner equipment model, which accounts for a large portion of the power consumption in the processing related to the air conditioning equipment 11, and the method for calculating the heat load (cooling amount, heating amount) processed by the air conditioner. The equipment model of an air conditioner consists of the following equations (1) to (4). Q = F(ΔT1)···(1) Q = ρ × Cp × Vol × ΔT²···(2) Load factor = Q ÷ Rated capacity of the outdoor unit ... (3) Power consumption = Q÷COP (4) In equations (1) to (4), Q is the cooling amount when the air conditioner is cooling, and the heating amount when the air conditioner is heating. In equation (1), F() is obtained by matching Q to ΔT1 using a table lookup. The value of Q obtained in F() is associated with ΔT1 and is a table showing the relationship between ΔT1 and Q, created based on the minimum capacity, rating, maximum capacity, etc., of the selected model. Specifically, it is created by referring to the specifications, equipment configuration, control logic, etc., of the actual air conditioner. In equation (1), ΔT1 is the difference between the set temperature and the sensor value, and the sensor value is the intake temperature of the indoor unit. Instead of the intake temperature, if the indoor unit can detect the floor temperature, it may be the difference between the set temperature and the floor temperature. In equation (2), ΔT2 is the difference between the supply air temperature and the sensor value, which is the supply air temperature minus the sensor value when heating, and the sensor value minus the supply air temperature when cooling. In equation (2), ρ is the density of air, Cp is the specific heat of air, and Vol is the air supply rate, all of which are constant values.

[0049] The processing steps for the air conditioner equipment model involve calculations (1) to (4), and once calculation (4) is complete, the process returns to calculation (1). First, Q is calculated using equation (1). In calculating Q using equation (1), ΔT1 is determined based on the information recorded in the air conditioner's operational data, and the capacity corresponding to ΔT1 is set as Q. Next, the Q obtained using equation (1) is substituted into equation (2) to calculate the supply air temperature that constitutes ΔT2. The Q calculated using equation (1) is substituted into the left side of equation (3) to determine the load factor. Next, from the relationship diagram between the load factor and COP, the COP corresponding to the load factor calculated using equation (3) is determined. Finally, the Q obtained using equation (1) and the calculated COP are substituted into equation (4), and the left side of equation (4) is calculated as the power consumption corresponding to the current load factor. The characteristics of the relationship diagram between load factor and COP are defined for each air conditioner model. The relationship diagram is determined by specifying the rated COP and rated power consumption of the air conditioner in the equipment model. Alternatively, the relationship diagram between load factor and COP may be defined separately for cooling and heating. Other simulation conditions such as operating mode (cooling, heating, or dry), set temperature, and set airflow can also be provided as part of the air conditioner equipment model.

[0050] The communication unit 31 is equipped with communication hardware such as communication circuits that conform to a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with each device connected to the network NW.

[0051] The display 32 is composed of elements such as liquid crystal, LED (Light Emitting Diode), and OLED (Organic LED). The display 32 displays various information according to the control of the control device 30.

[0052] The input unit 33 is equipped with an interface circuit for connecting to devices such as operation switches, touch-input panels, mice, and keyboards, and detects the input operations of the equipment designer P1 and outputs the detection results to the processor 300.

[0053] The processor 300 functions as a reception unit 301, a property information generation unit 302, a non-considered information generation unit 303, a simulation model generation unit 304, a simulation execution unit 305, and a display unit 306 by reading and executing the program 321 stored in the memory 320. The non-considered information generation unit 303 is an example of a "first generation unit". The simulation model generation unit 304 is an example of a "second generation unit". The simulation execution unit 305 is an example of a "coupled calculation execution unit".

[0054] [1-1-2-1. Reception Department] The reception unit 301 receives operations from the equipment designer P1 via the input unit 33.

[0055] [1-1-2-2. Property information generation department] The property information generation unit 302 generates property information J1. The generation of property information J1 will be explained below, referring to Figure 3.

[0056] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the generation of property information J1. First, the property information generation unit 302 generates property-related information J11 by referring to the first property database 323. The first property database 323 is stored in a memory area accessible by terminal devices 3, such as memory 320 or server device 2. For example, the first property database 323 is a database of property BLs that is referenced to easily create building models for simulations.

[0057] The first project DB323 is a database containing a record R for each existing project BL2. Record R records the structure of the project BL. In addition, record R records the material of the project BL's outer shell for each type of project BL outer shell. Record R is registered in the first project DB323 in advance by the equipment designer P1. The structure of property BL shown in property DB323 includes the use of property BL, the location of property BL, the orientation of property BL, the number of floors of property BL, and room information for each room of property BL. The exterior components of property BL include the exterior walls, roof, and windows of property BL. The material of the building envelope of property BL is indicated by statistical values ​​such as the median, mean, minimum, and maximum values ​​of the thermal transmittance, which represent the characteristics of the material obtained for each type of insulation material used in the building envelope of property BL. Furthermore, the material of the building envelope of property BL recorded in record R is at least distinguished by the material used when property BL is located in a warm region, when property BL is located in a cold region, when property BL is located in an energy-saving regional classification, and when property BL was built. Generally, older property BL buildings have lower thermal insulation performance. Also, for buildings of the same age, building materials with the same thermal insulation performance are more likely to be used, considering factors such as building material costs and energy-saving standards. In addition, the energy-saving regional classifications established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism designate eight regions nationwide at the municipal level, with stricter standards required in colder regions and relatively looser standards as you move south. The material may be determined according to the energy-saving regional classification. Furthermore, for the building envelope material, a list of building material types and physical properties as defined in WEBPRO may be provided, and each component of the building, such as exterior walls, roofs, floors, and windows, may be defined by the type of building material (e.g., concrete, insulation), and the thermal transmittance of each component of the building may be shown. In addition to thermal transmittance, other indicators such as thermal conductivity, volumetric specific heat, specific heat, and density may also be used for building materials. In the case of windows, there are indicators such as thermal transmittance, solar heat gain coefficient, solar transmittance, and visible light transmittance, and indicators other than thermal transmittance may also be taken into consideration. Note that the type of exterior of property BL is just one example of a "property element."

