Welcome to Big Ladder!

Projects

Modelkit/Params, a parametric modeling framework
Elements, a custom weather file tool
EnergyPlus
Euclid, a geometry editor for SketchUp
Kiva, a foundation heat transfer calculation tool
Unmet Hours, a Q+A site for energy modelers
Atom package for EnergyPlus, a text editor tool for working with EnergyPlus and Modelkit files
Visual Studio Code extension for EnergyPlus and Modelkit, a text editor tool for working with EnergyPlus and Modelkit files
C++ Libraries
- Penumbra, a free and open source library for GPU accelerated solar shading calculations using pixel counting
- Btwxt, a free and open source library to perform numerical interpolation on a gridded data set
- HPWHsim, an open source simulation model for Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH)
- libtk205, a library autogenerated from the current version of the ASHRAE Standard 205P data exchange specification
ASHRAE Standard 205: Representation of Performance Data for HVAC&R and Other Facility Equipment
California Simulation Engine (CSE), a general purpose building simulation model developed primarily to perform the required calculations for the California Building Energy Code Compliance for Residential buildings (CBECC-Res) software
RESNET software consistency & standardization
ResDX, a Python library for modeling residential direct expansion units
District Zero / Citadel, an installation planning tool for energy, water, waste, and resiliency

We are a Denver-based company dedicated to providing software and services for the building energy modeling industry. The company name reflects our mission to “help our clients reach new heights”.

Peter Ellis, President of Big Ladder, founded the company in 2009 after a six-year career at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. Today we are a team of programmers, engineers, and scientists with a unique combination of expertise in software development, computer simulation, and building science. Over the past several years, the company has experienced steady growth and achieved significant success and recognition in the industry.

We specialize in all things related to the EnergyPlus simulation engine. We provide software tools, training, support, and consulting services for EnergyPlus to mechanical, architectural, and design engineering firms across the US.

Software Tools

As a software company we handle all phases of software development: design, implementation, testing, documentation, support, and training. We have a special passion for open-source software. Our current open-source projects include Elements, Kiva, Modelkit/Params, Euclid, an Atom package for EnergyPlus, and a Visual Studio Code extension for EnergyPlus and Modelkit.

As members of the EnergyPlus Development Team, we have over 15 years of collective experience programming EnergyPlus. We have been involved with developing component algorithms, user interfaces, and other tools for EnergyPlus. As developers we are able to delve into the program source code to help debug users’ problems.

Training Services

We currently offer various training workshops for professionals on a training platform that hosts workshop files and other materials. We use this platform to deliver public and private (in-house) workshops via webinar or in-person formats. We have trained hundreds of new users in the intricacies of EnergyPlus in workshops at US and international locations.

Workshop topics include:

EnergyPlus
Our Modelkit framework we have developed for efficient parametric building energy modeling with EnergyPlus
OpenStudio Application
DesignBuilder (we are authorized through DesignBuilder Software (UK) as the official training providers for DesignBuilder in the US)
California Simulation Engine (the underlying simulation engine used for residential building design and compliance evaluation in California via CBECC-Res)

To read more about workshop topics we offer, please visit our training page.

Support Services

We offer hourly support services for EnergyPlus and OpenStudio by phone and by email. We are licensed through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as official support providers for OpenStudio.

Consulting Services

We exclusively use EnergyPlus and OpenStudio to perform whole-building energy modeling and have modeled numerous real-world buildings ranging from commercial to residential to US Army buildings. We specialize in complex projects and large-scale projects such as technology screening studies and market sector analyses.

Contact

For more information, contact us at:

info@bigladdersoftware.com
303.895.5246