AccuRate V2.3.3.13 SP4 FAQ
TRAINING
INSTALLING ACCURATE
- Is there a trial version of AccuRate?
- How do I install AccuRate Sustainability?
- Can I install the software on a network server?
- How many installations are permitted?
- What are the system requirements and settings for AccuRate Sustainability?
- When installing AccuRate Sustainability why do I get a message “incorrect environment settings”, even though my language and region settings are set to English (Australia)?
USING ACCURATE
- How does a prospective assessor train in AccuRate?
- I've installed the custom windows libraries and the up-to-date version files but I don't see the files in the application. What can I check?
- I can't access AFRC Custom Roof Windows from the AccuRate library. What is missing?
- I can't access AFRC Custom Windows from the AccuRate library. What is missing?
- I have to scroll a lot within AccuRate Sustainability and/or some of the buttons are off the page. What can I do?
- How do I calculate limestone block for an external wall mass?
UPDATING ACCURATE
LICENCES AND SUPPORT
HSTAR WEB PORTAL
- Is there a quick way to create PDF certificate files?
- Instructions for using the HSTAR Multiple File Upload application for AccuRate Sustainability
- Summary Certificate Sort Logic
- How do I change AAO and Accreditation details in the Hstar web portal for AccuRate?
- I tried submitting an assessment and received this message“Missing Hstar web portal assessor email password”. Where is this entered in AccuRate?
GENERATING CERTIFICATES
- If my accreditation status in the H-star portal is entered correctly, why are my certificates showing as Non-Accredited?
- If projects are updated will the Summary Certificate update automatically and is there a fee charged?
- If downlights are included in the assessment, why are they not in the Universal Certificate?
- How are amendments made to the certificates in the portal?
- Why have we moved to a fee-per-certificate model?
- Do I need to pay each time I generate a certificate?
TECHNICAL ISSUES
VIDEO RESOURCES
BERS Pro v4.3.0.X FAQ
GENERAL
- Will BERS Pro 4.3 be backwards compatible?
- What is the difference between BERS4.2 and BERS4.3?
- Why are the previous projects simulation results still visible when starting a new project?
- How should I use the zone star ratings?
- We have a 20 storey residential building we need to be assessed, however, in the trial software I downloaded from your website the maximum number of floors is only 6. I'm wondering if it's possible to increase in the licensed version?
- Can I use the BERS logo on my letterhead?
INSTALLATION AND UPDATING
- Why is the Ethernet MAC address used for registration, I use Wi-Fi?
- What are the system requirements and settings for BERS?
- How do I access program updates?
- With which versions of Windows is BERS Pro currently compatible?
- For some reason the licence file you sent me was corrupted and just contains gibberish. Can you please resend it?
- Currently our office runs all our programs via a network server, can BERS support this kind of network installation?
COMPUTERS AND LICENCES
- What is the procedure to receive a free trial licence or to purchase a training or an academic licence?
- Will non-accredited assessors be able to renew with the new BERS release?
- In NSW it is a requirement under section 96 to update certain assessments for up to two years after planning approval using the original software version? Will that still be possible?
- What is the cost of the new licence?
- Where can I check my licence expiry for licence renewal?
- Does BERS software run on a Mac computer?
SIMULATION AND OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS
- How do I resolve phantom insulation data in the Universal Certificate and what are the causes?
- What are some of the maximums or limits in BERS Pro?
- Why can I see floor insulation in the Building Details report that I haven’t applied to the zone? How do I get rid of this phantom insulation?
- How can I resolve an I/O Error 32 or Height Above Ground Error when a level is lost?
- What causes an I/O error at cadtry.exe?
- The program opens up, however when you try and perform a function it freezes up the computer and you have to control alt delete to exit the program.
GENERAL DISPLAY PROBLEMS
BACKGROUND PLAN
- Is there a way to import a PDF as the background image?
- How do I use the new scaling tool?
- In conducting a rating I've added a lower floor. Then back to the ground floor, the background image was displayed as the new lower floor. I can't delete this image. As soon as I scroll back up or down the page it “repaints” the image. Can you help?
- I am currently unable to add a new level. When I import a level above (or below) the program just repeats the current level. I have tried turning off the computer and the program but to no avail. I was able to do this on previous occasions.
- How do I import background images into my program? I have TIFF images and I have moved some of them into the program but not all.
- My background images are missing. Where can I find them?
LOCATION OR CLIMATE
- Is it possible to extract a wind profile for a particular town or climate location from BERS?
- I am currently carrying out assessments in an area of new development and the postcode is not in the available list. What do I do?
- I have had trouble with the council not accepting the climate that is displayed on the certificate. Can you help?
- In modelling a 240sqm low set dwelling in the Brisbane climate, I achieved 6 stars with an insulated slab-on-ground (R1.0). Modelling the exact same dwelling but with NO insulation, a 6.5 star rating was achieved. Isn't insulation to the slab beneficial?
MODELLING BUILDING ELEMENTS
- Variable Slab Thickness Functionality Explained
- When I model a skillion roof that has different degree pitch in different rooms (i.e. 10 degrees and 25 degrees), it changes it for both rooms to the same number. Is there a setting I should be selecting so I can model them as different values?
- How would I model an In-Slab Heating System with BERS Pro?
- Instructions for modelling BERS Pro v4.3 Opaque Louvres
- Regarding the Maximum Ceiling Height setting requirement and given the average single level new home with slab on ground and the garage the highest point, should the garage be included?
- How do I model openings (doors or windows) in 'neighbour' walls and corridors?
NEW MATERIALS AND NON STANDARD BUILDING ELEMENTS
- Can we model insulating paints or insulating additives for paint, such as Solacoat, Thermabond or Thermilate?
