Senior Project - SUNBURN

The objective of this project was to develop a prototype of a highly interactive and graphical user interface for an existing residential solar building design tool. The interface provides a means for the user to specify various solar properties of a building and then graphically displays the resulting costs and energy savings. The goal was that the tool be fun to use and fast enough to intrigue expert and non-expert users into exploring the wide range of possibilities for solar and energy-efficient homes. Inputs include location, architectural style, number of occupants, use patterns, insulation levels, windows, ventilation, heating and cooling equipment, and fuel types. The tool allows users to explore a wide range of "what if" scenarios and compare the performance of their designs with base cases and optimum designs. The interface was developed for the Microsoft Windows environment using Visual C++.