Author Archives: Michael Sawford

BuildingEnergy Boston 2019

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EDSL USA at BuildingEnergy Boston 2019

EDSL was at NESEA’s BuildingEnergy Boston Conference + Trade Show, it’s been a full week and we are finally getting caught up.

As this was EDSL’s first NESEA event, we weren’t sure what to expect. The organization was great and we were welcomed by the community. We had hoped to attend more classes but thanks to interest at the booth we were afforded little time. It was encouraging to see the diversity of attendees ranging from policy makers, product manufacturers, architects, engineers, and everything in between. The culmination of many discussions with people from diverse backgrounds lead to possibilities for the use of our software in traditional applications and in new directions.

We are very excited to participate in BuildingEnergy New York as it is our home base in the US. We are hoping to build a strong local user group and are looking forward to being involved in the NESEA community going forward.

Energy, CO2, and Embodied Carbon - how the AEC industry can turn buildings into carbon sinks

Michelle Apigian (ICON Arcitecture) and James Petersen (Petersen Engineering) opened the Keynote session ‘Carbon Drawdown Now! Turning Buildings into Carbon Sinks‘ presented by Chris Magwood (Endeavour Centre), Ace McArleton & Jacob Racusin (New Frameworks). The keynote focussed on how buildings have the potential to become the world’s fifth largest carbon sink, rather than a leading emitter and how the work of the AEC industry is essential for climate justice and social equity.

Free Tas academic licenses

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Academic Announcement

EDSL Tas - Free Academic Licenses

EDSL is committed to supporting the academic community and expanding the opportunities available to students and faculty alike. As such, we are pleased to announce that we offer Universities our Tas Engineering thermal dynamic simulation software free of charge to instructors and students. To further support instructors, EDSL will also offer no-cost training and support for course lecturers and teaching assistants.

Academic programs involving environmental or mechanical engineering, architecture, sustainability, building services, or another related field can benefit from Tas Engineering.   It simulates an array of environmental and systems design factors including daylight, natural ventilation, HVAC systems, and climate based daylight modeling. 

Tas in the Classroom

Tas is well suited for learning.  Students and teachers can focus less on working around software limitations and more on describing designs, systems, and their components easily, accurately, and clearly.

With the ability to generate and simulate models quickly and easily, it reduces the friction typically associated with preparing geometry and other data for simulation.

The Results Viewer tool combines and displays results in an integrated environment, making it easier to understand relationships among multiple design factors and their ramifications.

It supports highly granular data input and output, enabling students to investigate thoroughly, and minimizes any ‘blackbox’ circumstances in which assumptions and methodologies are not clearly understood.

The fully-featured Systems module combines diagrammatic-level equipment and system definition with the full flexibility of a component-based design tool.

An array of ASHRAE, COMNET, and NCM(UK) database resources are included, containing constructions, calendars, internal conditions, and weather files.  Together, they serve as an extensible library of components and conditions for students to utilize confidently.  Custom resources can be created for more focused areas of study.

Testimonials

Testimonials from early-adopter students and graduates with backgrounds in Mechanical Engineering and Building Performance: 

“Tas Engineering software is a great platform for students to explore the world of simulation of buildings and further enhance their building physics knowledge along with understanding the simulation outputs generated.”

“During my curriculum for 2 years at University, I have been exposed to various simulation software packages, which all had different user interfaces and calculation methods. The interface that Tas Engineering provides is very user friendly and as a student it was one of the easiest softwares for me to learn.”

“All modules had in-built tutorial videos which makes it easier for me to troubleshoot problems.”

“I first used Tas when I started my career in the HVAC industry. The Systems module was a great way for me to learn how components are arranged in a system and how they all interact with each other. Creating schematic layouts with custom systems in Tas was a great learning tool and it helped further my understanding of different system types and arrangements.”

“As a student, I would strongly recommend young individuals to use Tas Engineering and enhance their skills.”

Terms and Conditions

The software is to be used for educational purposes only, commercial use will require a paid license.

Typical educational license duration is one semester, and maximum duration is one year.  Alternative terms will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  Licenses are renewable upon request with verified academic credentials.

Instructor-assisted training will be provided at no cost to lecturer(s) and/or teaching assistants of courses relating to environmental or mechanical engineering, architecture, sustainability, building services, or another related field.  Lecturers and/or TAs will be responsible for supporting their students with technical issues. 

Students will have access to the Tas training material, available for download at edsltas.com and as part of the Tas installation.  If instructor-assisted training for students is desired, it will be offered at a discounted rate.