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UK Certification SBEM and DSM Training and Exams

DesignBuilder's UK Certification (SBEM and DSM) tools

DesignBuilder combines both SBEM and DSM in the same version, making it fast and easy to switch between SBEM and DSM for all forms of UK certification. DesignBuilder's SBEM and DSM interfaces are fully interoperable with our EnergyPlus interface, meaning that you can simply “flip modes” and use the same base model for all forms of UK compliance modelling, including SBEM, DSM, MEES, BREEAM, TM52, TM59 etc., as well as for design and detailed analysis.

We are currently offering online training at a reduced rate for June only, so we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment.

Further details of our next online SBEM and DSM courses and the DSM exam can be found below.

DesignBuilder SBEM for UK Certification Training

This 1-day DesignBuilder course will teach you how to use DesignBuilder’s UK certification interface to improve your productivity when producing EPCs and Building Regulations compliance documents.

The course is suitable for existing energy assessors familiar with other SBEM or DSM tools but new to DesignBuilder, as well as those looking to enhance existing DesignBuilder skills. It is also suitable for non-accredited assessors producing Building Regulations compliance documents. The course will introduce the fundamentals of the UK certification interface using SBEM. The DesignBuilder SBEM and DSM interfaces are almost identical therefore the Day 1 introduction training using the SBEM interface also provides the foundation to attend the Day 2 DSM “top-up” course which focuses only on aspects that are specific to DSM calculations. The Certification Day 1 training will include:

  • Introduction to DesignBuilder UK Certification: learn how DesignBuilder can simplify and speed up the modelling process, making you more productive.
  • Model geometry made easy: learn how to import floor plans plus a brief model geometry re-cap with “top tips” to aid efficient workflow.
  • Faster model data input: learn how DesignBuilder’s industry-leading data management system can save you time and reduce the number of errors in your modelling.
  • QA and data-checking your model: learn why many of the accreditation schemes like DesignBuilder, and how using it can reduce audit failures compared to iSBEM and similar tools.
  • The training will include the latest DesignBuilder features such as the new QA-checking tools and new flexible ways to edit glazing such as stretch and rotate tools that allow existing openings to be easily modified.

The training is designed to teach you how to use DesignBuilder for UK Certification via the SBEM interface, and is a necessary pre-cursor to the 1-day DSM training for those new to DesignBuilder Certification. It will take you through the process of creating a model from start to finish by first defining the model geometry and then inputting data to produce EPCs and Building Regulations compliance documents.

This course includes free online preparatory training and a free 30-day DesignBuilder education licence that will enable you to practise and consolidate your learning using the material provided on the course. The course and tutorials are part of an integrated training approach, which also includes a comprehensive user training manual and help system, meaning you can quickly learn to use DesignBuilder at minimum cost. The course is open to members of any accreditation scheme and will qualify for 7 hours of CPD.

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10th June 2020 SBEM Online Training £ 125.00 Add to order



DesignBuilder DSM for UK Certification Training

The DesignBuilder DSM interface can be used by appropriately qualified and accredited energy assessors to certify Level 3, 4 and 5 buildings in England, Wales and Scotland. The DSM training is a 1-day “top-up” course that covers all of the essential information relating to the DesignBuilder DSM UK Certification interface when in “DSM mode”.

DSM training course content:

During the DSM training you will build on the knowledge gained on the DesignBuilder SBEM for UK Certification introduction course and cover all of the essential information required to quickly and efficiently produce accurate certification outputs such as EPCs and BRUKL documents. During the training you will model a building from beginning to end, and cover the essential information relating to each aspect of the model at the relevant point in the modelling process. The training will also include QA-checking tools and flexible ways to edit glazing such as stretch and rotate tools that allow existing openings to be easily modified. The DSM training course will include:

  • Introduction to the DSM interface and user manual
  • Outline main DSM advantages over SBEM, such as more accurate modelling of geometry, daylighting, PV, solar gain and shading and climate.
  • Key differences between the SBEM and DSM UK certification interfaces.
  • Learn how to “flip modes” to enable you to generate outputs from the same model using either SBEM, DSM or EnergyPlus for more detailed analysis.
  • Using one model for multiple analysis types, including for example simulations for BREEAM credits or generating TM52 or TM59 outputs for overheating analysis.
  • QA and data-checking, producing and lodging output documents.
  • Questions.
  • During the day you will create a DSM model “from scratch”, review the main inputs specific to DSM and run EPC and BRUKL calculations.

