What is an EPW file?
The .EPW file extension primarily represents an EnergyPlus Weather Data File. The U.S. Department of Energy developed this format for the EnergyPlus building energy simulation software. These files store hourly weather data for a specific location over a full year. The data includes temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation. Building engineers use this data to model how a building will perform in a specific climate.
Alternatively, an .EPW file can be a PCB electronic component library file. Electronics engineers use these files in circuit design software like DesignSpark PCB or EasyEDA.
How to open EPW files?
Because an .EPW file is usually plain text structured as comma-separated values, you can open it with standard text editors like Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code. You can also import it into spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel to view the data in rows and columns.
To use the file for building simulation, you must load it into EnergyPlus or graphical interfaces like OpenStudio and DesignBuilder. If the file is a PCB component, you must open it using DesignSpark PCB.
Identify and inspect files with viewer.online
If .EPW has multiple possible meanings, you can use viewer.online/epw to identify the actual format of your file. Our platform can analyze .EPW files to identify the exact format and creator software, inspect the file structure, extract readable text, and check whether an online preview is available.
File conversion
If you need to analyze the weather data outside of simulation software, we recommend file conversion to sensible target formats on convert.guru. You can easily convert .EPW files to .CSV or .XLSX formats for data analysis.
Summary
viewer.online/epw is useful for identifying, inspecting, and understanding .EPW files without installing software or dealing with compatibility problems.