Within cove.tool, users can specify the months, days, and hourly usage of their project with the detailed Occupancy Schedules feature. Before we begin, remember to hit the recalculate button after making changes to schedules. Switching tabs and editing other inputs before saving will erase the changes made to the schedule's table.
Overview
How to use the Schedules timetable
Setting the schedule requires the selection of dominant months, days, and hours for the building occupancy.
Months and Days can be selected by clicking on any of the rectangular buttons to change their color.
Hours are represented by vertical bars broken into 10 divisions of 10% for each hour. Each percentage of an hour can be selected by clicking on or click-and-drag along the squares in each vertical bar to change its color.
Unoccupied Months
Let's start with the Unoccupied time periods. These are deselected months that are white. For all days and hours on these deselected months, the occupancy percentage is set to a default of 10%. No other scheduling inputs change the value for these months.
Occupied Months
Occupied months are selected and turned blued. Each of the selected months is further broken down into the typical week below.
Occupied Days of the Week
The Days of Week selection sets the typical week of occupied (blue) and unoccupied (white) days for each occupied month. The selected occupied days are further broken down with the occupied hours, and the unoccupied days are broken down into the unoccupied hours.
Hourly Profile Adjustment
Each hour is broken down into 10% incremental sliders that can be selected to be occupied (indicated by blue)
What factors are controlled by the schedules feature?
The interactive schedule controls five key inputs for the energy model:
Check the default Lighting Power Density (LPD) value or customize it with the highlighted input tab and control the hourly profile using a dedicated lighting schedule.
Check the default Appliance Use or Equipment Power Density (EPD) value or customize it with the highlighted input tab and control the hourly profile using a dedicated equipment schedule.
Occupant Density, Heating setpoints, and Cooling setpoints
Occupancy rates vary from building to building, system to system, and are meant to best predict energy consumption and expenditure as needed to support occupant activity. Therefore, occupancy rates are one of the factors that contribute to high energy usage.
Check the default Total Occupants, Heating Setpoint & Setback, and Cooling Setpoint & Setback values or customize it with the highlighted input tabs and control the hourly profile using a dedicated occupancy schedule