The DSM training is an essential requirement prior to taking the DesignBuilder DSM exam. For new customers i.e. those that do not yet have the licences required to use the DSM interface, a free licence will be provided to enable you to complete the training and exam. The course is open to members of any accreditation scheme and will qualify for 7 hours of CPD.

DSM training pre-requisites

Prior to attending the DSM training course you must either have previously completed the 1-day DesignBuilder SBEM course, or you must have sufficient experience using DesignBuilder to certify UK buildings and be intimately familiar with the DesignBuilder SBEM training manual. Without that foundation you will not have sufficient knowledge to attend the DSM training. If you have not attended the introduction course (DesignBuilder SBEM), but have certified a minimum of 10 buildings using DesignBuilder, and are intimately familiar with the DesignBuilder SBEM training manual, then we will allow you to “self-certify”. Please do not book yourself on the DSM training without this knowledge, as it will be detrimental to you and to the other delegates and trainers.

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11th June 2020 SBEM Online Training £ 200.00 Add to order


DesignBuilder DSM Exam

Please note that due to the current pandemic we can only run DSM exams on an individual basis at our office in Stroud. All current COVID-19 guidance will be in followed and appropriate precautions will be in place for those people needing to complete a DSM exam before we start running public exams again for larger groups.

The National Occupational Standard (NOS) for Level 5 assessors requires assessors to pass an exam in their selected DSM software tool before it can be used to certify a building. The DesignBuilder DSM exam tests a candidate’s knowledge only on the DSM interface (not Regulations and NDEPC Conventions) and should be straightforward for suitably experienced DesignBuilder SBEM users who have completed the DSM training.

The open-book exam is 3 hours long and has two parts. The first part involves answering questions on essential information relating to the DesignBuilder DSM interface (covered in the training and DSM user manual), and the second part involves modelling a building with NOS Level 5 features and producing EPC and BRUKL outputs. The training material and DSM manual can be used during all parts of the exam.

On successful completion of the DSM exam, candidates will be provided with a certificate which the assessor can send to their accreditation scheme to demonstrate competence in the DesignBuilder DSM software.

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Further information

For more information on the DSM or SBEM software, training and exams please contact DesignBuilder sales.For information on accreditation, please contact your accreditation scheme.

