At the end of an EnergyPlus simulation DesignBuilder reads the EnergyPlus output file eplusout.eso. Much of the data is stored and displayed without further processing but in some cases the outputs are processed to ensure that they are consistent with the DesignBuilder model data. DesignBuilder output data will differ from the data that can be found in the Simulation Summary tab in these cases:
DesignBuilder applies a fuel type and a CoP to the idealised heating and cooling systems used in Simple HVAC, whereas EnergyPlus displays the unprocessed loads under 'District heating'. This is because the idealised systems in EnergyPlus are considered to be met directly without use of HVAC equipment through a district heating/cooling type system.
Like the heating and cooling in Simple HVAC, the Simple HVAC DHW system is modelled as a simple water heater which does not need a heat source so it is considered to be provided by district heating and loads are displayed directly in EnergyPlus output. In DesignBuilder the DHW loads reported by EnergyPlus are multiplied by the DHW CoP value at building level (when the DHW type is the Same as HVAC) or the DHW CoP at zone level for all other DHW type settings.
See also: Calculation of DesignBuilder Output from EnergyPlus Report Variables