IESVE 2021

IESVE 2021 extends energy code compliance offerings and strengthens tools to aid the drive for decarbonisation

IESVE 2021 Feature Pack 4 Updates

Decarbonisation/Electrification

Drain Water Heat Recovery

  • Allows waste heat from drains, e.g. showers, is used to preheat the cold inlet water
  • The implementation allows for three flow configurations
    • Equal flow 
    • Unequal flow to the DHW heater
    •  Unequal flow to the DHW end use

Solar Visualisation

  • Solar analysis can now be filtered to show by room groups
  • Room groups can then be selected by scheme or group

Code Compliance: Title 24 California

Updates to Title 24 Navigator to align with Title 24 v 1.1 including:

  • Updates to standard design HVAC systems mapping 
  • Template & infiltration changes 
  • IAQ and schedule group updates
  • PRF-01 reporting updates (v.2.0)
  • The ability to model high rise residential as well as non-residential buildings
    •  Includes the necessary additions to allow for the modelling of Multi-Family Residential Buildings, including residential DHW and the associated generation of compliant draw profiles 

IESVE 2021 Feature Pack 3 Updates

COP26: VE Gaia

Early stage modelling for Embodied and Operational Energy

  • New single Navigator for VE Gaia tools to address COP26 priorities
    • Construction: climate, bioclimate, solar, construction impacts (LCA)
    • Operation: CO2 / Energy, site resources, renewables, water use
  • New set of generic climate change weather files 2020, 2050, 2080
  • Link to AIA 2030 Challenge

Decarbonization / Electrification

Partner Program: Monodraught

  • New HVR product range added to VE
    • Hybrid in room-ventilation units
    • Return air mixing
    • Partial heat recovery for lower Toa operation
    • Optional mechanical heating / cooling
  • New library of components
  • Navigator driven workflow with automation for:
    • Product placement in model
    • Room data assignments
    •  Room grouping
    • ApacheHVAC network assignment / data

Miscellaneous

Heat Recovery Chiller

Updates to graphics in the heat recovery chillers model in ApacheHVAC

The following configurations are catered for:

  • Parallel 
  • Series configuration with or without pump

Miscellaneous

Overheating

TM59:2017 Python Script Updates

  • Updates include following additions:
    • Mechanical ventilation analysis
    • Occupancy categories based on TM52
  • Pre-prepared template set created for TM59:
    • Thermal templates 
    • MacroFlo templates
    • Profiles
    • Reportage updated to reflect new features
  • Analysis now includes Southern hemisphere summer period

Miscellaneous

ISO 7730 Comfort Variable

  • New ISO 7730 post processing expands comfort options
  • Nominal elevated and switched variable options allows direct comparison & derived benefit
  • Switched variable options facilitates reaching optimum comfort result 
  • Export to Excel report

New EU Navigator

PMV Optimiser 

  • Optimizes the clothing and air velocity levels at each simulation time steps to match targeted PMV
  • Counts the time steps outside of comfort range
  • Results exported as an excel file
  • Output can be used in BREEAM certification

EN 12831 

  • Room by room heating loads based on European norm
  • Results exported as an Excel file

gbXML export for RT2012 

  • gbXML export used in French thermal compliance

IESVE 2021 Feature Pack 2 Updates

Code Compliance: Title 24 California

  • VE2021 FP2 offers users in California a fully Certified Alternative Compliance solution which is completely independent of CBECC
  • Only Compliance software with a 3-model solution:
    • Design->Proposed->Baseline
  • Compliance is for Non-Residential Buildings only (Performance method)
  • The Title 24 2019 navigator uses APACHE to carry out compliance calculations. For the VE user this means:
    • Title 24 Compliance and energy performance simulation in one distinct model
    • Easy access to detailed 3-D model geometry and model interoperability 
    • A quick and streamlined work flow which caters to the three model solution (design, proposed and standard)
    • Global editing of inputs through tab edit functionality 
    • Advanced daylight modelling using RadianceIES
    • Access to the power and flexibility offered by ApacheHVAC
    • Implement innovative design strategies while performing compliance calculations

Sunlight & Daylight

  • Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (APSH) 
    • New metric assessed and visualised on the model in SunCast
    • Results can be exported to XML and CSV or copy/pasted
    • APSH is a measure of sunlight that a given window may expect over a year period. 

Learn More about APSH

Overshadowing, or loss of sunlight to existing premises, is analysed using annual probable sunlight hours (APSH). It is referenced within ‘Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice (BR 209)’.


APSH is used in planning and design stages to measure the impact to nearby existing buildings. The impact from local architectural shading features such as overhangs and balconies. Sunlight to gardens and communal open grounds.


Sunlight is a different term to daylight. Whereas sunlight studies measure access to the Sun, daylight studies measure luminance and illuminance resulting from the Sun.

Sunlight & Daylight

  • Climate based daylight modelling updates in RadianceIES:
    • New post processing options have been added to streamline workflow
    • Results have been rationalised into smaller more succinct data sets
    • For Daylight Availability
    • For Useful Daylight Illuminance
      • Number of Hours
      • Percentage of Hours (including an option to process two outputs at the same time)
      • BREEAM presets
    • For Useful Daylight Illuminance
      • Education Funding (& Skills) Agency presets

Starter Geometry Additions

  • Four new model options for Multi-family geometry
  • These prototypes better align with newer multifamily construction trends & are useful for Schematic-Design.
    • Defined by Southern California Edison.
  • New MultiFamily options available:
    • Low-Rise Garden
    • Loaded Corridor 
    • Mid-Rise Mixed-Use 
    • High-Rise Mixed-Use 

Miscellaneous - Decarbonisation / Electrification: Heat Recovery Chillers (Beta Phase 1)

  • Please reach out to your local VE contact for more details.

