Input File Documentation[LINK]

! <name of file>
! Basic file description: <specify number of zones, stories in building, etc>
! Highlights: <Purpose of this example file>
! Simulation Location/Run: <location information, design days, run periods>
! Location:
! Design Days (should have SummerDesignDay,WinterDesignDay designations):
! Run Period (Weather File):
! Run Control (should include this):
!
! Building: <more details about building.  metric units, if also english enclose in []{} or ()>
! Floor Area:
! Number of Stories:
!
! Zone Description Details:
! Internal gains description: <lighting level, equipment, number of occupants, infiltration, daylighting, etc>
! Interzone Surfaces:
! Internal Mass:
! People:
! Lights:
! Windows:
! Detached Shading:
! Daylight:
! Natural Ventilation          :
! Compact Schedules (preferred):
! Solar Distribution:

!
! HVAC: <HVAC description and plant supply, as appropriate>
! Purchased Air:
! Zonal Equipment:
! Central Air Handling Equipment:
! System Equipment Autosize:
! Purchased Cooling:
! Purchased Heating:
! Coils:
! Pumps:
! Boilers:
! Chillers:
! Towers:
!
! Results: <how are results reported>
! Standard Reports:
! Timestep or Hourly Variables:
! Time bins Report:
! HTML Report:
! Environmental Emissions:
! Utility Tariffs:


Some good examples (not necessarily meeting all the above):

! LgOffVAV.idf
!
! Basic file description: Prototypical 6-story large office building of new (post-1980) vintage
! in southern U.S. with a central VAVS system.
!
! Run: autosizing using Chicago winter & summer design days; simulation - 1 winter, 1 summer day.
!
! Building:
!    ______________________           Floor area: 8361 m2 (90,000 ft2)
!   |\                    /|          Dimensions: 45.72 m x 30.48 m (150 ft x 100 ft)
!   | \_________________ / |          Floor height: 3.048 m (10 ft), no plenum
!   |  |                |  |          6 conditioned floors with unconditioned basement
!   |  |                |  |          Shell characteristics
!   |  |                |  |30.48 m   Roof const: built-up roofing, 4" concrete,
!   |  |                |  |(100 ft)       insulation,air space, acoustic tile
!   |  |                |  |          Roof insulation: 2.22 m2-K/W (12.6 ft2-hr-F/Btu)
!   |  |________________|  |          Wall const: stone, insulation, air space, gypsum board
!   | /                  \ |          Wall insulation: 1.06 m2-K/W (6 ft2-hr-F/Btu)
!   |/____________________\|          Window const: double-pane
!        45.72 m (150 ft)             Window U-value: 3.4 W/m2-K (0.598 Btu/hr-ft2-F)
!                                     Window SHGC: 0.782 (0.71 SC)
!                                     Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR): 0.50
!                                     Infiltration: 0.0 occupied hrs, 0.30 ACH unoccupied hrs; 2.0 ACH in basement
!                                     Basement Wall F-factor: 4.32 W/m-K (2.50 Btu/hr-ft-F)
!
! Each floor is modeled as four perimeter zones and one core zone. The perimeter
! zones are all 4.57m (15 ft) deep. Windows are modeled as a horizontal strip of
! glazing running the length of each perimeter wall from the middle to the top of
! the wall, for a Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR) of 0.50. The 4 intermediate floors
! are modeled as 1 floor with a zone multiplier of 4 applied to each zone. The floors
! and ceilings of the zones on the intermediate floor are modeled as adiabatic surfaces.
!
! The building is oriented with its long axis east-west.
!
! Internal loads (peak) are :
!
! Occupancy 36.23 m2/person (390 ft2/person)
! Lighting load  12.59 watts/m2 (1.17 watts/ft2)
! Equipment load 8.07 watts/m2 (0.75 watt/ft2)
! Elevator load 27.75 KW (NOT IMPLEMENTED YET IN THIS FILE)
! Hot-water usage 0.889 l/hour/person (0.0039 gal/min/person) (NOT IMPLEMENTED YET IN THIS FILE)
! Occupied hours 8 through 18 weekdays, 8 to 13 weekends
!
! System controls are:
!
! Heating 21.1 C (70 F) occupied hours, 12,8 C (55 F) unoccupied hours
! Cooling 23.9 C (75 F) occupied hours, 32.2 C (90 F) unoccupied hours
! The basement is unconditioned but has a constant heat source of 6766 watts representing
! the losses from the plant
! Heating and cooling turned on 1 hour early, and turned off 1 hour late
! Outside-air 25 m3/hr/person (15 CFM/person)
! Economizer with limit temperature at 20 C (68 F) (BUT IS SET TO NO ECONOMIZER IN THIS INPUT)
!
! HVAC:     Standard VAV system with minimum outside air , hot water reheat
!           coils, central chilled water cooling coil. Central Plant is single
!           hot water boiler, electric compression chiller with water cooled
!           condenser. All equipment is autosized.
!
!           The supply air temperature setpoint is established by a seasonal reset.