The new Thermal Bridging capability in the VE enables engineers to easily model bridges using Psi and Chi values alongside existing methods. This supports the delivery of higher-fidelity energy calculations that close the performance gap, streamlined compliance with global codes like NECB, ASHRAE 90.1, and UK Part L, and supports the design of truly low-energy, high-performance buildings.

• Two new options to assess thermal bridging with Psi/Chi values and Y-values, alongside the existing composite layer methods, giving consultants the flexibility to test which approach works best.
• Quickly evaluate design options to reveal sensitivity to thermal bridging requirements and standards.
• Supports passive design and advanced low-energy building design.
• Eliminates tedious manual thermal bridge data entry and calculation.
• Rapidly assign data for linear non-repeating and random area, linear, and point bridges, with default data sets included.
• Flexible workflows integration for quick addition and removal of detailed thermal bridge data.
• Save time with construction-based data entry and instant automatic identification of non-repeating linear thermal bridging from geometry.
• Comprehensive reporting and export capabilities, allowing users to both aggregate totals and drill down into rooms & surfaces as needed.
• Provides clear model visualisation tools to communicate bridging impacts with clients and teams.
• Powered by enhancements to IES’s APACHE engine for a true physics-based representation.

Enhancements have been made to our Parametric Simulation capabilities, which enable rapid, flexible early-stage or retrofit evaluations, from single-variable design studies to multi-parameter whole-building analyses where speed and agility are critical.

New parameters include Location and Envelope Templates, enabling the same geometry to be assessed across multiple locations and providing more control over construction variations for faster regional design testing. 

Complete construction make ups can now be grouped together, considered across multiple locations and easily swapped in and out, dramatically reducing the parametric load and number of permutations needed.

Upgraded results outputs provide deeper insights, with new variables added to the interactive parallel coordinate plot visualisation:

• New Domestic Hot Water (DHW) outputs for electricity and gas.
• New Thermal Energy Demand Intensity (TEDI) output, a key performance metric for Canadian energy codes delivering regional compliance support.

In addition, the Armstrong® Templok® Ultima PCM ceiling tile has been integrated into Parametric Simulation to enable rapid testing of PCM design scenarios, evaluating different iterations of coverage levels, HVAC strategies, and control settings to optimise energy savings, comfort, and system performance.

Following the integration of Armstrong® Templok Ceilings® tiles as part of VE 2025, this release integrates modelling of the new Ultima Templok® tile into the VE. It also enhances workflow automation and usability, streamlining assignment to ceiling surfaces and improving analysis efficiency. These updates strengthen IESVE’s exclusive capability to simulate performance of Armstrong’s PCM ceiling systems, helping users model innovative material, and design more comfortable, energy-efficient buildings.

• IES’s APACHE engine has been enhanced to dynamically simulate Templok Ceilings® tiles, accurately capturing their heat absorption and release cycles at each time step. This integration enables true physics-based modelling of passive thermal storage, improving prediction of indoor comfort, HVAC performance, and overall building energy efficiency.
• IESVE now integrates Templok® seamlessly into the VE Start Page, the Schematic Geometry Wizard, and Storey tools, to automate PCM assignment and reduce setup and analysis time on both new and existing projects.
• Enhancements have also been made to improve the user experience:
  • Smoother, more intuitive modelling process with built-in automation and multiple quality-of-life enhancements.
  • When a Templok® tile is applied to a ceiling surface, the corresponding acoustic tile is automatically assigned, streamlining set up into one step.
  • The User Guide offers detailed instructions for selecting and customising PCM tiles and associated systems to suit various project requirements.

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IES continues to invest, alongside its partner product manufacturers, in continuously updating its system component solutions to reflect changes in technology and accommodate new ones.

• New HVR Zero APX MINI component added to library for easy assignment, complete with integrated ApacheHVAC system

Sophisticated HARC modelling has now been made simple within IESVE, delivering simple and intuitive advanced capabilities out of the box, without the need for coding or complex workarounds. IESVE is the only tool that accurately models HARC with advanced control logic, automatically understanding when it will switch between heat acquisition and rejection modes to reflect real building operations.

• Extend heat recovery chiller operation to more hours of the year, unlocking significant energy savings in complex facilities like hospitals and laboratories, and support decarbonisation efforts.
• Powered by significant investment and expertise, including major upgrades to our APACHE engine, ensuring robust, flexible and future-ready modelling for advanced users.
• Informed by best practice from top engineering firms and direct user feedback, ensuring it fits seamlessly into real-world workflows whilst delivering practical value.
• Allows engineers to experiment with control strategies, coil sizing, flow rates, and temperature differentials to determine whether the technology fits their project and how to optimise its performance.
• Empowers users to validate HARC technology on buildings, experiment with design parameters, and optimise system sizing before construction, reducing risk and potential costs.
• HARC technology can deliver substantial energy and cost savings in suitable buildings, with the potential to reduce large electric bills by up to 10% annually.

Upgrades have been made to the chilled water loop as a direct response to customer feedback and industry requirements. The upgraded chilled water loop now delivers the same advanced input and visualisation capabilities as the hot water loop, streamlining your modelling workflow and delivering the same user experience.

