BEopt: Building Energy Optimization Tool
The BEopt™ (Building Energy Optimization Tool) software provides capabilities to evaluate residential building designs and identify cost-optimal efficiency packages at various levels of whole-house energy savings along the path to producing enough energy to offset demand.
BEopt can analyze both new construction and existing home retrofits, as well as single-family detached and multifamily dwelling units, through evaluation of single building designs, parametric sweeps, and cost-based optimizations.
BEopt provides detailed simulation-based analysis on specific house characteristics, such as size, architecture, occupancy, vintage, location, and utility rates. Discrete envelope and equipment options, reflecting realistic construction materials and practices, are evaluated.
BEopt uses OpenStudio-HPXML to run EnergyPlus®, the Department of Energy's flagship simulation engine. Simulation assumptions are based on ANSI/RESNET/ICC Standards and the Building America Housing Simulation Protocols.
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A BEopt Version 3.1.1 Beta release (May 14, 2026) is now available. Download the BEopt 3.1.1 setup file. It incorporates significant new capabilities, including:
- Updates to OpenStudio-HPXML v1.12.0 and EnergyPlus v25.2
- Significant updates to HVAC models
- Improved heat pump and air conditioner defaults and assumptions
- New inputs for heat pump backup sizing, heating capacity retention, and defrost control
- Ability to model desuperheaters
- Ability to model pilot lights
- New grid-interactive technology capabilities
- Load shifting (e.g., connected appliances)
- Battery scheduling (e.g., energy arbitrage)
- Variable-speed HVAC equipment demand response controls
- Ability to model heat pump water heaters in confined spaces
- Ability to model drain water heat recovery
- Ability to describe internal mass (furniture and contents)
- Improved HVAC autosizing calculations
- Updated utility rates and source/carbon factors
- Numerous bug fixes.
See the release notes for a detailed list of changes. Note: BEopt option costs are from circa 2015 and should not be used for analysis. If performing cost-based analysis, users should enter their own cost data.
Older versions of BEopt are still available.
Download the BEopt 3.0.1 Beta setup file (March 16, 2023).
Download the BEopt 2.8 setup file (Jan. 4, 2018).
Download the BEopt 2.7 setup file (Nov. 7, 2016).
At this time, BEopt is available only for Windows. Mac users have successfully used BEopt through a virtual machine or by using a Windows workstation on the cloud.
Forum
Unmet Hours is an externally hosted forum that serves as a question-and-answer website for the building energy modeling community.
When posting a new question, consider adding the "beopt" tag to your post.
DView
DView is provided with BEopt for visualizing time series (e.g., hourly or subhourly) simulation output. It is also available as a stand-alone application for visual analysis of other types of time series data. DView opens CSV files and recognizes several weather data file formats, including TMY2, TMY3, and EPW files.
The stand-alone application can be downloaded in the following versions:
Additional information can be found on the DView wiki.
Publications
Using BEopt to Optimize Home Energy Performance, NLR Technical Report (2015)
Using the BEopt Automated Residential Simulation Test Suite to Enable Comparative Analysis Between Energy Simulation Engines, NLR Technical Report (2014)
New Version of BEopt Software Provides Analysis Capabilities for Existing Homes, NLR Technical Report (2011)
BEopt Software for Building Energy Optimization: Features and Capabilities, NLR Technical Report (2006)
Heating and Cooling Energy Modeling of 3D-Printed Concrete Construction of Residential Buildings (2022)
Demand Response Analysis for Different Residential Personas in a Comfort-Driven Behavioral Context, Proceedings of the ASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (2021)
Are Ducted Mini-Splits Worth It?, ASHRAE Journal (2018)
Energy Efficiency Potential in the U.S. Single-Family Housing Stock, NLR Technical Report (2017)
Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Case Study Analysis, NLR Technical Report (2016)
Public Housing: A Tailored Approach to Energy Retrofits, NLR Technical Report (2016)
Using BEopt (EnergyPlus) With Energy Audits and Surveys To Predict Actual Residential Energy Usage, Science Direct (2015)
Design and Evaluation of a Net Zero Energy Low-Income Residential Housing Development in Lafayette, Colorado, NLR Technical Report (2012)
A Method for Determining Optimal Residential Energy Efficiency Retrofit Packages, NLR Technical Report (2011)
Ducts in the Attic? What Were They Thinking?, NLR Technical Report (2010)
Preliminary Assessment of the Energy-Saving Potential of Electrochromic Windows in Residential Buildings, NLR Technical Report (2009)
Habitat for Humanity Zero Energy Home: A Cold-Climate Case Study for Affordable Zero Energy Homes, NLR Technical Report (2008)
Defining a Technology Pathway Leading to New Homes with Zero Peak Cooling Demand, NLR Technical Report (2006)
Validation of Tendril TrueHome Using Software-to-Software Comparison, NLR Technical Report (2017)
EnergyPlus and SEEM Modeling Enhancements via Software-to-Software Comparison Using NREL's BEopt Test Suite, NLR Technical Report (2016)
Evaluating EnergyPlus Airflow Network Model for Residential Ducts, Infiltration, and Interzonal Airflow, NLR Technical Report (2016)
Evaluation of Automated Model Calibration Techniques for Residential Building Energy Simulation, NLR Technical Report (2013)
Improved Modeling of Residential Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps for Energy Calculations, NLR Technical Report (2013)
Automated Comparison of Building Energy Simulation Engines, NLR Technical Report (2012)
Identifying and Resolving Issues in EnergyPlus and DOE-2 Window Heat Transfer Calculations, NLR Technical Report (2012)
Heat Pump Water Heater Modeling in EnergyPlus, NLR Technical Report (2012)
Verification and Validation of EnergyPlus Conduction Finite Difference and Phase Change Material Models for Opaque Wall Assemblies, NLR Technical Report (2012)
Using EnergyPlus to Perform Dehumidification Analysis on Building America Homes, NLR Technical Report (2011)
2014 Building America House Simulations Protocol (2014)
Evaluation of Automated Model Calibration Techniques for Residential Building Energy Simulation, NLR Technical Report (2013)
Assessing and Improving the Accuracy of Energy Analysis for Residential Buildings, NLR Technical Report (2011)
Orienting the Neighborhood: A Subdivision Energy Analysis Tool, NLR Technical Report (2008)
Contact
BEopt has been developed by NLR in support of the U. S. Department of Energy Building America Program goal to develop market-ready energy solutions for new and existing homes.
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Last Updated June 15, 2026