在过去的几年里，人们开始相当重视开发计算工具来评估建筑物中的加热和冷却能量。已经编写了几个综合的最先进的小时计算模型（如NBSLD、DOE-2和BLAST），这些模型作为可靠的估算工具得到了广泛的认可。不幸的是，随着这些模型越来越复杂，它们的使用也变得非常复杂和乏味。因此，人们开始需要简化的能源估算工具。认识到这一需求，ASHRAE技术委员会TC-4.7开发了一种简化的能量计算方法，作为一种改进的bin方法[1]，已在1981年的《基础知识手册》（第28章-能量估算方法）中发布。 它也被称为TC-4.7简化能量计算方法。这项技术包括计算各种室外温度条件下的建筑荷载，然后将荷载乘以已知温度条件下存在的小时数。其结果是在能源需求方面。为了保持该方法的实用性，不使用单一温度值；而是使用一种称为“温度箱”的温度分组。这要求天气数据以“bin”表格的形式提供，该表格提供特定温度范围（bin）的平均小时数，该温度范围通常为5华氏度，在选定地点的一年中每个月发生。最广泛接受的信息来源是1s A1r部队手册88- 29[2]其中列出了大多数主要城市和军事基地的数据。AFM 88-29中的可用数据提供了三个dally 8小时时间段（即1至8小时、9至16小时和17至24小时）内5度“垃圾箱”的发生时间，以及每月和全年的总发生时间和平均重合湿球。

Over the past several years there has evolved a considerable emphasis on the development of computational tools for evaluation of heating and cooling energy in buildings. Several comprehensive state-of-the-art hourly calculation models have been written (e.g., NBSLD, DOE-2, and BLAST), and these have gained widespread acceptance as reliable estimation tools. Unfortunately, along with the increased sophistication of these models they have also become very complex and tedious to use. Therefore, the need for simplified energy estimation tools has begun to arise.In recognition of this need, ASHRAE's technical committee TC-4.7 developed a simplified method for energy calculations which has been published in the 1981 Handbook of Fundamentals (Chapter 28 - Energy Estimating Methods) as a modified bin method [1]. It has also become known as the TC-4.7 Simplified Energy Calculation Method. This technique involves computing the building loads at various outdoor temperature conditions and then multiplying the load by the number of hours that that temperature condition is known to exist. The result is In terms of energy requirements.In order to keep this method practical to use, single temperature values are not used; rather, a temperature grouping known as a "temperature bin" is used. This requires that weather data be available In the form of "bin" tables which provide the average number of hours a certain temperature range (bin), generally 5-deg.F, occurs in each month of the year for selected locations. The most widely accepted source of this information 1s A1r Force Manual 88-29 [2] in which data are tabulated for most major cities and most military bases. The data available in AFM 88-29 provide the hours of occurrence of 5-degree "bins" In three dally 8-hour time periods, i.e., hours 1 to 8, 9 to 16, and 17 to 24, and the total hours of occurrence and the mean coincident wet-bulb for each month and for the whole year.