[0058] When the reception unit 301 receives input for the structure of property BL from the equipment designer P1, the property information generation unit 302 identifies a record R from the first property DB 323 in which the structure of property BL has a match rate or similarity of a predetermined value or higher (for example, the content matches or is similar in a predetermined number of items out of all items. For example, some of the building's use, room use, year the building was completed, location, total floor area, and thermal insulation performance of specific parts such as the roof and exterior walls match or are similar) and obtains the building envelope type and building envelope material of property BL from the identified record R. Then, the property information generation unit 302 generates property-related information J11 that shows the obtained building envelope type and building envelope material of property BL and the structure of property BL received by the reception unit 301.

[0059] Next, the property information generation unit 302 generates property-related information J11, and based on the generated property-related information J11, performs a heat load calculation for each room indicated by the structure of property BL received by the reception unit 301. One example of a heat load calculation method is the one based on the Building Equipment Design Standards. When performing a heat load calculation using the method based on the Building Equipment Design Standards, the property information generation unit 302 obtains the parameters used in the heat load calculation method specified in the Building Equipment Design Standards from the property-related information J11, and calculates the heat load using the obtained parameters and the heat load calculation method specified in the Building Equipment Design Standards. The property information generation unit 302 may also calculate the heat load using various other heat load calculation methods, such as the simplified heating and cooling load calculation method.

[0060] Next, the property information generation unit 302 selects candidate air conditioning equipment 11 for each room of property BL based on the calculated heat load. The property information generation unit 302 selects air conditioning equipment 11 for each room of property BL by referring to the equipment list data 324. This equipment list data 324 is data that records the capacity (rated cooling capacity and rated heating capacity for air conditioners), rated power consumption of the blower, COP, etc. for each air conditioning equipment 11, and is stored in a memory area accessible by terminal devices 3 such as memory 320 and server device 2. The property information generation unit 302 selects air conditioning equipment 11 with a capacity equal to or greater than the calculated heat load by referring to the equipment list data 324. Once the property information generation unit 302 has selected air conditioning equipment 11, it obtains information from the equipment list data 324, such as rated cooling capacity, rated heating capacity, rated power consumption, COP, etc., which indicate the performance of the air conditioner, and rated airflow, total heat exchange rate, rated power consumption, etc., which indicate the ventilation performance. Then, after acquiring the above information, the property information generation unit 302 generates equipment information J12 for each room of property BL, including the acquired information. In order to perform the simulation, it is necessary to link the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and the refrigerant piping between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit is set up.

[0061] [1-1-2-3. Non-considered information generation unit] The non-considered information generation unit 303 generates non-considered information J2. As described above, non-considered information J2 includes model number information, material information, and operation information.

[0062] The non-considered information generation unit 303 generates model number information indicating the model number of equipment 1 from a predetermined manufacturer, corresponding to the specifications of each piece of equipment 1 shown in the equipment information J12 (rated cooling capacity, rated heating capacity, COP, etc.). The non-considered information generation unit 303 refers to the equipment information J12 generated by the property information generation unit 302 and, for each piece of equipment 1 indicated by the equipment information J12, identifies the model number of equipment 1 from a predetermined manufacturer that corresponds to the specifications of equipment 1 indicated by the equipment information J12, from the model number list data 325. The model number list data 325 is data that records a set of equipment 1 specifications and model number information for each piece of equipment 1 from a predetermined manufacturer. The model number list data 325 is stored in a storage area accessible by terminal devices 3 such as memory 320 or server device 2. The non-considered information generation unit 303 identifies from the model number list data 325 the model number information that corresponds to specifications (for example, rated cooling capacity or rated heating capacity) that are greater than or equal to the specifications of equipment 1 indicated by the equipment information J12, for each piece of equipment 1 indicated by the equipment information J12. Furthermore, specifications that are greater than or equal to the specifications of Equipment 1 shown in Equipment Information J12 refer to any number of specifications of Equipment 1 shown in Equipment Information J12 (for example, in the case of an air conditioning system 11, this would be information such as rated cooling capacity, rated heating capacity, rated power consumption, and COP in the case of an air conditioner) that are greater than or equal to the specifications recorded in the model number list data 325. The non-considered information generation unit 303 generates model number information by obtaining the identified model number information from the model number list data 325. For the generation of the simulation model of the air conditioner, the simulation model of the air conditioner linked to the model number information is selected. As mentioned above, this model calculates power consumption based on the relationship diagram between the load factor and COP of the air conditioner, so it can handle low load to rated to high load, and enables accurate calculation of power consumption according to the actual load.

[0063] The non-considered information generation unit 303 generates material information indicating the materials used in the interior of property BL. The non-considered information generation unit 303 generates material information by referring to the second item DB 326. The second item DB 326 is stored in a memory area accessible by terminal devices 3 such as the memory 320 and the server device 2.

[0064] The second property DB326 is a database that records, for each existing property BL2, the location of the property BL, its use, the age of the property BL, and material information indicating the interior materials of the property BL (material of the interior walls, material of the ceiling, and materials of the floor, roof, exterior walls, windows, etc.). For example, the first property DB323 is a database of property BLs that is referenced to easily create a building model for simulation, and the second property DB326 is a database of building information that is referenced to create non-considered information J2. Furthermore, the interior materials of property BL recorded in property DB326 are shown as statistical values ​​such as median, mean, minimum, and maximum values ​​of thermal transmittance, which indicate the characteristics of each material, including the material of the interior walls, ceiling, floor, roof, exterior walls, windows, etc. Furthermore, the interior materials of property BL recorded in property DB326 are at least distinguished by the materials used when property BL is located in a warm region, when property BL is located in a cold region, when property BL is located in a region designated for energy conservation, and when property BL was built. Note that the interior walls, ceiling, and floor of property BL are examples of "property elements." From this perspective, the materials of building components such as interior walls, ceilings, floors, roofs, exterior walls, and windows are defined to define the simulation model of the target property.

