[Bldg-sim] IES-VE Evaluation

Mon Dec 13 20:20:54 PST 2010

Whoops, wrong second link:

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/corporate/ns/qs
_iesve_v6_1.pdf

Nathan Kegel LEED AP

HGA   Architects and Engineers 
Direct 612.758.4335 

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

________________________________

From: bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org
[mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of Nathan
Kegel
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2010 10:14 PM
To: Ellis, David; Tim Johnson
Cc: bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] IES-VE Evaluation

GBCI does not certify software; they require it meets the requirements
of 90.1 and 140.  As such, the VE (and other tools) are acceptable by
USGBC.

http://www.iesve.com/content/kb/FAQ-VE-Approved_For_LEED.pdf

The VE is also acceptable for EPACT tax credits.

http://www.iesve.com/content/kb/FAQ-VE-Approved_For_LEED.pdf

Nathan Kegel LEED AP

HGA   Architects and Engineers 
Direct 612.758.4335 

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

________________________________

From: bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org
[mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of Ellis,
David
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2010 2:38 PM
To: Tim Johnson
Cc: bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] IES-VE Evaluation

Tim,

We've recently formed an energy services group, and I wanted to employ
any tool that would enhance production. The IES software is very
attractive, with their new offering of a "PRM Navigator" (LEED analysis
guidance), but there are limitations you should be aware of:

1.       The software is costly

2.       At this point, it cannot handle anything other than a flat
utility rate schedule, which is not real world

3.       It is not user extensible

4.       To integrate the process with Revit, you have to enforce
modeling standards on architectural designers, who tend to have bad
practices

5.       There are some systems which cannot be modeled, such as thermal
storage (without item 2 above corrected, the benefit of thermal storage,
if available, would be missed)

6.       The PRM navigator (LEED Analysis) only spins out a 90.1-2007
baseline model

Having said that, we are employing the tool to see if it does provide
some benefit. The CFD analysis looks promising, and there may be
additional tools (such as Trelligence) that might be of benefit that use
IES, although we've had to switch a large project from IES to eQuest due
to items 2, 5 and 6 above.  The LEED  guidance package is very nice, and
it does create voluminous reports, so you can spin out results for
spreadsheet analysis if desired (which is what they recommend to
overcome item 2 above). There are other nice modules, which you are
probably aware of as well. One thing to keep in mind, is that the IES
software, while certified by the ASHRAE 140 standard, to my knowledge
has not been officially acknowledged as being acceptable by GBCI.

I'm cautiously optimistic that the EnergyPlus user interface promised
out in Spring (now Summer) will prove to be as useful as the eQuest
interface for DOE2. If so, then I would expect that tool to become the
standard in the industry.  It is frustrating, as I  was personally
involved with trying to develop an interface for EnergyPlus back before
its initial release, and while it holds great promise for its
extensibility, development of interfaces have been hampered by a
continual change in EnergyPlus data structures. I am guessing that with
this funded interface, that the process of changing data structures is
less of a concern.

Dave

David Ellis

PE (VA, MD, DC)

CEM, LEED AP

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN SOLUTIONS 
ENERGY SERVICES MANAGER

HDRArchitecture.com <http://hdrarchitecture.com/> 

703.518.7735 | c+txt 703.343.6758
HDR Architecture, Inc. | 1101 King Street, Suite 400 | Alexandria, VA
22314

From: Tim Johnson [mailto:timj at ctagroup.com] 
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2010 11:41 AM
To: bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org
Subject: [Bldg-sim] IES-VE Evaluation

I am an eQuest user and am looking into IES-VE as an eventual
replacement.  I am curious if anyone has been through a comparison like
this before and would be willing to share their opinions.  I know there
has been some discussion about this in the past, but it looks like most
of the discussions are a few years old.  I want to make sure I am not
discounting IES-VE for problems that have been fixed.

The draw of IES-VE is the compatibility with revit and its ability to do
more than just energy or daylighting.  It seems like having all of the
analysis tools in one program would be very useful.

>From reading through the archives, the drawbacks of this program are the
cost and that IES doesn't allow the user as much flexibility as eQuest
of Energy Plus.  Can IES-VE generate the hourly reports that eQuest and
Energy Plus can?

Please let me know what your thoughts are on these programs.  I also
hear rumors of AutoDesk jumping into the mix with Project Vasari and
Labs.  Does anyone know more about this?

Thanks,

Tim

Tim Johnson
CTA : EIT, LEED AP  
DIRECT: 208.577.5645

CTA, Inc. |  www.ctagroup.com <http://www.ctagroup.com/> 
1185 W. Grove St. - Boise, ID 83702
P: 208.336.4900 - F: 208.343.3531
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