More stringent weather data?

[sabotage]

While performing an energy simulation, a question came up by the owner about what weather data set I was using and why. I was using the weather data set found here:

http://www.nrel.gov/rredc/solar_data.html

but was asked why I did not use the set found here:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html

My response was that I needed weather data for each hour/day/month of the year, which only NREL provided, and since it was a subsidiary of the DOE I believed that it validated the data set.

However, he had never heard of the NREL and had only heard of the NCDC, so I was directed to use NCDC if possible. He believed the NCDC to be more 'stringent'. Unfortunately, from what I can tell, NCDC only publishes daily weather data and does not publish hourly weather data, which is unusable.

I would use ASHRAE weather data but I don't think ASHRAE provides hourly data either.

I am also using HAP 4.3, but my particular application is not modeled by HAP.

What weather data set should I be using? Which one is the most commonly accepted?

 

[MintJulep]

I have used the TMY data from NREL. They have a very nice document that explains in excruciating detail how that data set was developed.