GUIDEBOOK · CEA v4.0

Quick Reference Guide

Quick Reference Guide

This page provides a complete overview of all 41 features available in the CEA-4 App dashboard.

Import & Export

Solar Radiation Analysis

Renewable Energy Potential Assessment

Energy Demand Forecasting

Thermal Network Design

Life Cycle Analysis

All four LCA features use a shared what-if scenario (a named supply configuration). Run “Energy by Carrier” (Final Energy) first — its configuration.json is the prerequisite for the other three.

Energy Supply System Optimisation

Data Management

Utilities

Visualisation

Common Workflows

Basic Building Energy Analysis

Initial Setup (Steps 1-5 are typically automated by the Create New Scenario Wizard in CEA-4 App):

1. Create New Scenario using CEA-4 App wizard (automatically runs steps 2-5)
2. Weather Helper → Fetch weather data (automatic)
3. Surroundings Helper → Fetch surrounding buildings (automatic)
4. Terrain Helper → Fetch terrain data (automatic)
5. Database Helper → Load CEA database (automatic)
6. Archetypes Mapper → Assign building properties (automatic on first run)

Analysis Workflow (Manual steps): 7. Building Solar Radiation → Calculate solar radiation 8. Energy Demand Part 1 → Calculate occupancy 9. Energy Demand Part 2 → Calculate energy demand 10. Plot - Building Energy Demand → Visualise results

⚠️ Important: Remember to re-run Archetypes Mapper every time you manually edit input files (zone.shp, building properties, etc.)

Renewable Energy Assessment

1. Complete Basic Building Energy Analysis (steps 1-10 above)
2. Photovoltaic Panels → Calculate PV potential
3. Solar Collectors → Calculate solar thermal potential
4. Shallow Geothermal Potential → Calculate geothermal potential
5. Plot - Solar Technology → Visualise renewable potential

District Energy System Design

1. Complete Basic Building Energy Analysis (use Create New Scenario Wizard, then run steps 7-10)
2. Streets Helper → Fetch street network (may be automatic in wizard)
3. Thermal Network Part 1 → Generate network layout
4. Thermal Network Part 2 → Size network pipes
5. District Supply System Optimisation → Optimise system
6. Energy by Carrier (Final Energy) → Carrier consumption per what-if scenario (prerequisite for steps 7-9)
7. GHG Emissions → Calculate lifecycle emissions
8. Costs (System Costs) → Calculate system costs
9. Heat Rejection → Calculate anthropogenic waste heat
10. Plot - Pareto Front → Visualise optimisation results

Climate Impact Assessment

1. Complete Basic Building Energy Analysis (use Create New Scenario Wizard, then run steps 7-10)
2. Energy by Carrier (Final Energy) → Define what-if supply scenario and compute carrier consumption (prerequisite)
3. GHG Emissions → Calculate lifecycle emissions (optionally with grid-decarbonisation trajectory)
4. Heat Rejection → Quantify anthropogenic waste heat for the same what-if
5. Plot - Lifecycle Emissions → Visualise total emissions
6. Plot - Operational Emissions → Visualise operational emissions
7. Plot - Emission Timeline → Track emissions over time

Feature Dependencies

Most CEA-4 features have dependencies on other features. Here are the key dependency chains:

1. Solar-dependent features require:

   • Building Solar Radiation (DAYSIM or CRAX)

2. Demand-dependent features require:

   • Energy Demand Part 1 (Occupancy)
   • Energy Demand Part 2 (Load Modelling)

3. Optimisation features require:

   • Energy Demand Part 2 (Load Modelling)

4. Network features require:

   • Energy Demand Part 2 (Load Modelling)
   • Streets Helper (for network layout)

5. LCA features (Emissions, Costs, Heat Rejection) require:

   • Energy by Carrier (Final Energy) — produces configuration.json and per-entity carrier flows
   • Energy by Carrier itself requires Energy Demand Part 2 (Load Modelling)

Data Preparation Checklist

Before running any analysis, ensure you have:

• Zone geometry - Building footprints with height information
• Weather file - .epw weather data (use Weather Helper if needed)
• Surroundings - Surrounding buildings for shading (use Surroundings Helper)
• Terrain - Elevation data .tif file (use Terrain Helper)
• Building properties - Use Archetypes Mapper or manual entry
• Database files - Use Database Helper to load standard databases
• CEA-4 format verification - Use CEA-4 Format Helper to verify/migrate data

Getting Started Tips

1. Use Create New Scenario Wizard: The CEA-4 App wizard automates initial data setup (weather, surroundings, terrain, databases, archetypes)
2. Re-run Archetypes Mapper after edits: Always run Archetypes Mapper again if you manually edit input files
3. Start small: Test workflows on a single building before scaling to entire districts
4. Follow the sequence: Respect feature dependencies (e.g., run solar before PV)
5. Check inputs first: Use CEA-4 Format Helper to verify data quality
6. Visualise often: Use plotting features to verify results at each step
7. Save scenarios: Create separate scenarios for different design alternatives

Where to Find More Information

For detailed information about each feature, refer to the category-specific guides:

• Import & Export
• Solar Radiation Analysis
• Renewable Energy Potential Assessment
• Energy Demand Forecasting
• Thermal Network Design
• Life Cycle Analysis
• Energy Supply System Optimisation
• Data Management
• Utilities
• Visualisation

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