6.11.1 Schedule

This data structure provides information on how equipment, people, lights, or other items are operated on an hourly basis. The ultimate construct of a schedule is an hourly time series for the simulation period, typically 8,760 hours (365 days time 24 hours/day). However, software has often built up the hourly schedule from 24-hour schedules for different day types: weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, etc.

There are several types of schedules:

• Temperature schedules specify a temperature to be maintained in a space, a temperature to be delivered from an air handler, or the leaving temperature from a chiller or other equipment.
• Fraction schedules specify the fraction of lights that are on, the fraction of people that are in the space, the fraction of maximum infiltration, or other factors.
• On/off schedules specify when equipment is operating or when infiltration is occurring.
• Time period schedules define periods of time for equipment sequencing, utility tariffs, etc. A time period schedule typically breaks the year in to two or more seasons. For each season, day types are identified such as weekday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Each day type in each season is then divided into time periods.

Software may accommodate any appropriate user specification of the schedule as long as the schedules listed in Appendix C are supported.