[0065] The non-considered information generation unit 303 refers to the property-related information J11 generated by the property information generation unit 302 and the second property DB 326, and identifies the interior materials of similar properties that are similar to property BL indicated by property-related information J11 from the second property DB 326. Here, a similar property is a property BL that matches at least one of the following: the use of property BL, the age of property BL, or the location of property BL (whether it is in a cold or warm region, or based on energy-saving regional classification). Note that whether the location of property BL matches does not mean matching the location in a narrow sense, such as the address, but rather matching the location in a broader sense, such as whether the climate matches. Once the non-considered information generation unit 303 identifies the material information of similar properties from the second property DB 326, it generates the material information by obtaining the identified material information from the second property DB 326. Alternatively, information used to identify similar properties may include building characteristics such as building use, room use, year of completion, location, and total floor area. Material information can then be generated by determining the degree of similarity. This allows for the generation of a simulation model of the target property by supplementing the material information of similar properties with the material information of interior walls, ceilings, and floors, which are not defined and used in WEBPRO.

[0066] The non-consideration information generation unit 303 generates operational information that indicates the operation related to the property BL. WEBPRO standardizes and defines operational models according to the use of the property BL and the room use. Many simulation operational models are freely definable, so it is necessary to define an operational model that is appropriate for the user and use of the property BL. Non-consideration information J2 bridges this gap. Two methods are possible: defining the simulation operational model using the WEBPRO operational model, or using the equipment's operating history. The non-consideration information J2 of the operational model will be explained below. For example, the non-considered information generation unit 303 generates operational information that shows the operation of the property BL defined in WEBPRO. In this example, the operational information that shows the operation of the property BL defined in WEBPRO is stored in a memory area accessible by the terminal device 3, such as the memory 320, and the non-considered information generation unit 303 generates operational information that shows the operation of the property BL defined in WEBPRO by obtaining the operational information from the memory area. Here, the operational information includes a list of the property BL's use and room use, reference values ​​such as heat generation amount, a time-based schedule, and a calendar pattern. Specifically, the list of building use and room use defines room use such as conference rooms and offices for building use such as offices. In addition, a time-based schedule and reference values ​​such as heat generation amount can be set for each room use. Personnel density and heat generation amount per unit area are described for each room use. For people, the occupancy schedule and heat generation amount (people / m 2 Regarding lighting, the operating schedule of the lighting and the amount of heat generated (W / m²) 2 ), and for equipment, the operating schedule of equipment such as PCs and the amount of heat generated (W / m²) 2 Regarding air conditioning, the operating schedule of the air conditioning and the volume of outside air (CMH / m³) are as follows: 2 Regarding ventilation, the operating schedule for ventilation fans and total heat exchangers may be included, as well as hot water supply equipment. The schedule can be defined, for example, in 30-minute or 1-hour increments per day. A calendar pattern is a calendar that distinguishes between weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. For each room use, this calendar is used to distinguish between weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays and define the aforementioned schedules and heat generation amounts. This allows the simulation operation model to be defined using the WEBPRO operation model.

[0067] Furthermore, for example, in the case of designing for an existing property BL2, the non-consideration information generation unit 303 receives operation data D1 from the server device 2. If the received operation data D1 includes the operating history of equipment 1, the non-consideration information generation unit 303 generates operation information indicating the operating history of equipment 1 included in the operation data D1. The operating history of equipment such as a PC, which is one aspect of equipment 1, may be collected by measuring power on a distribution board or equipment-by-equipment basis, or if the operating status of the equipment or sensor values ​​inside the equipment can be collected, this information may be collected chronologically to form the operating history. The same method may be used to collect the operating history for air conditioners as well. This allows the simulation's operation model to be defined using the equipment's operating history, focusing on the equipment's operating schedule. If the operation model cannot be defined using only the operating history of equipment 1, the missing parts (e.g., human heat generation, calendar pattern) may be defined using WEBPRO definitions. In addition, the heat generation of equipment such as lighting and PCs may be defined from product catalogs or product technical documents. However, using operational history as much as possible will allow for simulations that more accurately reflect the actual situation.

[0068] Furthermore, for example, in the case of designing an existing property BL2, the non-consideration information generation unit 303 receives operational data D1 from the server device 2. If the received operational data D1 includes entry and exit history to property BL2, the non-consideration information generation unit 303 generates operational information indicating the entry and exit history to property BL included in the operational data D1. Methods for collecting entry and exit history include using the schedules of people belonging to the room (e.g., personal schedules or meeting schedules), obtaining it from the usage history of IC cards used to permit entry and exit, or from performing a time-series analysis of people captured by surveillance cameras installed near the entry and exit points.

[0069] Furthermore, for example, in the case of designing for an existing property BL2, the non-consideration information generation unit 303 receives operation data D1 from the server device 2. If the received operation data D1 includes the user's behavior history, the non-consideration information generation unit 303 generates operation information indicating the user's behavior history included in the operation data D1.

[0070] [1-1-2-4. Simulation Model Generation Unit] The simulation model generation unit 304 generates a simulation model to be input to the simulator 322. The simulation model is based on the property information J1 generated by the property information generation unit 302 and the non-consideration information J2 generated by the non-consideration information generation unit 303. Therefore, the simulation model generation unit 304 obtains the property information J1 from the property information generation unit 302 and the non-consideration information J2 from the non-consideration information generation unit 303, and generates a simulation model based on these two types of information obtained.

[0071] The simulation model generation unit 304 generates a simulation model by setting the contents of the property information J1 to the building model and various equipment models. Furthermore, the simulation model generation unit 304 generates a simulation model by selecting an equipment model corresponding to the part number information included in the non-considered information J2 and incorporating it into the simulation model. The selection of the equipment model is performed by referring to a list data that associates part number information with equipment models. This list data is stored in a memory area accessible by terminal devices 3 such as the memory 320 and the server device 2. Furthermore, the simulation model generation unit 304 generates a simulation model by setting the contents of the material information included in the non-considered information J2 to the building model. Furthermore, the simulation model generation unit 304 generates a simulation model by setting the content of the operational information included in the non-considered information J2 to the operational model.

[0072] [1-1-2-5. Simulation Execution Unit] The simulation execution unit 305 inputs the simulation model generated by the simulation model generation unit 304 into the simulator 322 and executes the simulation.

[0073] [1-1-2-6. Display Control Unit] The display control unit 306 outputs the results of the simulation performed by the simulation execution unit 305 to the equipment designer P1 by displaying screen G on the display 32. Screen G will be described later with reference to the drawings.

