Just received an email about a new tool that may be helpful for teams pursuing this credit:
The Center for the Built Environment has developed a web-based thermal comfort tool, which is now available for use: http://cbe.berkeley.edu/comforttool/. This free online tool is useful for performing and visualizing comfort calculations according to ASHRAE Standard 55-2010. The tool has been validated against the official ASHRAE Thermal Comfort tool. The tool could be used for design, research and teaching. The tool works in Firefox, Chrome and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported.
Lavanya Veerappa
MsLEAD Consultancy & Engineering services
7 thumbs up
February 7, 2013 - 2:08 am
Hi Christopher,
The link is not opening in chrome & firefox. Any other link to access this tool ?
Nowfal Kunju Muhammed
Energy EngineerMiddle East Centre for Sustainable Development
26 thumbs up
February 10, 2013 - 1:08 am
Is it applicable for only naturally conditioned spaces?
Courtney Royal
Sr. Sustainability ConsultantTaitem Engineering
50 thumbs up
March 29, 2018 - 10:40 am
I have been using this tool with great luck over the years and went to use it again today for a project, and it seems not available anymore. I can't find the link in many of my searches. Do you know if this tool still exists? If not, what other tools are available to document EAc7.1, Thermal Design. I've always counted on using this tool. Thanks!
Lindsay Austrom
Mechanical EngineerStantec
21 thumbs up
March 29, 2018 - 10:57 am
Here is a link: https://www.cbe.berkeley.edu/research/thermal-tool.htm
I just tried it and the CBE thermal comfort tool link seems to be down. My guess is that it is only a temporary error. ASHRAE Standard 55 itself refers to this tool, so I doubt that it would be permanently unavailable. You could reach out to the Center directly:
Stefano Schiavon
Associate Professor of Architecture
schiavon@berkeley.edu
Anthony Hardman
Building Performance AnalystThe Green Engineer
16 thumbs up
March 29, 2018 - 11:49 am
And therein lies the downside of free tools. ASHRAE used to have a desktop application that was $50-100 but after thorough searching I can't even find that anymore. It's probably worth reaching out to the ASHRAE 55 project committee to see what happened to the ASHRAE tool: http://sspc55.ashraepcs.org/
Courtney Royal
Sr. Sustainability ConsultantTaitem Engineering
50 thumbs up
March 30, 2018 - 10:53 am
The tool, http://comfort.cbe.berkeley.edu/, is now working as of late yesterday afternoon!!!!