Gary Lewis - VP of Energy Support Training

Elite Software Development of College Station, TX has announced Gary Lewis as its new vicepresident of Energy Support Training. As national sales and training manager, John Walsh continues to provide general software training, while Lewis will specialize in providing training for those companies wanting to expand into the growing market of home energy surveys, ratings and audits.

There are a myriad of new certifications available, such as Home Energy Survey Professional, Home Energy Rater, Energy Star, Home Star, and BPI certified professional. These certifications involve such organizations as Building Performance Institute, RESNET, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Obtaining such certification allows an HVAC professional to provide more services in conjunction with the ones he already provides. For example, an HVAC contractor that already does the work needed to perform a load calculation can use that same work and information to create a home energy survey and get paid for doing that. With just a little bit more work, that same contractor can earn even more by providing a certified home energy-rating certificate. All of the available certifications increase the earning potential of an HVAC professional. And this is not to mention the edge they give when homeowners decide whom to use for HVAC services.

Navigating these various certifications and deciding which is best for you can be a daunting task. Moreover, obtaining certifications involves training and passing certification tests. Fortunately, Gary Lewis is an expert in this field, and is certified with all the various organizations. Lewis can advise an HVAC professional on the most appropriate certification for his goals, and the fastest and most efficient path towards achieving that certification.

Elite Software users have a special advantage towards profiting from advanced certifications. Elite Software programs such as Rhvac and Drawing Board organize the data that is needed for the various rating reports, and also link to other specialized rating software such as REM/Rate, EnergyGauge, and EnergyPro. It is much easier for an Elite Software user to create energy reports than it is for certified professionals who must start from scratch.

In conjunction with Bulls Eye Energy Solutions http://energyratercourses.com and AHERO http://www.aheroinc.com, Gary offers a number of training options for obtaining energy certifications and for using Elite Software programs to best advantage in performing the tasks needed to generate ratings certificates. Boosting your business with advanced certifications is easier than you think. See a training schedule here: http://www.elitesoft.com/web/training/welcome.html#greenenergysolutions, and call Gary Lewis at 832-795-1003, or visit http://www.bestges.com for more information on obtaining certifications and training.

back to top

Rhvac 9 - Manual D Duct Sizing, Equipment Selection and Proposals

Rhvac is Elite Software's best selling program, as it does ACCA approved Manual J 8th edition HVAC load calculations, Manual D duct sizing, equipment selections, nice sales proposals, and much more. The new version 9 of Rhvac includes the following powerful new features that were not in version 8.

• Tabular Manual D Ductsize window: This new window lets you design a duct system using a new, easy-to-use interface that lets you lay your ducts out in a tree outline format. This window is by far our easiest to use duct design interface yet.

• Export to EnergyPro: Export a project file to this powerful energy analysis software, which you can purchase from Elite Software. Read more about EnergyPro here.

• ACCA Design Review Form data saved in project and printed on form: Saves you from having to fill out the form by hand if your local authorities are requiring you to provide this form.

• Saves multiple items of sensible and latent equipment loads for each room: Lets you precisely account for internal equipment loads such as kitchen appliances, electronics, etc.. Lets you choose from a list of equipment items from Manual J's Table 6B or enter your own. The Detailed Room Loads report now includes a new section that shows the gains from each piece of equipment you entered.

• Hourly Room Net Gain report: Helps you in deciding how to assign rooms to zones, since it shows times when rooms peak.

• Clg & Htg % of total for zones on Load Preview: Helps you determine requirements for zoning equipment in multizone systems.

• Each material (floors, etc.) per room count at least doubled (40 each now): More of each kind of material per room makes doing a whole house load easier, for houses with a lot of different windows or multiple wall sections.

• Copy GPD items individually rather than all or nothing when starting a new project or importing: Makes it so you can more precisely pull data from your other existing projects when starting a new project.

• Material descriptions saved in project file: The description of each material used in a project is saved within the project file itself, so when you open a project that has custom materials that was entered on another computer that does not have your list of custom materials the custom materials' descriptions still show up in the reports.

• Sloped Ceiling Area Calculator: Determines the area of a room's sloped ceiling by letting you enter just a few dimensions.

The new tabular Manual D Ductsize window built into Rhvac 9 is not to be confused with the Drawing Board based Graphic Manual D Ductsize module. The built-in tabular Manual D Ductsize Window differs from the graphic Manual D Ductsize (MDD) module ($249) in that it only calculates from a tabular manual data entry system, whereas MDD calculates from drawings made with Elite's Drawing Board program.