What Our Customers Say About Feature Pack 2

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I'm really enjoying every new IES update. I feel like you folks have a great sense of what the modeling community needs.

Frank Schwamborn

Verdical Group

Huge congrats IES Ltd! We are so excited to learn this great news! Game changer for Title 24 compliance modeling!

Allen Mei

Cyclone Energy Group

IESVE 2021 Feature Pack 1 Updates

Speed up to Climate Based Daylight Modelling (CBDM) 

  • UDI, ASE, sDA now available via faster rtrace-dc Radiance module
  • The rtrace-dc route means a detailed glazed space will simulate on the fast settings option.
    • UDI 10-20x faster
    • ASE 60-80x faster
    • sDA 10-15x faster
  • Fully compliant with LM 83:2012

Enhanced HVAC systems data can now be imported in gbXML from Autodesk Revit

  • Data does not need to be set up twice 

NECB 2017 Navigator for Canadian Code Compliance 

  • Workflow and automation make NECB readily accessible and quick to use. Full details available here

IESVE 2021 Updates

ASHRAE 90.1-2016

A number of new productivity features have been added to the latest 2016 version of the ASHRAE 90.1 Navigators:

  • Proposed building can be automatically pre-populated in two ways:
    • Prescriptive – using 90.1 standard data or
    • Performance – using Appendix G baseline
  • Constructions can now be applied automatically based simply on the choice of building type and climate zone
  • New calculation methodologies for the following energy end uses
    • Elevators / escalators
    • Refrigeration
  • New end uses enhanced to include
    • Interior lighting (unregulated) / Transformers / Motors 
  • Unregulated energy use types expanded to include
    • Lighting / Process / Receptacle / Cooking
  • New approaches to controls
    • Lighting – new baseline control (based on fraction 90% only)
    • Receptacles – user choice (manual / automated)

ASHRAE 55 2013 & 2017

New methods and a new flexible approach to setting up and analysing thermal comfort

  • Room level comfort settings accounting for occupant’s response to their perceived comfort
  • 18 new room variables in VistaPro provides more insight into occupant discomfort and make decisions to enhance comfort with low energy use
  • Three methods can be used for adaptive comfort:    
    • Software automates how occupants would adapt to find their optimum comfort level
    • Users can set adaption limits based on modulating occupancy profiles
    • Users can set adaption values based on absolute or formulae based occupancy profiles
  • Elevated air speed –fan cooling effect (& associated energy usage) can be assessed room by room
  • The impact of direct solar radiation  on the occupant is now accounted for in the comfort assessment:
    • Accounts for the posture of the occupants within the room
    • Accounts for mitigation effects such as the control of blinds/louvres 

Florida Building Code 7th edition 2020

As part of IES’ ongoing commitment to providing energy code-compliance solutions in North America, IESVE Software is now certified by the Florida Building Commission for the 2020 Florida Energy Code.

  • Certified by the Florida Building Commission. 
  • Compliance achieved through the ASHRAE 90.1-2016 Navigator.
  • Florida-specific budget building is automatically created, per FBC requirements. 
  • Florida specific compliance reports are generated.
  • IES training courses certified for continued education (CEU/PDH’s) by Florida Board of Professional Engineers.

Air to Air Heat Pumps

  • Enhanced heat pump method that includes the following updates:
    • Capacity and compressor power vary by:
      • Wet-bulb and Dry-bulb temperatures
      • Part-Load Ratio
    • EIR for fan on outdoor coil (heat rejection/acquisition)
    • Back-up heat source with multiple control schemes
    • Crankcase heater for compressors
    • Defrost: resistive or reverse-cycle; timed or demand control
  • Interrelated efficiency parameters are now calculated and displayed by the software 
  • COP, EERnf (EER with no fan), & IEER per entered EER value
  • Performance curves as required by the California Title 24 ACM Manual DX Cooling and HP Heating sections
    • Available for use outside of California Title 24 

Free Convection: Cooling Towers/Fluid Coolers

  • Free convection can now be assessed for both Cooling Towers and Fluid Coolers, allowing for associated reductions in electrical energy.
    • Controlling parameter is the ‘Free convection airflow fraction’, based upon the assumption that a moderate initial fraction (e.g., 10%) of cooling-tower or fluid-cooler airflow will be driven by thermal stack effect. 
    • Fluid Cooler – new control option:
      • Applicable only to Wet/Dry Fluid Coolers
    • Two options available:
      • Maximise dry operation (dry whenever it can meet the load)
      • Maximise wet operation (always wet at or above set temperature)

Fan Control Updates

  • Added capability for zone-level recirculation fans to operate only when associated compressor operates (as in heat pumps, zone-level AC, etc.) via new “Cycle on with terminal unit compressor” control option in the system parameters UI. 
       
  • For AAHP, WAHP, and DX Cooling, a new “Single compressor with fixed speed/output” checkbox determines if the compressor is modelled (via curve data) as cycling on/off below 100% load, or as cycling on/off only below min PLR setting (via simulation run-time fraction). This also influences the fan cycling, when that is linked to the compressor operation.

Daylighting Enhancements

  • Multi-Room Climate Based Daylighting Visualisation 
    • Multiple rooms showing Climate Based Daylight Modelling (CBDM) results can now be visualised at the same time
    • RadianceIES collates all rooms with same outputs for selection and visualisation, saving you time
  • Window Labelling
    • Improved labelling of windows and window groups for VSC and sDA calculations now available

Release Notes

For further supporting information please take a look at the IESVE 2021 release notes. 

Learn More

Got a question?

Our team is happy to answer any questions you have about the new features in IESVE 2021.