[0074] [1-2. Operation] Next, we will explain the operation of the terminal device 3 related to the selection of the air conditioning equipment 11. First, referring to Figure 4, we will explain the operation of the terminal device 3 involved in the selection of the air conditioning equipment 11 to be installed in property BL.

[0075] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of terminal device 3. At the start of the flowchart shown in Figure 4, if equipment designer P1 is designing a new building BL1, the structure of the new building BL1 is input into terminal device 3. Furthermore, at the start of the flowchart shown in Figure 5, if the equipment designer P1 is designing for the existing building BL2, the structure of the existing building BL2 is input into the terminal device 3.

[0076] The operation shown in the flowchart of Figure 5 is initiated when the reception unit 301 receives a command to start displaying the simulation results.

[0077] The property information generation unit 302 generates property information J1 based on the structure of the input property BL (step SA1). Step SA1 is an example of the "third generation step".

[0078] Next, the non-considered information generation unit 303 generates non-considered information J2 (step SA2). In step SA2, when generating non-considered information J2 based on property information J1, the non-considered information generation unit 303 generates non-considered information J2 based on the property information J1 generated in step SA1. Step SA2 is an example of the "first generation step".

[0079] Next, the simulation model generation unit 304 generates a simulation model (step SA3) based on the property information J1 generated in step SA1 and the non-considered information J2 generated in step SA2. Step SA3 is an example of a "second generation step".

[0080] Next, the simulation execution unit 305 inputs the simulation model generated in step SA3 into the simulator 322 and executes the simulation (step SA4). Step SA4 is an example of the "coupled calculation execution step" and the "simulation execution step".

[0081] Next, the display control unit 306 displays screen G, which shows the results of the simulation performed in step SA4, on the display 32 (step SA5). Step SA5 corresponds to an example of an "output step".

[0082] Figure 5 shows an example of screen G displaying the simulation results. Screen G contains energy consumption information J4. Energy consumption information J4 is information showing the energy consumption of property BL. In the example screen G shown in Figure 5, energy consumption information J4 shows the standard primary energy consumption for the entire property BL for the year and the design primary energy consumption for the entire property BL for the year. Note that the type of energy consumption shown by energy consumption information J4 is not limited to the type shown in Figure 5, but can be any of the 14 types mentioned above. The energy information here represents the annual energy for the entire facility 1 or for each facility 1.

[0083] Screen G contains power consumption information J5. Power consumption information J5 shows the monthly power consumption of property BL. The power consumption here represents the power consumption of the entire building, rooms, etc. Power consumption at various time granularities (e.g., year, month, day, hour, etc.) may also be considered.

[0084] Screen G contains discomfort index information J6. Discomfort index information J6 indicates the discomfort index in property BL. Screen G may also contain discomfort index information J6 for each room in property BL.

[0085] Screen G contains comfort index information J7. Comfort index information J7 is information indicating the comfort index for property BL. Screen G may also contain comfort index information J7 for each room in property BL.

[0086] Screen G contains temperature and humidity information J8 showing the room temperature and humidity in property BL. Screen G may also contain temperature and humidity information J8 for each room in property BL.

[0087] Screen G contains outside temperature information J9, which shows the outside temperature of property BL at the time screen G is displayed, i.e., when the simulation results are output.

[0088] The values ​​shown on screen G may be statistical values ​​such as average, maximum, and minimum values ​​per unit time (for example, at 30-minute intervals or 1-hour intervals). Furthermore, the thermal environment displayed may be at various granularities, such as room-level or floor-level thermal environment.

[0089] Furthermore, the types of information contained in screen G are not limited to those shown in Figure 5; they may include a wider variety of information, or fewer than those shown in Figure 5.

[0090] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As explained above, the support method for assisting equipment designer P1 in designing equipment 1 to be installed in property BL includes a first generation step of generating non-considered information J2 that is not taken into account in the calculations performed by WEBPRO for calculating information related to property BL. The support method also includes a second generation step of generating a simulation model based on property information J1 representing property BL and the non-considered information J2 generated in the first generation step. The support method also includes a simulation execution step of simulating information related to property BL using the simulation model generated in the second generation step.

[0091] According to this, information related to the property BL that includes information not considered in WEBPRO can be presented to the equipment designer P1, allowing the equipment designer P1 to obtain information related to the property BL that includes information not considered in WEBPRO. Therefore, it becomes possible to design equipment 1 using information related to the property BL that includes information not considered in WEBPRO. Thus, it is possible to support the equipment designer P1 in designing equipment 1 to be installed in the property BL. Specifically, in recent property BLs, there are many floors and rooms, and the number of pieces of equipment is large, so in order to run the simulation, it is necessary to create a simulation model of various information such as the property BL, equipment 1, and operation, which places a heavy burden on the equipment designer P1. This disclosure makes it possible to reduce the burden on the equipment designer P1 by creating a simulation model using information from WEBPRO. In addition, since information on the structure of similar properties registered by the equipment designer P1 in the past can be used as a template, the equipment designer P1 can be assumed to be not only an equipment designer P1 who is well-versed in architecture, but also an engineer, sales person, client, operator, etc. who is not well-versed in architecture. Furthermore, this embodiment may be extended to include a system that can present and allow customers and sales staff to confirm a list of air conditioning equipment (for example, provide an estimated price).

[0092] Non-considered information J2 includes model number information indicating the model number of Equipment 1 from a specified manufacturer that corresponds to the specifications of Equipment 1.

[0093] According to this, equipment designer P1 will be able to obtain information related to the project BL that takes into account equipment 1 from a specified manufacturer. Therefore, it will be possible to further support equipment designer P1 in designing equipment 1 to be introduced into the project BL.

[0094] Non-considered information J2 includes at least one of the following: operational information indicating the operation of property BL, and material information indicating the materials used inside property BL.

[0095] According to this, equipment designer P1 will be able to obtain information related to property BL that takes into account at least one of the following: the operation of equipment 1 and the materials used in the interior of property BL. Therefore, it will be possible to further support equipment designer P1 in designing equipment 1 to be installed in property BL.