Both of these Manual D tools let you calculate the total duct system pressure drop, accounting for all duct and fitting losses. Optimal sizes of each duct section are calculated as well. Compare the two in the image below:

In the illustration above, the left side of the image shows an example of the “explorer tree” style of data entry used by the new Tabular Manual Ductsize window. The right side of the image is an example of how a duct system can be drawn using the Drawing Board and Graphic Manual Ductsize modules that can be purchased for use with Rhvac.

Both Manual J and Manual S are now included in the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC). Chapter 14 of the IRC, Heating and Cooling Equipment: M1401.3 Sizing. Heating and cooling equipment shall be sized in accordance with ACCA Manual S based on building loads calculated with ACCA Manual J or other approved heating and cooling methodologies. Rhvac 9 includes a report allowing you to certify that the equipment was selected per Manual S.

With Manual J load calcs, Manual D duct sizing, equipment selection, and basic sales proposals, Rhvac 9 is a tremendous value at $495. The cost to update to Rhvac 9 for existing Rhvac 8 users depends on how long you have owned Rhvac 8 and how long before you wait to buy the Rhvac 9 update, as explained in the chart below. Order your Rhvac 9 update today!

To purchase your upgrade to Rhvac 9, please call our order line at 800-648-9523, or order in our online store here.

back to top

EnergyPro - World Class Building Energy Analysis Software

EnergyPro is a comprehensive residential and non-residential building energy analysis software package. The software allows for entry of any type of building and for virtually all types of cooling and heating equipment, including variable refrigerant flow technology. Along with HVAC operating costs, EnergyPro also calculates miscellaneous building energy uses such as outdoor lighting, domestic hot water, pumps, and more. There are 14 EnergyPro software modules that can be combined in any way desired to meet your building modeling and reporting needs.

EnergyPro has evolved for over 25 years. The non-residential modules are based on the U.S. Department of Energy software known as DOE-2.1e. The residential modules of EnergyPro are uniquely developed according to the California Energy Commission’s  Cal-Res procedures. As such, EnergyPro is much more than a personal computer version of the original DOE-2 mainframe computer software. EnergyPro has a modern Windows interface and many more features, reports, and modeling capabilities than the original DOE software.

The state of California has long been a leader in requiring energy efficient buildings. The California building efficiency requirements were codified into many documents under Title 24. EnergyPro was born from the need for designers to have a simple way of using desktop computers to comply with all the special building modeling and reporting required under Title 24. As you review the 14 EnergyPro modules, you will note that seven of those modules specifically address Title 24 requirements. For California designers, those seven modules are an invaluable aid.

The other seven EnergyPro modules are more generic in nature and are useful to designers all around the world. These include modules for ASHRAE 90.1 and LEED EAc1 compliance, and for general building performance and operating costs. Even some of the California specific modules, such as for prescriptive building envelope and indoor and outdoor lighting analysis, can be useful to non-California designers.

Elite’s Rhvac program links to EnergyPro, and its Chvac program will soon link to EnergyPro as well. Elite’s peak HVAC load calculation programs and EnergyPro make for an awesome set of building design and energy analysis tools.

See complete descriptions of each of the EnergyPro modules here. Download a demo of EnergyPro and see for yourself all the EnergyPro capabilities.

back to top

Trade Show News

2011 HVAC Comfortech in Indianapolis, Indiana

Make room on your calendar for September 21-23, 2011 for attending the Comfortech HVAC trade show in Indianapolis. Comfortech is a much smaller HVAC show than the AHRI show, but it is much more focused on residential and light commercial applications. See the latest developments in HVAC technology, including programs from Elite Software.

back to top

Facebook and Twitter

You can now follow Elite Software on Facebook and Twitter.

back to top

Lots of Free Software Updates

Numerous Elite Software programs have received incremental updates that current users of the software can download for free from Elite's web site. Programs that have received significant free corrections and enhancements include Rhvac, Chvac, Drawing Board, Refrig, Energy Audit, Fire, and E-Tools. Many other programs have received small updates as well, so please check your version numbers against the current program versions numbers. You can check version numbers and download free updates from our program updates web page.

Notice that you can sign up to be automatically notified when your programs are updated.

back to top