Take a journey into the realm of large scale building energy simulation. Fix simulates over 1 million single family residential buildings in Toronto's climate using Python scripting, the EnergyPlus virtual environment, and Amazon EC2 computational resources. The goal of this thesis is to provide a more complete picture of how building design parameters can impact lifetime energy consumption. The best and worst 1% performers are analyzed, with the conclusion that certain parameters dominate lifetime energy consumption in buildings. The dominant parameters include some surprises, which can inform the building design profession.

Stuart Fix is a mechanical engineer with a master's degree in building science, and is Principal at ReNü Engineering in Edmonton, Canada. He is a founder of Passive Buildings Canada and sits on the PHIUS technical committee. Stuart is an accomplished technical designer and an experienced contributor to inter-disciplinary groups in a global setting.