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  • "I have watched the steady progression of DesignBuilder for the last 10 years or so, and having seen recent improvements in DesignBuilder’s HVAC and LEED modeling I decided to attend their training. I was both surprised and pleased to find how easy to use DesignBuilder is compared to the other similar tools I’ve tried, especially given the power and flexibility offered by the underlying EnergyPlus, Radiance and CFD engines. I’m really pleased that after a week’s training I feel ready to produce accurate results and outputs for loads and sizing calculations and energy analysis. The ability to also undertake fully-integrated daylighting and CFD analysis from the same model you use for loads and thermal simulations is also a very big plus point."
    David Ellis PE, Virginia 22102, USA
  • " We have had a very positive experience with DesignBuilder this semester as it was the first year we shifted from our previous simulation software to DesignBuilder. Our students seem to spend less time on learning the software and more on actually understanding the results and being able to analyse them."
    Dr Shahaboddin Resalati - Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Architecture and Building Physics Architectural Engineering Group, School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University, UK
  • " The graphical user interface of DesignBuilder is comprehensive and intuitive, allowing us to model complex buildings simply and quickly. The data management structure (data hierarchy and inheritance) allows us to assign model data quickly and accurately, improving our efficiency. The power and flexibility of EnergyPlus, the underlying simulation engine, enables us to model a building in fine detail where required so that we can accurately analyse its performance. This is particularly helpful when calibrating the model with actual energy consumption to obtain a reliable close match when assessing potential improvements and energy conservation measures."
    Alessandro Righi, architect and researcher at IUAV - Laboratory technical physics
  • " We utilised DesignBuilder software to carry out detailed natural ventilation assessments on buildings at our UK gas plants in order to demonstrate compliance with hazardous area regulations. First of all I would like to praise the initial support received from DesignBuilder staff, who were extremely knowledgeable and provided a welcoming point of contact for support and advice. Having used the majority of the alternative building simulation software packages on the market, I found without a doubt DesignBuilder the most user friendly and enjoyable to use. The modelling program itself is fantastically simple allowing even complex buildings to be developed quickly and easily. The user interface of the calculation part of the software is well thought out and the results outputs are graphical and concise. Within a few hours I had got to grips with the software and obtained the results I desired. It has allowed Shell to present compliance to regulating authorities, who were also impressed with the visualisation displays and graphical outputs. I fully endorse DesignBuilder, and in particular how easy it was to learn and use compared to similar building simulation software on the market. "
    Iain Begg, Senior HVAC Engineer, Shell Projects and Technology Group, Aberdeen, Scotland
  • " DesignBuilder’s clear, well-structured layout and intuitive help system makes it a much simpler tool to learn and use, and compared to other simulation packages the creation of professional-looking geometry is much easier. The ease of use extends to other areas of the program such as thermal bridging analysis and setting up HVAC systems, and the capability to easily model adjacent ground conditions is very useful. A very important aspect of our work is optimisation, and DesignBuilder seems to be the only software that currently provides this functionality. We are encouraged that the development team have taken some of our functionality and user efficiency suggestions on board for the next release. We are already using DesignBuilder for research, and for the above reasons we think it is a tool that our students will find easier to use so we will be using it for teaching next academic year. "
    Professor Ljubomir Jankovic, Birmingham School of Architecture, Birmingham City University
  • " We decided to go out and measure some natural light levels in buildings that we have access to.... One building was our own office, and the other was a green building we worked on which will be tenanted in 2 weeks so we had a chance to take readings in the same environment for which we simulated. I am happy to say that the DesignBuilder results are very close to what we measured... What impresses me is that if we measure a value of 250 lux at 3m from the facade, DB returns similar values. This means that if we say that 40% of a building's usable area will have lux levels of 250 or above, then the measured results correlate with that. ... It certainly makes us confident in the results we give to clients."
    Warren Gray, Mechanical Engineer, Solid Green Consulting
  • " First of all I would like to thank you very much for the outstanding online training that you made possible for our team. I was very happy that we could join with three people in an online training that offered us as an outstanding value. ... The course with DesignBuilder is going very well and we have some great feedback from the students.... Your data entry GUI makes it easy for students not only to “accept defaults” but to experiment. In addition your online help is extremely thorough and you present not only the theoretical background but also offer great links to the reference. You might not realize what a powerful learning tool this is; but it is. We think you have created something very valuable and we are looking forward very much to where your company goes from here... Thanks again for your great support."
    Dr Manfred J. Zapka, University of Hawaii
  • " Gold stars all round .... Many thanks again for the high quality of customer service I receive from all at DesignBuilder, it is quite refreshing and a credit to your company."
    Mark O’Neill, DM Hall LLP, Glasgow, Scotland
  • "I worked with several building simulation applications and chose DesignBuilder because it had all the tools I needed in one place. It fitted well with the combined operational and embodied emissions objectives of my book, whilst squeezing every ‘gram’ of building performance through multi-objective optimisation."
    Prof Jankovic, Energy & Buildings, University of Salford, UK
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    Office D
    Five Valleys
    Stroud, Gloucs
    GL5 1RR
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  • +44 (0) 1453 755500
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