Patent Document ID: 20130085718
Application ID: 13250213
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving a conceptual representation of a building including one or more user-defined floor levels and multiple surfaces defining volumetric spaces; and responsive to a request to generate an analytical energy model, automatically generating the analytical energy model by: deriving geometric information from the conceptual representation; based on the geometric information, defining one or more mass volumes; algorithmically assigning one or more surface types to mass volume surfaces based, at least in part, on surface type definitions and the geometric information, the definitions specifying a material construction of a corresponding surface type; defining one or more thermal mass zones based on the mass volumes and a corresponding number of user-defined floor levels; based on the one or more surface types assigned to the mass volume surfaces and corresponding material construction, deriving thermal properties of the one or more thermal mass zones; and combining the defined one or more thermal mass zones, the derived thermal properties, and predefined analytical energy model parameters to generate the analytical energy model.