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Free BEMP Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free BEMP practice test to study every exam domain.

Question 1

An energy modeler must choose a simulation engine for a project requiring detailed, sub-hourly modeling of a radiant slab system with complex control sequences. Which statement correctly distinguishes the two most common whole-building simulation engines?

  1. DOE-2 (eQUEST) solves a full surface-by-surface heat balance at every time step, which makes it the more rigorous and physically detailed engine for modeling high-mass radiant systems
  2. Both engines solve the same heat balance equations internally, so the engine choice has no measurable effect on radiant system accuracy
  3. EnergyPlus uses the heat balance method (solving surface and zone energy balances each time step), while DOE-2 uses the weighting factor method with pre-calculated response coefficients
  4. EnergyPlus uses the weighting factor method, which industry guidance prefers because it runs faster while remaining accurate for radiant systems
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - EnergyPlus uses the heat balance method (solving surface and zone energy balances each time step), while DOE-2 uses the weighting factor method with pre-calculated response coefficients

Question 2

A peer reviewer questions the accuracy of an energy model built in ASHRAE Standard 140-validated software. The modeler responds that because the software passed Standard 140, the model results are guaranteed accurate. Why is this reasoning flawed?

  1. Standard 140 only validates software algorithms for residential building types, so any results produced for a commercial project carry no formal validation at all
  2. Standard 140 validates that the engine's algorithms correctly implement building physics for the BESTEST cases - it does not validate the user's specific inputs, which can still be wrong
  3. Standard 140 was officially withdrawn by ASHRAE and replaced by Guideline 14, so passing it no longer establishes any meaningful software validity for compliance work
  4. Standard 140 validation lapses every calendar year, so software that passed in a prior cycle must be formally re-tested annually before its results can be relied upon again
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Standard 140 validates that the engine's algorithms correctly implement building physics for the BESTEST cases - it does not validate the user's specific inputs, which can still be wrong

Question 3

A modeler is optimizing glazing for a building in Minneapolis (Climate Zone 6A) with significant south-facing glass. A sensitivity study shows that lowering the glazing SHGC from 0.45 to 0.25 reduces annual cooling energy by 4% but increases annual heating energy by 11%. What does this result MOST directly demonstrate?

  1. A modeling error, because a lower SHGC reduces solar load and should always reduce total annual energy in any climate
  2. That heating and cooling respond independently, so each effect should be optimized on its own without considering the other
  3. That a triple-pane, low-U-factor window should be specified here instead, since it would remove the added heating penalty entirely while keeping the cooling savings
  4. A synergistic interaction in which cutting solar heat gain also sacrifices beneficial passive solar heating in a heating-dominated climate
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - A synergistic interaction in which cutting solar heat gain also sacrifices beneficial passive solar heating in a heating-dominated climate

Question 4

A new office building in Houston, TX (Climate Zone 2A, hot-humid) requires an air-side economizer. Which high-limit shutoff (HLSO) control strategy is MOST appropriate to avoid drawing in excessive latent (moisture) load during economizer operation?

  1. Fixed dry-bulb control set to a low changeover temperature, since it is the simplest and lowest-cost device to commission
  2. Differential dry-bulb control comparing only outdoor and return-air temperatures, which captures the most free-cooling hours
  3. Differential or fixed enthalpy control, because it responds to the moisture content of the outdoor air, not just its temperature
  4. No high-limit control is needed, since outdoor air in Houston almost never reaches conditions suitable for free cooling
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Differential or fixed enthalpy control, because it responds to the moisture content of the outdoor air, not just its temperature

Question 5

When modeling an unvented recessed fluorescent luminaire installed in a return-air ceiling plenum, approximately what fraction of the fixture's heat gain is typically assigned to the return-air plenum rather than directly to the occupied space?

  1. Approximately 10%
  2. Approximately 30%
  3. Approximately 50%
  4. Approximately 70%
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Approximately 30%

Question 6

An energy modeler is building the ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G baseline for a proposed 6-story, 200,000 ft² office building that uses natural gas as its heating source. According to Table G3.1.1A, which baseline HVAC system type applies?

  1. System 7 - VAV with hot-water reheat, served by a hot-water boiler and chiller
  2. System 5 - Packaged VAV with hot-water reheat, served by a packaged DX cooling unit
  3. System 3 - Packaged single-zone air conditioner (PSZ-AC) with a gas furnace
  4. System 8 - VAV with parallel fan-powered boxes and electric reheat
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - System 7 - VAV with hot-water reheat, served by a hot-water boiler and chiller

Question 7

An M&V engineer must verify savings from a lighting retrofit using 24 months of pre-retrofit and 12 months of post-retrofit utility bills. Post-retrofit weather was notably warmer, affecting cooling energy in the whole-building bills. Which approach BEST isolates the retrofit savings from the weather variation?

  1. IPMVP Option A - stipulate the operating hours and measure only the change in lighting wattage, since lighting use is independent of weather
  2. IPMVP Option C - a regression-based whole-building model that establishes a weather-normalized baseline from the pre-retrofit utility bills
  3. IPMVP Option B - sub-meter the lighting circuits before and after, then multiply the measured wattage reduction by the operating hours
  4. Compare the raw post-retrofit bills directly to the raw pre-retrofit bills for the same calendar months to cancel out seasonal effects
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - IPMVP Option C - a regression-based whole-building model that establishes a weather-normalized baseline from the pre-retrofit utility bills

Question 8

A calibrated energy model is compared against 12 months of utility bills. The analysis returns a Mean Bias Error (MBE) of +4% and a Coefficient of Variation of the Root Mean Square Error (CV-RMSE) of 17%. Under ASHRAE Guideline 14, is the model considered calibrated for monthly data?

  1. Yes - both the MBE and the CV-RMSE values fall comfortably within the acceptable monthly calibration tolerances defined by the guideline
  2. Yes - MBE is the governing metric for monthly calibration, and at +4% it sits within the allowed limit, so the model qualifies
  3. No - MBE is within tolerance, but CV-RMSE of 17% exceeds the 15% monthly limit, so the model is not calibrated
  4. No - the +4% MBE exceeds the allowed monthly limit, even though the CV-RMSE value on its own would be acceptable
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - No - MBE is within tolerance, but CV-RMSE of 17% exceeds the 15% monthly limit, so the model is not calibrated

Question 9

A building consumes 500,000 kWh/yr of electricity (grid emissions factor 0.40 kg CO₂e/kWh) and 400 MMBtu/yr of natural gas (53.1 kg CO₂/MMBtu). What is the approximate total annual operational greenhouse gas emissions, in metric tonnes of CO₂e?

  1. 221 tonnes CO₂e
  2. 200 tonnes CO₂e
  3. 247 tonnes CO₂e
  4. 229 tonnes CO₂e
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - 221 tonnes CO₂e

Question 10

An efficiency upgrade costs $8,000 and saves $1,000 per year. The equipment has a 10-year service life, and the organization evaluates investments at a 5% discount rate. The simple payback looks acceptable - but what is the approximate net present value (NPV), and what does it reveal?

  1. About +$2,000 - once the cash flows are summed across the 10-year life, the measure clearly pays off
  2. About +$7,700 - the present value of the ten annual savings payments confirms a strong and clearly worthwhile capital investment
  3. About −$8,000 - the discounted annual savings are negligible and never meaningfully offset the first cost
  4. About −$280 - despite an 8-year simple payback, the discounted savings fall just short of the cost over the 10-year life
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - About −$280 - despite an 8-year simple payback, the discounted savings fall just short of the cost over the 10-year life

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