Senior Design – Energy Modeling for Net-Zero Building Design

The main goal of this project was to evaluate the indoor environment created by the Mount Shasta Institute for Job Creation and Restorative Technology, a proposed net-zero building using no mechanical heating or cooling, to be built in Mount Shasta, California. To do this, we modeled the building in DesignBuilder and ran several simulations. This included simulating indoor environmental conditions throughout the year, analyzing daylight levels throughout the building, and creating CFD simulations of air velocities and temperature distributions. Based on this data, we evaluated the building’s ability to provide adequate natural ventilation, maintain thermal comfort, and minimize energy use.