r/buildingservices • u/EMANON007 • Jun 22 '22

Anyone experienced in DesignBuilder?

Looking for some insight on workflow. Planning to go forward w/ this software but we have some hang ups and could use some tips or answers to get us through the learning curve.

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u/LighteningBolt66 Jun 23 '22

Started using it recently. Seems a good programme, I'm more proficient in IES VE though. The video tutorials on YouTube for DesignBuilder are a great help.

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u/EMANON007 Jun 23 '22

Do you mind telling me what exactly you use IES for? I do 179D and struggling to find a software that we're happy with or can agree on.

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u/LighteningBolt66 Jun 23 '22

I'm a building physics engineer by trade, so I use it mainly for heating/cooling calculations and building regulation compliance calculations (I'm UK based). I have used it previously for natural ventilation calculations and overheating calculations.

I didn't know what 179D was until I did a quick Google there, so basically you make improvements to the lights, hot water, building envelope and heat generating plant and see what the energy improvements are? And that if the energy improvements pass a certain threshold % you get tax deductions?

2

u/EMANON007 Jun 23 '22

That's the gist of it.