SpaceFunction enumeration for "Unoccupied Spaces"

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What NACM Section(s) are relevant to this issue?
Space:SpaceFunction

Explanation of issue:
Currently, there is no SpcFunc assignment for unoccupied spaces like 
supply/return air plenums, shafts, attics/crawlspaces, etc that might be 
explicitly modeled as a "space".  Per Section 2.3.2 of the ACM:

"For spaces that are unoccupied, such as plenums, attics or crawlspaces, 
lighting, receptacle and occupant loads shall be zero."  

Since there is no "Unoccupied" SpcFunc, one option is to set this property to 
UNDEFINED.  However, Scott expressed some issues that could stem from using 
this in some cases,  especially for enumerated lists defined in the BEMEnums 
(which is currently how enums for SpcFunc are defined).  Also, based on some 
basic testing, it appears that the UNDEFINED status may not maintained when 
copied between transforms; UNDEFINED appears to get redefined as '0' in this 
case.

Proposed resolution:
Suggest adding a SpcFunc enumeration of "Unoccupied" for these spaces, which 
could be referenced and in combination with Spc:CondgType to determine how 
areas of these spaces are included in various calculations. 

Examples describing some common building conditions:

Supply air/return air plenums -> SpcFunc = "Unoccupied", CondgType = "Plenum", 
FlrArea = 0 since it is "Plenum"

Attics/crawlspaces - > SpcFunc = "Unoccupied", CondgType = "Unconditioned", 
FlrArea = ###, but this floor area would be excluded from conditioned floor 
area calculations since it is outside the conditioned envelope.

Floor-to-ceiling shafts within conditioned envelope - > SpcFunc = "Unoccupied", 
CondgType = "IndirectlyConditioned", FlrArea = ###; this floor area would be 
included in conditioned floor area calculations since it is within the 
conditioned envelope

Thoughts?

Please provide any additional information below.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by da...@360-analytics.com on 22 May 2013 at 10:58

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No comments recieved, so I went ahead and made the above suggested changes:

Added SpcFunc enumeration of "Unoccupied"
Added defaulting for plenums to default SpcFunc to "Unoccupied".
Added error checking for spaces with SpcFunc = UNDEFINED

Original comment by lu...@360-analytics.com on 31 May 2013 at 5:55

• Changed state: Fixed

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Closing issue.  Final enum additions for 'Unoccupied' spaces are:

"Unoccupied-Include in Gross Floor Area"
"Unoccupied-Exclude from Gross Floor Area"

Original comment by da...@360-analytics.com on 24 Sep 2013 at 9:48

• Changed state: DoneVerified