- How do I model a concrete roof which is planted (i.e. earth & grass) on top?
- How do I model external walls using a product call Formblock? In essence it is a 300 wide slip formed block wall constructed of cement stabilised earth.
- How do I model in the heat reflection from the existing roof or do I ignore?
- Please advise of a proxy wall system for BERS for 200 Timbercrete nom. R value of 0.64 and capacitance of 170 (if you have one)?
INSULATION
- I am using a polystyrene insulation product that has foil on both sides. The claimed R values are much higher than what appears reasonable. How do I model this?
- Can I model an insulated panelift garage door?
- Why am I not seeing much effect when using slab edge insulation?
- I was wondering what would be the correct way to model Reflective Batts in BERS Pro?
- How do you model Aircell's Insulbreak 80, it’s normally used in steel wall framing, fixed over the framing (it’s claimed to provide R0.2 thermal break)?
- How should ‘core filled’ concrete block be modelled in BERS?
GLAZING
- I have unintended or phantom windows in the Universal Certificate. What am I overlooking?
- The custom windows that are available are limited. Why can't we choose all windows?
- Why are U-Values and SGHC for skylights modelled in BERS Pro appearing as 0 in the NatHERS Certificate from the H-Star portal?
- What accounts for the differences between BERS and WERS U-Values and SHGC?
- Why do the Opening % settings reset to 0% in the Default setting when I restart BERS?
- Simulation now defaults with insect screens. What if client does not want insect screens?
EAVES, OFFSETS AND SHADING
- When simulating after adding various shading options from the selection there is no change to the heating & cooling loads. What is the solution?
- How is the height of the adjacent shading object best modelled?
- Do I have to enter it again relative to the first floor?
- How does the software calculate the height of the shade object for the Level 2 glazing?
- How do I put more than 1 eave polygon on 1 level? (For example, an upper level that has 2 groups of zones that are not directly attached)
- When you draw an eave on a level that protrudes on part of the wall and not others, does the eave affect the adjacent windows/doors and is the offset on the adjacent windows or doors important?
VENTILATION AND AIRFLOW
- Does BERS limit the number of downlights per assessment?
- Can BERS Pro model stack driven ventilation?
- I would really like to be able to change the number of air changes per hour (due only to mechanical ventilation) in different zones to size the mechanical ventilation requirements.
- Why is it that adding a ceiling fan can make a room’s star rating different by anywhere between a 0.5 star - up to 2.5 stars?
- I am having trouble getting a house with a traditional stone fireplace to pass as the unsealed chimney has a significantly negative impact on the star rating.
- How do I model a permanent opening between a living and kitchen open plan area?
ZONING
- What happens to the floor specification if a cantilevered section is open to outside air and the area is not specified?
- How do I resolve short wall error messages?
- There is some confusion about zoning requirements. How should I divide the house into zones?
- How do we model stairs or a multi-level void?
- How should I model a lift well in a two-storey dwelling?
- How do I model an alfresco where the roof space is part of the main house?
UNDERFLOOR AND ROOF SPACES
- What is the correct setting for underfloor ventilation with a mezzanine floor?
- Different degrees of underfloor ventilation affect the rate of heat transfer through the floor to the air below and then out of the underfloor space.
- For raked ceilings should the insulation be entered as ceiling insulation or as part of the roof insulation?
- For a suspended timber floor building on a sloping site, is it necessary to enter a different under floor height for each zone or is it acceptable to use an average for the whole house?
- How is a split-level floor and walls to sub-floor best modelled?
- When should we combine zones in the ceiling screen to form a roof space?
DRAWING
- What are these wall materials with 0 sq. m. area which sometimes appear in the building element report and sometimes cause a "too many walls and doors" error?
- How can stacked nodes can be removed (without redrawing zones - that creates other problems like identifying zones connected by stairs)?
- How can stacked nodes can be located?
- What impact do stacked nodes have on a rating and its accuracy?
- How do stacked nodes happen?
- How accurate do we need to be?
REPORTS
- Why is there a difference between the conditioned floor area in the Building Elements report and the Universal Certificate and how is this calculated?
- Why are some of the towns in the Batch Simulation Page not current?
- The software would not simulate without a DP number being entered. Isn't this only for NSW?
- The Short Simulation Report has a star rating and an adjusted star rating, what are the differences and which star rating is to be used for the BCA?
- Please explain the difference between the star rating and the adjusted star rating.
- The screen version of the detailed report is legible but on the hard copy or PDF print file the tabs go haywire and data values do not fall under column headings.
TRAINING
- Where can I find training information for NatHERS Software?
- If an assessor is trained in AccuRate or FirstRate but has not completed their Cert IV, what training do they require to switch to BERS?
- If an assessor is trained in AccuRate or FirstRate and has completed their Cert IV, what training do they require to switch to BERS?
- Do we need to do the software training or can we just purchase it and just start using it? (it seems fairly straight forward / similar concept to the previous BERS).
SUPPORT
BERS RESTRICTIONS
GENERATING CERTIFICATES
- Why have we moved to a fee-per-certificate model?
- What are the changes to the NatHERS certificate?
- How do I set up an account in the HStar portal?
- How do I obtain a rating certificate from the program?
- How much are certificate credits?
- How do I purchase certificate credits?
VIDEO RESOURCES
- Instructional Video 1: Generating Universal Certificates - including single and multi-dwelling assessments
- Instructional Video 2: New Features - Zone naming, deletion of brand names, star rating decimal points, versioning, new window libraries , weather stripping, insect screens, curtains, vertical and horizontal shading
- Instructional Video 3: New Functionality – Modelling Window Input
- Instructional Video 4: New Functionality – Modelling of Floor Heights & Maximum Ceiling Height
- Instructional Video 5: New Functionality – Modelling of Waffle Pods