Snugg Pro can model many types of dwelling units including individual units in multifamily residences. In this article, we will highlight the requirements for these units and whether they can be modeled.
Snugg Pro can readily model single- and multi-wide manufactured/mobile homes. Snugg Pro staff have developed a dedicated article discussing the unique entries that apply to mobile homes.
For all other conventional dwellings, there are several criteria that must be met to ensure energy modeling is precise to the unit and representative of what impacts residents can expect from improvements.
First, a dwelling must have dedicated HVAC and water heat. Units with shared systems cannot be precisely modeled, as each unit will have different demands based on number of residents and occupancy patterns.
Next, units in multifamily buildings cannot have shared space. Shared space significantly impacts modeling capabilities and results, and moves the whole building into requiring commercial modeling.
A unit should also have individual metering and usage data. Usage data for an individual unit is a requirement when modeling with BPI-2400 enabled to ensure precise calibration. While unit-level usage data is not required for routine (non BPI-2400) modeling, the usage data - and the weather normalization it enables - significantly improves modeling precision, thus improving the quality of the customer report and modeled potential impacts.
Finally, buildings should be no more than three floors above grade (three floors above grade = yes, four floors above grade = no). This is consistent with ASHRAE 90.2-2018 definitions. Buildings more than three floors above grade – similar to buildings with common space – are subject to commercial building codes. Commercial buildings can use different construction practices and have fundamentally different usage profiles than residential buildings do.
While this guide should cover many residential building types, we recognize it’s not possible for us at Snugg Pro to cover all possible types. If there are any questions regarding whether a specific residence can be modeled in Snugg Pro, please contact support via email or chat.