Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER) Web Application (BETTER Web App) v1.0

Abstract

The Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER) V.1.0 web application identifies cost-saving energy and emissions reductions in buildings and portfolios, without site visits or complex modeling. With minimal data entry, BETTER benchmarks a building's or portfolio's energy use against peers; quantifies energy, cost, and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential; and recommends energy efficiency measures for individual buildings or portfolios, targeting specific energy savings levels. The source code of BETTER's modular, cross-platform analytical engine has previously been disclosed (2019-001) and is available on GitHub and can be adopted, redeveloped, and redistributed freely under an open-source license, allowing users to incorporate BETTER's analytical capabilities into their own software platforms and tools. The BETTER V.1.0 web application, developed with the Django web-framework and the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture being disclosed here, provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for any user to view the software tutorials, download and upload a data entry template, configure and run the BETTER analyses, and view the final analytical reports.