• Effortlessly represent fluctuating Scheduled Loads on the chilled water loop using real data or peak load design values, enabling more accurate and adaptable system designs for your unique project.
• Addresses real-world challenges in central plant and data centre modelling.
• Efficiently model loads from multiple buildings or facilities without the need to create separate models for each saving you significant time and effort on complex central plant projects.
• Directly represent fluid cooling loads and utilisation profiles for data centres and server rooms, empowering you to perform precise, high-impact chilled water loop analyses for these critical environments.

This new plenum feature introduces significant workflow improvements during room loads analysis, allowing users to more accurately account for temperature in the plenum during unoccupied periods, when looking at airside HVAC systems.

• Gain precise control over plenum temperature during unoccupied periods, resulting in more accurate loads and system sizing calculations for your projects.
• Improves the accuracy of calculations while eliminating the need for workarounds and manual fixes, so users can focus on delivering value, not troubleshooting software limitations.
• Users now have control to set the temperature offset in the plenum relative to the rooms it serves during system operation hours in the room load calculations to allow more accurate loads.
• Flexible scheduling options enable users to specify when temperature offsets are needed, mirroring actual HVAC system behaviour and enhancing the fidelity of models.
• Addresses previous compliance and modelling challenges (such as those encountered with Canadian and Title 24 standards) by allowing more precise control over plenum conditions, minimizing risk of errors and improving accuracy.
• Offers a level of control and accuracy in loads analysis that is not standard in the industry.

IESVE already delivers the most comprehensive set of global building energy regulation, code and rating system compliance solutions within any dynamic simulation modelling tool. With the addition of Gibraltar, IES bolsters its coverage, reducing the number of tools users need to invest in, whilst saving significant modelling time.

• Within Gibraltar IESVE delivers an alternative dynamic simulation route to Part F compliance for Compliance document and EPC generation that allows designers in the region to model and show compliance on buildings where sophisticated architecture, layouts, systems, controls, or renewable generation are utilised.
• Such approaches are needed to achieve low carbon building design in Gibraltar’s Mediterranean climate, which is one of Europe’s most space-constrained and air conditioning reliant nations.
• IESVE allows for automated compliance calculations and quicker assessments, which help both the Gibraltar government and industry professionals manage the complexity of building energy regulations effectively.
• IES is the only software company to work directly with national and local governments, including Gibraltar, on energy compliance solutions for buildings.

Create accurate polynomial curve coefficients sets for central plant heat pumps using real-world data, perfectly mapped to IESVE’s ApacheHVAC interface for seamless integration and superior results.

• Effortlessly convert manufacturer “cut sheet” data into accurate polynomial curve coefficients for Apache HVAC, ensuring your simulations reflect the true performance of the heat pumps you specify.
• Benefit from clear, colour-coded guidance that shows exactly where to input values in IESVE, making the modelling process transparent and easy.
• Instantly compare and validate the spreadsheet’s curve outputs with your original manufacturer data side-by-side, giving you confidence in the accuracy and reliability of your models.

Since the release of VE 2025 in June 2025, over 20 new tools have been added to IES’s content store. 15 of these come directly from IES, with a further 6 from Zero Build and 2 from ZeroEnvy.

The IES Content Store provides a valuable collection of custom-generated resources that help IESVE users work smarter, stay competitive, and maximise productivity. It also brings together our global VE community, sharing real-world tools created by users worldwide. 

It’s a space to learn, accelerate your own projects, and contribute to the collective expertise. The Content Store offers an opportunity to generate revenue by publishing and selling your own high-quality resources to the wider IESVE community. By contributing your expertise, you can accelerate industry innovation while creating value for both your peers and your business. 

Got something to share? We’d love to feature your work. 

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IES has an ongoing commitment to improving and investing in its software with the goal of enabling energy modellers to make informed design decisions. IESVE 2025 responds to key customer feedback with updates to the VE Python API, a tool that empowers users by automating the process of harvesting input and reporting data direct from the VE and enabling bespoke post processing and report creation. In addition, modellers can benefit from improved software performance during the geometry modelling process through fundamental changes to the ModelIT framework within IESVE 2025.

• Within ModelIT the performance of important functions (such as undo, storey creator, rotate object) have been optimised. This saves users valuable time when undertaking model creation and design iteration processes, which can be some of the most time consuming aspects of analysis.
• The VE Python API has been updated to Python version 3.12.3 (2024) delivering a wider range of script content and features, and access to new 3rd party modules and libraries, via the built-in VE Script Python Editor. This unlocks up to date script tools and better presentation of outputs and reports. 
• VE Python API capabilities have been extended in recent years to allow access to detailed model data and in particular the full range of ApacheHVAC system information. Further updates now allow for Thermal Comfort metrics to be extracted from simulation results.
• Users not familiar with Python Scripting, can still access the capabilities via the VE Navigator sample scripts, or free downloadable scripts within the Content Store. IESVE 2025 updates are in part due to collaboration between the IESVE API development team and 3rd party script writers, enabling IES to deliver tools that are a perfect fit for modellers in the industry.
•  Find out more in the VE Tech Tips - Using Python within the VE.