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IES VE 2026 has been built on a straightforward premise, the platform removes friction from the key building performance and HVAC design workflows that matter most, without ever compromising the physics behind the results.
Shaped directly by user feedback and built on the simulation engine engineers already trust, this release moves across four distinct fronts: HVAC design, data centre modelling, compliance, and BIM-to-BEM interoperability. It’s about delivering tools that help you get from geometry to defensible results faster, with greater confidence at every stage.
A dedicated workflow for the Mechanical Engineer
The new HVAC Design Navigator is the most significant workflow change in this release. It's a guided, end-to-end sequence that takes engineers from fully formed geometry to sized equipment and defensible reporting in around an hour, consolidating key VE and ApacheHVAC tasks into a single flow, with clear outputs at each stage confirming you're on track.
The Navigator addresses key friction points that have historically added time for mechanical engineers working on HVAC loads and sizing and who don’t need to run full whole-building energy models. Phase 1 of a new Zone Manager eases room-to-zone assignment with auto-creation and zone visualisation. HVAC sizing preferences and defaults have been decoupled from performance simulation ones. And an updated, consolidated ASHRAE 90.1, 62.1, and 55 reference database means you start every project with accurate reference data, not a manual data task. While climate filtered constructions mean you only see templates relevant to your project location.
Tabular editing for room-unit controllers rounds out the HVAC design improvements. Radiators, radiant panels, chilled ceiling panels, and direct-acting heaters and coolers can now be reviewed and edited in bulk across multiple rooms at once, replacing one-by-one editing with a spreadsheet-style interface. Meaning that on heat pump conversions and decarbonisation retrofits, where controller counts run high, this represents a significant time saving on its own.
Unique Data Centre Premium Feature: liquid and hybrid cooling
As AI workloads push data centre thermal densities beyond what air cooling alone can handle, the industry is moving fast toward liquid and hybrid strategies. IES VE 2026 is first-to-market with the only dynamic simulation solution that can model these directly. A new Premium Feature, powered by ApacheHVAC, enables modelling of strategies including direct-to-chip, sidewall, rear-door, immersion tank, and top-of-rack fan. So engineers can assess thermal, power, and cooling performance hourly across the full year, under real-world and future climate scenarios.
A new Server Rack component connects directly to a building's chilled-water loop through a heat exchanger, coolant distribution unit, and fluid pump, with support for non-water and glycol coolants and configurable fluid properties. New data centre thermal templates are aligned to ASHRAE 90.1 and 90.4, keeping analysis consistent with the standards these projects are already designed to. For engineers working on the global data centre construction and retrofit boom, this is a new Premium Feature which no other simulation platform currently offers. Customers can also add-on in-depth upskilling and consulting support from our professional services team too.
Compliance coverage that keeps pace with the codes
IESVE remains the only non-government software approved for regulatory compliance in California (Title 24), New York (ECCCNYS), and Florida. VE 2026 builds on that foundation with a series of targeted updates that keep compliance checking current without requiring engineers to reach for additional tools. This is mirrored across the globe with compliance driven tools that keep pace with the fast-moving global regulatory landscape.
A new dedicated Ventilation tab brings all ventilation inputs into a single, central home. And it’s updated to cover ASHRAE 62.1 (2019, 2022, and 2025 editions) and ASHRAE 170 (2017, 2021, and 2025 editions), with a new simplified Ventilation Rate Procedure option, automatic air-density correction by altitude, and a standardised ASHRAE ventilation report available in HTML, PDF, and spreadsheet formats.
CIBSE TM59:2026 overheating assessment has been added as a simple Content Store download, with no software upgrade required. A guided, stage-by-stage Navigator with premade templates, automated room-group creation, and a dedicated analysis dialog produces a client-ready PDF report covering Approved Document O requirements, with all templates and profiles fully editable.
Connecting IES and Revit: IES Sync for Revit, new product coming soon
Launching at Autodesk University from 15-17th September 2026, IES Sync for Revit is the first step in a connected IES ecosystem that brings Revit models and IES VE workflows together without manual geometry rework. Built on a shared intelligence layer native to IES, Version 1 covers geometry import including voids and air plenums, with clear model review and validation. While Version 2 will add the ability to transfer energy-relevant data such as constructions and materials.
For teams working across both platforms, the promise is straightforward: less time recreating geometry, more time on the analysis that adds value.
Parametric Simulation and Python Scripting: fewer risks, more control
Parametric simulation has been updated to protect your base model with an automatic backup before each run, allow permutations to be previewed and exported to Excel before committing, and return partial results if a run fails partway through. Reports now clearly show which study they relate to, and generate even when a permutation fails or a study is cancelled, so a lost batch no longer means starting over.
Python Scripting has been upgraded to V3.13.12, with all existing Content Store re-tested so existing code continues to run unchanged. Built-in type hints catch errors before code runs, and a growing Content Store of ready-to-use Python tools, including a new Waterside Heat Recovery Analysis Report and an Hourly Profiles Import tool, can be installed directly without any scripting required.
Download IES VE 2026 now, or request a free trial to see the new workflows in action.
