Integrated Environmental Solutions announces the release of its new cloud service, ERGON designed to enable users of its Virtual Environment (VE) technology to import, manage and interrogate real building profiles or schedules and use them in VE simulations.

Integrated Environmental Solutions’ VE users can use the ERGON tool to utilise measured data from the actual building being investigated to create profiles that enhance model calibration or use normalised benchmark data from other buildings of its type. Such profiles can be used to improve building operational performance and help close the performance gap by bringing design models closer to reality.

Key benefits of ERGON include closing the performance gap and simulating closer to reality; improving operational models for retrofit and performance contracting; simulating buildings using real metered data, down to 1-minute time-steps; delivering Soft Landing and undertaking Post Occupancy Evaluations; and providing next generation M&V using enhanced energy model calibration and monitoring based commissioning required by LEED V4.

IES recently hosted a Faculty event in London on the topic of closing the performance gap. Niall Gibson, Business Development Manager, IES and a speaker at the event, observed that the ability to use real building data at the operational and design stage was a real leap forward because there was no longer any need to rely on NCM profiles.

According to Gibson, ERGON is essentially the introduction of a new fifth model category, the Enhanced Operational Model, which automates much of the processes involved in the earlier Operational model including site visits and laborious data analysis, and allows a much more efficient and effective workflow.

IES Founder and MD, Don McLean comments that ERGON allows practitioners to take an integrated approach throughout the whole building lifecycle. Designers can now use real building data to enhance the calibration of operational models and make more accurate decisions about possible impacts and returns of different retrofit options.

ERGON Getting Started training webinars take users on a tour of ERGON, showing them the functionality scope and how the tool integrates with the VE to offer them powerful enhanced calibration on design and operational models. Places for the webinar on Monday 10th November can be booked via the IES website.