[0096] The operations indicated in the operational information include at least one of the following: the operation of the property BL as defined in WEBPRO, the operating history of equipment 1, the entry history to the property BL, the exit history, and the behavioral history of users utilizing the property BL.

[0097] According to this, equipment designer P1 will be able to obtain information related to the property BL that takes into account at least one of the following: the operation of equipment 1 as defined in WEBPRO, the operating history of equipment 1, the entry history to equipment 1, the exit history, and the behavioral history of users utilizing equipment 1. Therefore, it will be possible to further support equipment designer P1 who designs equipment 1 to be introduced into the property BL.

[0098] The material information indicates that the material will include at least one of the following: the material used when the property BL is located in a warm climate, the material used when the property BL is located in a cold climate, the material used based on the energy conservation zone classification of the property BL's location, and the material used in the year the property BL was built.

[0099] According to this, equipment designer P1 will be able to obtain information related to the building BL that takes into account at least one of the following: the materials used when the building BL is located in a warm climate, the materials used when the building BL is located in a cold climate, the materials used based on the energy-saving zone classification of the building BL's location, and the materials used in relation to the era in which the building BL was constructed. Therefore, it will be possible to further support equipment designer P1 in designing the equipment 1 to be installed in the building BL.

[0100] The first generation step generates non-considered information J2 based on information relating to similar properties that are similar to property BL.

[0101] According to this, equipment designer P1 will be able to obtain information related to property BL that incorporates information related to similar properties. Therefore, it will be possible to further support equipment designer P1 in designing equipment 1 to be introduced into property BL.

[0102] The support method includes a third generation step of generating property information J1. The third generation step generates property information J1 which includes property-related information J11 indicating the structure of property BL and the material of the exterior of property BL, and equipment information J12 indicating equipment 1 installed in each room of property BL.

[0103] This allows for the generation of property-related information J11 and equipment information J12, enabling automatic design in accordance with customer and sales requirements. Therefore, it can support equipment designer P1 in designing equipment 1 to be installed in property BL, and reduce the amount of work required from equipment designer P1 during the design process.

[0104] The building envelope material indicated in property-related information J11 includes at least one of the following: the material used when property BL is located in a warm climate, the material used when property BL is located in a cold climate, the material used based on the energy conservation zone classification of property BL's location, or the material used in the year property BL was built.

[0105] According to this, property-related information J11 can be generated by considering at least one of the following: the material used when the property BL is located in a warm climate, the material used when the property is located in a cold climate, the material used based on the energy-saving regional classification of the property BL's location, and the material used in relation to the year the property was built. This allows for automatic design that better meets the needs of customers and sales personnel. Therefore, it can provide even greater support to the equipment designer P1.

[0106] The support method includes an output step that outputs simulation results, which are the results of the simulation performed in the simulation execution step. The simulation results include information related to the energy of property BL and information related to the evaluation of the living environment of property BL.

[0107] According to this, the equipment designer P1 can obtain information related to the energy of property BL and information related to the evaluation of the living environment of property BL. Therefore, the equipment designer P1 can perform the design based on the information related to the energy of property BL and the evaluation of the living environment of property BL. Thus, the equipment designer P1 can be further supported.

[0108] The information used to evaluate the living environment of property BL includes at least one of the following: room temperature, humidity, discomfort index, comfort index, and outside temperature.

[0109] According to this, the design can be carried out based on room temperature, humidity, discomfort index, comfort index, and outside temperature, thus providing further support to the equipment designer P1.

[0110] The energy-related information for property BL includes annual and monthly electricity consumption.

[0111] This allows for design based on annual and monthly power consumption, thus providing greater support to the equipment designer P1.

[0112] The material information, and the material of the building envelope indicated in property information J1, are shown as statistical values ​​such as the median, mean, minimum, and maximum values ​​of the thermal transmittance, which represent the material properties obtained for each element of property BL.

[0113] According to this, by adopting statistical values ​​such as median, mean, minimum, and maximum as material values, it is possible to generate property information J1 that takes the thermal insulation properties of the material into consideration. Therefore, since equipment designer P1 can obtain information related to properties that take the thermal insulation properties of the material into consideration, it is possible to further support equipment designer P1.

[0114] Property information J1 is in a format compatible with WEBPRO.

[0115] According to this, it is possible to simulate information related to property loan agreements using WEBPRO.

[0116] The support system 1000 assists equipment designer P1 in designing equipment 1 to be installed in property BL. The support system 1000 includes an unconsidered information generation unit 303 that generates unconsidered information J2 that is not taken into account in calculations performed by WEBPRO to calculate information related to property BL. The support system 1000 also includes a simulation model generation unit 304 that generates a simulation model based on property information J1 indicating property BL and the unconsidered information J2 generated by the unconsidered information generation unit 303. The support system 1000 also includes a simulation execution unit 305 that simulates information related to property BL using the simulation model generated by the simulation model generation unit 304.

[0117] According to this, it will have the same effect as the support methods described above.

[0118] Program 321 is a program executed by terminal device 3 that supports equipment designer P1 in designing equipment 1 to be installed in property BL. Program 321 causes terminal device 3 to function as a non-considered information generation unit 303, a simulation model generation unit 304, and a simulation execution unit 305.

[0119] According to this, it will have the same effect as the support methods described above.

[0120] (Other embodiments) As described above, Embodiment 1 has been explained as an example disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to this and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted. Furthermore, it is possible to create new embodiments by combining the components described in Embodiment 1. Therefore, other embodiments are described below as examples.

[0121] In the embodiment described above, the output mode of the "output step" is a display. In other embodiments, the output mode of the "output step" may be other modes such as print output.

[0122] In the embodiments described above, WEBPRO was used as an example of "non-coupled calculation." However, the "non-coupled calculation" in this disclosure is not limited to WEBPRO; any method that calculates using mathematical formulas without coupling equipment 1 and property BL is acceptable. Furthermore, while the explanation focuses on the standard input method for WEBPRO for non-residential buildings, which allows for detailed input of calculation conditions, the explanation may also cover the model building method, which allows for simpler input of calculation conditions, or WEBPRO for residential buildings. Additionally, energy consumption calculation programs for similar buildings overseas may also be used.

