Net Energy Optimizer (NEO) - A Commercial Energy Modeling Tool (Video)

Posted by: Rate It Green Team

The Net Energy Optimizer tool, or NEO, is a web-based energy modeling software tool, designed to provide customized building energy modeling for architects, engineers, product manufacturers, utilities and building owners.  NEO provides fast and validated analyses to inform decision making during design to help construct, maintain, and operate high performance buildings.  

In this interview, Eric Flower introduces and demonstrates the NEO with Rate It Green’s Matt Hoots.  Eric walks Matt through an HVAC system comparison for a 150,000 sf office as well as a ratings analysis for both a new and existing building.  One interesting output Eric reviews is the ability to see how buildings are using energy dollars by use.  A decision maker seeking to electrify, or switch from fossil fuel consumption to electric systems can see the effect of each competitive system from and electrical and gas perspective.  NEO is straightforward and easy enough for anyone to use, particularly with automated inputs, but also the option to look at these in greater detail, to edit, and to look at the simulation files. 

Where the first demonstration might be from the perspective of a designer or building owner looking to run some LCA cost analyses to help with product selection, or perhaps product manufacturer looking to see how their product performs in comparison, Eric then adopts the perspective of a designer or owner looking to sun some LCA cost analyses to help with product selection.  The tool will analyze whether or not the planned design meets certain certifications or standards.  For existing buildings, NEO will help building owners and managers compare real outcomes with planned outcomes as part of evaluating operations and making key retrofit decisions. 

NEO is primarily for primarily for commercial, mixed used and multifamily buildings, as small as 5000 square feet and with no real upper limit to building size. The tool can be used in early design all the way through operations, and/or can provide analyses at a particular snapshot in time, and data can be customized for users with different perspectives and analytical needs. NEO is a potential sales support tool, a consulting and marketing resource (internal and external) for new buildings as well as retrofits, and NEO provides a path for making better decisions for reaching budgetary and energy goals. 

What is it really like to work with NEO?  Check out the video, and let us know if you have more questions for Eric!