In the IES <Virtual Environment> all building regulations compliance testing is performed in the <VE> Compliance View. This covers the 2002 and 2006 regulations for England and Wales as applied to both dwellings and non-dwellings, together with their counterparts in Scotland.
The starting point for a compliance analysis, however, is the input of geometrical data in ModelIT. The Template Manager, a central resource available from all Views, is typically used next to set up room system and ventilation parameters. Apache View, while not essential for compliance testing, commonly plays a part in the input of Part L data that is shared by other Apache View application, and Views such as SunCast and MacroFlo may also be invoked. The purpose of this section is to provide an overview of the roles played by the different parts of the <VE> in the compliance testing process.
ModelIT handles the input of the building geometry.
The Template Manager provides facilities for setting room conditions for a range of thermal applications. In the context of Part L2, it also allows the specification of room activities that define the standard occupancy and plant operation conditions that apply in Part L2 (2006). In Part L2 compliance tests these standard conditions automatically override certain of the Room Data settings that would otherwise be taken from the Room Template.
Apache View covers thermal applications such as heating and cooling loads calculation, and simulation outside the context of Part L. The analysis in this View applies to the real building, for which all the input data is under your control. Where data is shared between the real building and the actual building, this data may be entered in either Apache View or <VE> Compliance. Examples of such shared data include:
Location
Constructions
HVAC systems
Infiltration
<VE Compliance> covers thermal analysis specific to the Building Regulations. Some of the data required by the Building Regulations is shared with Apache View, as indicated above, and may be entered or edited in either View. Other regulations-specific data must be entered in the <VE> Compliance view. This includes:
Regulatory framework – eg Part L2 (2006) (assumed in the list that follows)
Building type
Room activities (may be specified by means of templates)
Data relating to lighting energy savings
Heat bridging data
Data required by the BRUKL compliance calculator, including addresses, system characteristics and air-tightness properties
<VE Compliance> displays data for the actual building by default. The notional building may also be inspected in this View. Facilities are provided for performing compliance simulations, test compliance simulations (on both the actual and notional buildings) and summertime temperature analyses for Criterion 3.
SunCast analyses shading and internal solar penetration, factors which may optionally be taken into account in compliance simulations.
MacroFlo and ApacheHVAC are other Views covering natural ventilation analysis and component-based HVAC system simulation, respectively, that are also available as adjuncts to compliance simulations.
Vista provides facilities for viewing the results of <VE> Compliance and other simulations.
