What Alternative In Trace700 Actually Does

Alternative In is a setting in Trace700 that tells the software how to handle situations where your primary data source runs out or becomes unavailable. Instead of stopping the calculation or throwing an error, Trace700 switches to a backup method you've specified. Think of it like having a second route programmed into your GPS — if the main road is closed, the system automatically takes the alternate without you having to reprogram anything.

The reason you need different alternatives depends on what data you're working with and what happens when that data fails. A residential energy model might need one fallback strategy, while a commercial building model needs something completely different. The software doesn't know your priorities, so you have to tell it which alternative makes sense for your specific situation.

Key Takeaways

  • Alternative In settings prevent Trace700 calculations from stopping when your primary data source is missing or incomplete.
  • Different building types and data sources require different fallback strategies because what works for residential heating doesn't work for commercial cooling systems.
  • You choose alternatives based on what data you actually have available and what assumptions are safe to make about the gaps.
  • Setting the wrong alternative can produce results that look correct but are based on false assumptions about your building.

When Your Primary Data Runs Out

Trace700 needs specific information to model how a building uses energy — things like occupancy schedules, equipment specifications, or weather data. Sometimes you don't have all of it. Maybe you're modeling a building where the HVAC system documentation is incomplete, or you're working with weather data that has gaps for certain months. Without an Alternative In setting, the software stops and reports an error instead of finishing the calculation.

The alternative tells Trace700 what assumption to make instead. It might use a standard default value, copy data from a similar month, interpolate between known values, or reference a different data source you've already entered. Each choice produces different results, and the wrong choice can make your energy model look reasonable while being based on guesses that don't match your actual building.

Why Residential and Commercial Buildings Need Different Alternatives

A residential building and a commercial office building have completely different energy patterns. A house might have one heating zone and predictable occupancy. An office has multiple zones, variable occupancy by floor, and equipment that runs on a completely different schedule. When data is missing, the safe assumption for a house (use average residential heating) is wrong for an office (which might need zone-specific cooling).

Trace700 lets you set different alternatives for different building types because the software can't guess what's reasonable. If you're modeling a mixed-use building with both residential and commercial sections, you might need three or four different alternatives depending on which system is missing data. Setting them all to the same fallback strategy means some parts of your model are based on assumptions that don't fit the actual building.

How to Choose the Right Alternative for Your Situation

Start by identifying what data you're actually missing. Is it a full month of weather data? A piece of equipment specification? An occupancy schedule? The type of gap determines what alternative makes sense. If you're missing one month of weather in the middle of summer, using the previous year's data for that month is reasonable. If you're missing the entire cooling system specification, using a default commercial system is a guess that might be very wrong.

Next, think about what the alternative assumes. Some alternatives use industry standard values — these are safe when you know your building is typical, but risky if it's unusual. Other alternatives use data from similar periods in your model — these work well when the gap is small and the building's patterns are consistent. The best alternative is the one that makes the fewest false assumptions about your specific building.

What Happens When You Pick the Wrong Alternative

The software will still produce a complete energy model and a final number. That's the danger. A wrong alternative doesn't usually cause an obvious error — it produces a result that looks finished but is based on a false assumption. You might model a building's energy use as 50,000 kWh per year when the real number is 65,000 because your alternative assumed a standard occupancy schedule instead of the actual 24-hour operation.

The model looks professional and complete. The calculations are mathematically correct. But the foundation — the data the calculations rest on — is wrong. This is why documenting which alternatives you used and why is as important as running the model itself. Anyone reviewing your work needs to know which gaps you filled with assumptions and which assumptions you made.

Common Alternatives and When to Use Them

Trace700 typically offers several standard alternatives. A default value alternative uses industry-standard numbers for whatever is missing — useful when you're modeling a typical building and the gap is small. A copy from similar period alternative uses data from a comparable time in your model — useful when one month of data is missing but the rest is complete. An interpolate alternative fills gaps by averaging the values before and after — useful for small gaps in continuous data like temperature.

Some alternatives let you reference a different data source you've already entered in the software. This is useful when you have multiple versions of a dataset and want to use the more complete one as a fallback. Others let you manually enter a fixed value for the gap. The choice depends on what data you have available and how confident you are that the alternative represents your actual building.

How to Document Your Alternatives for Later Review

When you finish a Trace700 model, note which alternatives you used and why. Don't just record that you used "default occupancy" — write down that you used default occupancy for the third floor because the tenant hadn't provided a schedule, and you assumed it matched the second floor's pattern. This tells anyone reading your model what assumptions are built in and where the weak points are.

If you're modeling a building for a client or for regulatory purposes, this documentation is essential. It shows that you made deliberate choices based on available information, not that you guessed. It also makes it easier to update the model later when better data becomes available — you know exactly which parts need to change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same alternative for every missing data point?

Technically yes, but it's usually wrong. Different types of missing data need different assumptions. Using a single default alternative across residential heating, commercial cooling, and equipment schedules will produce a model that looks complete but is based on mismatched assumptions. Choose alternatives that fit each specific gap.

What if I don't know which alternative to pick?

Start with the alternative that requires the fewest assumptions about your building. If you're missing one month of weather data, copying from the previous year is safer than using an industry default. If you're missing an entire system specification, ask the building owner or operator before guessing. A delayed model based on real data is better than a fast model based on wrong assumptions.

Does using an alternative mean my model is wrong?

Not necessarily. Using an alternative means you've filled a gap with a reasonable assumption. The model is only wrong if the assumption doesn't match your actual building. Document what you assumed and why, and the model is honest about its limitations. A model that hides its assumptions is the one to worry about.

Can I change alternatives after I've run the model?

Yes. Trace700 lets you adjust alternatives and recalculate. This is useful when you get better data or realize an assumption was wrong. Run the model again with the corrected alternative and compare the results. If the energy use changes significantly, the original alternative was a major assumption worth noting.

What's the difference between Alternative In and other Trace700 settings?

Alternative In specifically handles what happens when data is missing or incomplete. Other settings control how the software calculates energy use once it has the data. Think of Alternative In as the safety net that keeps the calculation running, and other settings as the rules for how the calculation actually works.