[0123] In the embodiments described above, a simulator constructed as a simulation in which a building model and an equipment model are coupled was exemplified as a "coupled calculation." However, the "coupled calculation" in this disclosure is not limited to a form consisting solely of simulation, but any method that couples equipment 1 and property BL for calculation is acceptable. For example, in addition to the approach of constructing everything with a simulation model, there is an approach (i.e., a method) in which a simulator is applied to the building model, the air conditioner heat source equipment characteristics model is described with a mathematical model, and the heat load and dehumidification amount are coupled and calculated between the simulator and the air conditioner heat source equipment characteristics model to predict the energy consumption of the air conditioner with high accuracy. Here, the air conditioner heat source equipment characteristics model is a mathematical model that focuses on the ratio of the theoretical efficiency determined by the refrigerant temperature and the actual efficiency determined by the power consumption of the compressor. Conversely, the building model may be described with a mathematical model, and a simulator may be applied to the air conditioner model, resulting in a coupled form between the building model and the air conditioner model.

[0124] The design client P2 may receive subsidies from government agencies that handle subsidies (for example, by utilizing the ZEB (Net Zero Energy Building) subsidy program). In this case, the design client P2 will apply to the government agency for the subsidy on behalf of the equipment designer P1. When applying, the design client P2 will submit the simulation results reported by the equipment designer P1 (design primary energy consumption of equipment 1 as a whole / for each piece of equipment 1, BEI (Building Energy Index), etc.). Then, the design client P2 will report the energy consumption of the building structure (BL) for one year after its construction to the government agency, and if the reported energy consumption does not exceed the applied value, the repayment of the subsidy will be waived. In this other embodiment, an example was given of a case where the design client P2 can obtain permission to receive subsidies from government agencies, but the prescribed entities from which the design client P2 can obtain the prescribed permission are not limited to government agencies, and the prescribed permission that the design client P2 can obtain is not limited to permission to receive subsidies.

[0125] Furthermore, in the other embodiments described above, the design client P2 may be an ESCO (Energy Service Company) operator. That is, the "support methods, support systems, and programs" of this disclosure may be applied to an ESCO business. An ESCO business is a business in which an ESCO operator makes the investments necessary to achieve energy conservation and receives a portion of the energy conservation effect achieved as compensation from the customer. In this other embodiment, the equipment designer P1, or the ESCO operator, formulates an operation plan, and if the total power consumption of the building line structure (BL) is below a predetermined standard, the ESCO operator receives compensation from the customer.

[0126] In the embodiment described above, the example shown was that the equipment designer P1 and the design client P2 are different people, but the equipment designer P1 and the design client P2 may be the same person.

[0127] In the embodiment described above, the non-considered information J2 includes model number information, operation information, and material information. In other embodiments, the non-considered information J2 may include at least one of the model number information, operation information, and material information.

[0128] In the embodiment described above, the simulation results, which are an example of the "coupled calculation results," include room temperature, humidity, discomfort index, comfort index, and outside temperature. In other embodiments, the simulation results may include at least one of the following as information related to the evaluation of the living environment of property BL: discomfort index, comfort index, wall temperature, degree of condensation, and outside temperature.

[0129] In the embodiment described above, the simulation result, which is an example of the "coupled calculation result," includes energy consumption information J4 and power consumption information J5. However, in other embodiments, the simulation result, which is an example of the "coupled calculation result," may include at least one of energy consumption information J4 and power consumption information J5.

[0130] The processor 300 may consist of a single processor or multiple processors. The processor 300 may also be hardware programmed to implement the corresponding functional units. That is, the processor 300 may consist of, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0131] The configuration of terminal device 3 shown in Figure 2 is merely an example, and the specific implementation is not particularly limited. In other words, it is not necessarily required that hardware corresponding to each part be implemented individually; it is also possible to configure the system so that a single processor executes a program to realize the functions of each part. Furthermore, some of the functions realized by software in the above-described embodiment may be implemented as hardware, or conversely, some of the functions realized by hardware may be realized by software.

[0132] The operational step units shown in Figure 4 are divided according to the main processing content to facilitate understanding of the operation, and the operation is not limited by the way the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. Depending on the processing content, it may be further divided into more step units. Alternatively, it may be divided so that one step unit includes even more processing. Furthermore, the order of the steps may be changed as appropriate, as long as it does not hinder the intent of this disclosure.

[0133] Since the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes of the technology described herein, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc., can be made within the claims or their equivalents.

[0134] (Note) Based on the above description of embodiments, the following technologies are disclosed.

[0135] (Technology 1) A support method for assisting an equipment designer in designing equipment to be installed in a property, comprising: a first generation step of generating non-considered information that is not considered in calculations performed in non-coupled calculations for calculating information related to the property; a second generation step of generating a coupled calculation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated in the first generation step; and a coupled calculation execution step of performing coupled calculations for information related to the property using the coupled calculation model generated in the second generation step. This allows for the presentation of information related to a project that incorporates information not considered in coupled calculations, enabling equipment designers to obtain information that includes details not considered in coupled calculations. As a result, equipment designers can design equipment using this information, which includes details not considered in coupled calculations, thus supporting them in designing the equipment to be installed in the project.

[0136] (Technology 2) The support method described in Technical 1, wherein the non-considered information includes model number information indicating the model number of the equipment from a predetermined manufacturer corresponding to the specifications of the equipment. This will allow equipment designers to obtain information related to projects that incorporate equipment from a specified manufacturer. Therefore, it will provide greater support to equipment designers who design the equipment to be installed in a project.

[0137] (Technology 3) The support method described in Technology 1 or Technology 2, wherein the non-considered information includes at least one of operational information indicating the operation of the property and material information indicating the materials of the interior of the property. This will allow equipment designers to obtain information related to the property that takes into account at least one of the following: the operation of the equipment and the materials used in the interior of the property. Therefore, it will be possible to further support equipment designers who design the equipment to be installed in the property.

[0138] (Technical 4) The support method described in Technical 3, wherein the operation indicated by the operational information includes at least one of the operation of the property as defined in WEBPRO, the operating history of the equipment, the entry history to the property, the exit history, and the behavioral history of users using the property. According to this, equipment designers will be able to obtain information related to a property that takes into account at least one of the following as defined in WEBPRO: the operation of the equipment, the operating history of the equipment, the entry history to the equipment, the exit history, and the behavioral history of users of the equipment. Therefore, it will be possible to further support equipment designer P1 who designs equipment 1 to be installed in the property.

