IDF Import from DOE

IDF is generally a terrible format to store an energy model if you want to use it later. EnergyPlus often has many breaking changes between versions and there are just issues in the IDF Version Updater that make it impossible to update certain IDFs beyond a certain timeline.

To get to the real problem that you’re trying to solve here, the recommended way to get the latest DoE commercial reference buildings is to use the Create Typical DoE Building OpenStudio meausre. I describe this fully here:

That will ensure that you get versions of those energy models without any loss of information that would happen if you try to update those IDFs.