Addressing Windows priority issues in simulations

The DesignBuilder technical team have found that, on some laptops, Windows have altered the priority of the simulation process. This can lead to increases in the EnergyPlus simulation times. To address this, we have implemented an improvement in the latest v7.3 release to ensure that EnergyPlus simulations are given the appropriate level of priority.

For older versions, you can achieve a similar improvement by running the attached PowerShell script OR manually setting the registry key on your laptop as described below:

1. Open “Run” (windows key + R)

2. Type “regedit” and press enter.

3. At the top search area, type in/paste “Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options”

4. Right-click “Image File Execution Options” -> New -> Key

5. Name the new key “RunEPDLL.exe”

6. Right-click the new key and repeat -> New -> Key

7. Name this key PerfOptions

8. Right-click on this key and press New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value

9. Name this key CpuPriorityClass.

10. Double-click this key and enter 3 in “Value Data”

Then, run the EnergyPlus or DSM simulation.