[0139] (Technology 5) The support method described in Technology 3, wherein the material indicated by the material information includes at least one of the following: the material used when the property is located in a warm region, the material used when the property is located in a cold region, the material used based on the energy conservation zone classification of the property's location, and the material used in the year the property was built. This will allow equipment designers to obtain information about properties that takes into account at least one of the following: materials used when the property is located in a warm climate, materials used when the property is located in a cold climate, materials used based on the energy-saving zone classification of the property's location, and materials used in relation to the era in which the property was built. Therefore, it will be possible to further support equipment designers who design the equipment to be installed in the property.

[0140] (Technology 6) The first generation step is a support method according to any one of Techniques 1 to 5, which generates the non-considered information based on information relating to similar properties that are similar to the property. This will allow equipment designers to obtain information about a property that incorporates information about similar properties. Therefore, it will be possible to further support equipment designers who design the equipment to be installed in a property.

[0141] (Technology 7) A support method according to any one of Technology 1 to Technology 6, comprising a third generation step of generating the aforementioned property information, wherein the third generation step generates the property information including property-related information indicating the structure of the property and the material of the exterior of the property, and equipment information indicating the equipment provided in each room of the property. This allows for the generation of property-related information and equipment information, enabling automatic design tailored to customer and sales requirements. Therefore, it supports equipment designers in designing equipment to be installed in properties and reduces the workload on them during the design process.

[0142] (Technology 8) The support method described in Technology 7, wherein the material of the outer shell indicated by the property-related information includes at least one of the following: the material used when the property is located in a warm region, the material used when the property is located in a cold region, the material used based on the energy conservation zone classification of the property's location, and the material used in the year the property was built. According to this, property-related information can be generated by considering at least one of the following: materials used when the property is located in a warm climate, materials used when the property is located in a cold climate, materials based on the energy-saving zone classification of the property's location, and materials corresponding to the era in which the property was built. This allows for the automatic design of materials that better meets the needs of customers and sales personnel. Therefore, it can provide greater support to equipment designers.

[0143] (Technology 9) A support method according to any one of the technologies 1 to 8, comprising an output step that outputs a coupled calculation result which is the result of a coupled calculation performed in the coupled calculation execution step, wherein the coupled calculation result includes information related to the energy of the property and information related to the evaluation of the living environment of the property. According to this, equipment designers can obtain information related to the property's energy consumption and information related to the evaluation of the property's living environment. Therefore, equipment designers can carry out designs based on this information. Thus, equipment designers can be further supported.

[0144] (Technology 10) The support method described in Technical Reference 9 includes, for the purpose of evaluating the living environment of the aforementioned property, at least one of the following: room temperature, humidity, discomfort index, comfort index, and outside temperature. This allows for design based on at least room temperature, humidity, discomfort index, comfort index, and outside temperature, thus providing greater support to equipment designers.

[0145] (Technology 11) The support method described in Technology 9 or Technology 10 includes, but is not limited to, annual and monthly electricity consumption information for the aforementioned property. This allows for design based on either annual or monthly power consumption, thus providing greater support to equipment designers.

[0146] (Technology 12) The support method described in Technology 5 or Technology 8, wherein the material indicated by the material information and the material of the outer shell indicated by the property information are shown by statistical values ​​indicating material properties obtained for each element of the property. According to this method, by adopting statistical values ​​such as median, mean, minimum, and maximum as material values, it is possible to generate property information that takes into account the thermal insulation properties of the materials. Therefore, since equipment designers can obtain information related to properties that take into account the thermal insulation properties of the materials, it can further support equipment designers.

[0147] (Technology 13) The aforementioned property information is in a format compatible with WEBPRO, and the support method is described in one of the technologies 1 through 12. According to this, it is possible to use WEBPRO to simulate information related to properties.

[0148] (Technology 14) A support system for assisting equipment designers in designing equipment to be installed in a property, comprising: a first generation unit that generates non-considered information that is not taken into account in calculations performed in non-coupled calculations that calculate information related to the property; a second generation unit that generates a coupled calculation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit; and a coupled calculation execution unit that performs coupled calculations of information related to the property using the coupled calculation model generated by the second generation unit. According to this, it produces the same effect as the support method described in Technology 1.

[0149] (Technology 15) A program to be executed by a computer that assists an equipment designer in designing equipment to be installed in a property, wherein the computer is configured to function as: a first generation unit that generates non-considered information that is not taken into account in calculations performed in non-coupled calculations that calculate information related to the property; a second generation unit that generates a coupled calculation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit; and a coupled calculation execution unit that performs coupled calculations of information related to the property using the coupled calculation model generated by the second generation unit. According to this, it produces the same effect as the support method described in Technology 1.

[0150] (Technology 16) A support method for assisting an equipment designer in designing equipment to be installed in a property, comprising: a first generation step of generating non-considered information that is not considered in calculations performed by WEBPRO for calculating information related to the property; a second generation step of generating a simulation model based on property information representing the property and the non-considered information generated in the first generation step; and a simulation execution step of simulating information related to the property using the simulation model generated in the second generation step. According to this, information related to the property that includes information not considered in WEBPRO can be presented to the equipment designer, allowing the equipment designer to obtain information related to the property that includes information not considered in WEBPRO. Therefore, it becomes possible to design the equipment using information related to the property that includes information not considered in WEBPRO, thus supporting the equipment designers who design the equipment to be installed in the property.

[0151] (Technology 17) A support system for assisting equipment designers in designing equipment to be installed in a property, comprising: a first generation unit that generates non-considered information that is not taken into account in calculations performed by WEBPRO for calculating information related to the property; a second generation unit that generates a simulation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit; and a simulation execution unit that simulates information related to the property using the simulation model generated by the second generation unit. According to this, it produces the same effect as the support method described in Technology 16.

[0152] (Technology 18) A program to be executed by a computer that assists an equipment designer in designing equipment to be installed in a property, wherein the computer is configured to function as: a first generation unit that generates non-considered information that is not taken into account in calculations performed by WEBPRO that calculate information related to the property; a second generation unit that generates a simulation model based on property information indicating the property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit; and a simulation execution unit that simulates information related to the property using the simulation model generated by the second generation unit. According to this, it produces the same effect as the support method described in Technology 16. [Industrial applicability]

[0153] As described above, the support method, support system, and program according to the present invention can be used to support equipment designers who design equipment to be installed in a property. [Explanation of symbols]

[0154] 1 equipment 2 Server devices 3. Terminal device (computer) 11. Air conditioning equipment 30 Control device 31 Communications Department 32 displays 33 Input section 300 processors Room 301 Reception 302 Property information generation department 303 Consideration information generation unit 304 Simulation Model Generation Unit 305 Simulation Execution Unit 320 memory 321 Programs 322 Simulator 323 1st property DB 324 Equipment List Data 325 Model Number List Data 326 2nd property DB 1000 support systems BL property BL1 property BL2 property D1 Operational Data D3 Driving Data G screen J1 Property Information J11 Property-related information J12 Equipment information J2 Non-considered information J4 Energy Consumption Information J5 Power consumption information J6 Discomfort index information J7 Comfort Index Information NW Network P1 Equipment designer P2 Design Client SA1 step (third generation step) SA2 step (first generation step) SA3 step (second generation step) SA4 Steps (Coupled Calculation Execution Step, Simulation Execution Step) SA5 Step (Output Step)

Claims

1. A support method for assisting equipment designers who design equipment to be installed in a property, A first generation step of generating non-considered information that is not taken into account in the calculations performed in the non-coupled calculations that calculate information related to the aforementioned property, A second generation step generates a coupled calculation model based on property information indicating the aforementioned property and the non-considered information generated in the first generation step, The process includes a coupled calculation execution step which performs coupled calculations on information relating to the property using the coupled calculation model generated in the second generation step, How to help.

2. The aforementioned non-considered information includes model number information indicating the model number of the equipment from a predetermined manufacturer that corresponds to the specifications of the equipment. The support method according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned non-considered information includes at least one of the following: operational information indicating the operation of the property, and material information indicating the materials used in the interior of the property. The support method according to claim 1.

4. The operations indicated by the aforementioned operational information include at least one of the following: the operation of the property as defined in WEBPRO, the operating history of the equipment, the entry history to the property, the exit history, and the behavioral history of users utilizing the property. The support method according to claim 3.

5. The material information indicates that the material includes at least one of the following: the material used when the property is located in a warm climate, the material used when the property is located in a cold climate, the material used based on the energy conservation zone classification of the property's location, and the material used in the year the property was built. The support method according to claim 3.

6. The first generation step generates the non-considered information based on information relating to similar properties that are similar to the property. The support method according to claim 1.

7. This includes a third generation step for generating the aforementioned property information, The third generation step generates property information including property-related information indicating the structure of the property and the material of the exterior of the property, and equipment information indicating the equipment provided in each room of the property. The support method according to claim 1.

8. The material of the exterior, as indicated by the property-related information, includes at least one of the following: the material used when the property is located in a warm climate, the material used when the property is located in a cold climate, the material used based on the energy conservation zone classification of the property's location, and the material used in the year the property was built. The support method according to claim 7.

9. The output step includes outputting the coupled calculation result, which is the result of the coupled calculation performed in the coupled calculation execution step, The coupled calculation results include information related to the energy of the property and information related to the evaluation of the living environment of the property. The support method according to claim 1.

10. The information related to the evaluation of the living environment of the aforementioned property includes at least one of the following: room temperature, humidity, discomfort index, comfort index, and outside temperature. The support method according to claim 9.

11. The energy-related information for the aforementioned property includes, at a minimum, annual and monthly electricity consumption. The support method according to claim 9.

12. The material indicated by the aforementioned material information, and the material of the exterior indicated by the aforementioned property information, are shown by statistical values ​​of material properties obtained for each element of the property. The support method according to claim 5 or 8.

13. The aforementioned property information is in a format compatible with WEBPRO. The support method according to claim 1.

14. A support system for assisting equipment designers who design equipment to be installed in a property, A first generation unit generates non-considered information that is not taken into account in calculations performed in non-coupled calculations that calculate information related to the aforementioned property, A second generation unit generates a coupled calculation model based on property information indicating the aforementioned property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit, The system comprises a coupled calculation execution unit that performs coupled calculations on information related to the property using the coupled calculation model generated by the second generation unit, Support system.

15. A computer program that assists equipment designers in designing equipment to be installed in a property, The aforementioned computer, A first generation unit generates non-considered information that is not taken into account in calculations performed in non-coupled calculations that calculate information related to the aforementioned property, A second generation unit generates a coupled calculation model based on property information indicating the aforementioned property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit, The second generation unit is configured to function as a coupled calculation execution unit that performs coupled calculations on information related to the property using the coupled calculation model generated by the second generation unit. program.

16. A support method for assisting equipment designers who design equipment to be installed in a property, A first generation step of generating non-considered information that is not taken into account in the calculations performed by WEBPRO to calculate information related to the aforementioned property, A property information indicating the aforementioned property, and a second generation step that generates a simulation model based on the non-considered information generated in the first generation step, The second generation step includes a simulation execution step which simulates information relating to the property using the simulation model generated by the second generation step, How to help.

17. A support system for assisting equipment designers who design equipment to be installed in a property, A first generation unit generates non-considered information that is not taken into account in the calculations performed by WEBPRO for calculating information related to the aforementioned property, A second generation unit generates a simulation model based on property information indicating the aforementioned property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit, The system comprises a simulation execution unit that simulates information related to the property using the simulation model generated by the second generation unit, Support system.

18. A computer program that assists equipment designers in designing equipment to be installed in a property, The aforementioned computer, A first generation unit generates non-considered information that is not taken into account in the calculations performed by WEBPRO for calculating information related to the aforementioned property, A second generation unit generates a simulation model based on property information indicating the aforementioned property and the non-considered information generated by the first generation unit, The second generation unit is configured to function as a simulation execution unit that simulates information related to the property using the simulation model generated by the second generation unit. program.

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