Tools
Welcome to the Tools section of the Whole Building Design Guide. These pages offer information on a variety of desktop or Web-based tools used in the building industry.
Click the 'Tool' heading to sort by ascending or descending order. In addition, narrow the list by selecting a tool category from the drop-down and clicking 'Apply'.
| Tool | Version | |
|---|---|---|
| Athena Impact Estimator for Buildings | 5.4.01 | Software tool designed to evaluate whole buildings and assemblies based on internationally recognized life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology |
| Building Assessment Tool (BAT) | 1.9.0 | The BAT provides a means to collect, validate, and update the information needed for auditors to conduct Facility Energy Audits and Facility Condition Assessments, as well Resilience aspects in a database structure. |
| Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) | 2.1 | BEES allows designers, builders, product manufacturers, and consumers to select cost-effective, environmentally-preferable building products based on consensus standards and designed to be practical, flexible, and transparent. |
| Building Life-Cycle Cost (BLCC) | 5.3-21 | The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed the Building Life Cycle Cost (BLCC) Programs to provide computational support for the analysis of capital investments in buildings. |
| COMcheck™ | 4.1.5.5 | Software allowing building design professional to determine whether projects meet the requirements of the IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1, as well as several state-specific codes. |
| Corrosion Prevention and Control Checklists | 2.0 | The Corrosion Prevention and Control (CPC) Checklists Tool contains three editable checklists for assisting in the creation and evaluation of a CPC Program, project development, creating an RFP, establishing a Design Review, Quality Assurance, Contractor Quality Control, and Commissioning Program. |
| Corrosion Toolbox | 2.0 | The Corrosion Toolbox contains three tools and three corrosion maps useful for evaluating environmental severity and compiling environmental data at selected locations. |
| Energy Escalation Rate Calculator (EERC) | 2021 Dataset | This tool computes an average annual escalation rate for a specified time period, which can be used as an escalation rate for contract payments in energy savings performance contracts and utility energy services contracts. |
| ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® | Online | EPA's online energy management and tracking tool enables organizations to measure and track the energy and water performance of any building over time. |
| EnergyPlus™ | 22.2.0 | EnergyPlus™ is a whole building energy simulation program that engineers, architects, and researchers use to model both energy consumption and water use in buildings. |
| Facility Energy Decision System (FEDS) | 8.1 | The Facility Energy Decision System (FEDS) is an easy-to-use building energy efficiency software tool that quickly and objectively identifies energy efficiency improvements to maximize life-cycle savings. |
| HAZUS | 6.0 | Hazus is a nationally applicable standardized methodology that contains models for estimating potential losses from earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tsunamis. |
| Hourly Analysis Program (HAP) | 5.11 | HAP is a powerful tool for designing systems and sizing system components as well as modeling annual energy performance and energy costs. |
| Life-Cycle Energy Performance Framework for Cities | 1.0 | The Framework provides policymakers a tool to look across building codes, incentive and utility programs, and post-occupancy/operations policies, to identify potential policies and triggers that can be deployed to impact building energy use. |
| MPI Decision Tree | Tools to simplify creating customized coatings specifications for both architectural painting and restoration/repainting projects. | |
| REScheck™ | 4.7.2.1 | Software allowing building design professional to determine whether residential projects meet the requirements of the IECC, as well as several state-specific codes. |
| RoofNav | 4.1.2 | RoofNav is an online tool providing access to the most up-to-date FM Approved roofing products and assemblies. |
| Sound Insulation Estimator | 1.0 | Sound Insulation Estimator is a tool to aid in the selection of sound insulating materials and the approximate material and labor costs associated with installation. |
| SpecsIntact | 5.4 | An automated system for preparing standardized facility construction specifications used worldwide by USACE, NAVFAC, and AFCEC. |
| Structural Load Data Tool for UFC 3-301-01 | 1.0 | This tool provides site-specific structural wind, snow, frost penetration, and earthquake loading data for DoD locations. |
| Sustainable Facilities Tool (SFTool) | Online | The Sustainable Facilities Tool (SFTool.gov) is an interactive website that shows users how to build, buy, and operate green. |
| TRACE® 3D Plus | 4.0 | TRACE® 3D Plus allows the latest HVAC systems and controls to be modeled quickly, precisely and with the intricacies of today's many building applications. |
| Window Glazing Analysis Response and Design (WINGARD) | 6.2 | Developed for GSA by Applied Research Associates (ARA), WINGARD calculates and graphically displays the response of window systems subjected to blast loads. |
Introduction
The BAT provides a means to collect, validate, and update the information needed for auditors to conduct Energy and Facility Condition Assessments in an organized database structure. Note that Facility Condition Assessment functions will be coming in a future version of the BAT. The BAT is intended to leverage auditing/inspection activity that is already occurring at facilities to construct a database of buildings; their energy equipment, energy usage, and costs; and the condition of both the structure and equipment. The BAT is solely focused on organizing and reporting the descriptive elements of buildings, catalogue of current conditions, and record of energy conservation measures (ECMs) identified as a result of audits, implemented, and measured and verified. The BAT does not incorporate analytical tools which remain the purview of outside analysis. The BAT is intended to be used in the field by auditors that are familiar with the best practices of their work. The BAT has been designed to:
- Increase the effectiveness and value of facility energy and condition audits by imposing a certain level of standardization on the data collection portion of these tasks;
- Provide pre-flight (pre-site visit), quick-fill, and data pre-population functions that will decrease pre-audit preparation times and provide historical review of past data collection reviews; and
- Provide data continuity for key pieces of information that is not subject to specific analytical approaches or methods, including building infrastructure and equipment data that should either be updated or reused.
The training provided in the subsequent tabs is intended to quickly demonstrate the main features of the BAT, including administration, data input menus, and reporting. Training videos are provided for each functional menu or group of menus and video content supplements information provided in the User Guide. Additionally, the videos are structured with the intention that Users can select topics of interest without wading through a single long, continuous presentation.
Features and Functions
The training videos are presented in functional groups (listed below). Each group contains an outline of topics and associated videos.
- Function and Features describes common functions and features of the BAT relevant to all other menus. This includes shortcuts and tips for navigation. Note that Administrative features are presented as a separate tab on this page.
- The Pre-Flight Information Menu are designed to capture information and inputs that can be collected prior to a site visit and which will be used to speed data collection on-site or serve as reference. These data will be collected from available documentation or pre-site visit interviews with facility staff.
- The Energy Audit Input Menus are focused on data input screens that are used to collect information for a typical ASHRAE Level I, II or II+ audit.
- The Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) Input Menus provide access to condition assessment inputs that are either unique to FCAs or provide easy mapping to data collection menus and items that are already included in the Energy Audit Menus.
- Post Audit Menus are focused on menus associated with retrieving data from the BAT or inputting post-analysis results for preservation and use in export templates and reporting.
The following videos walk through each menu and its submenus to prepare the user to take full advantage of the BAT's interface.
Pre-Flight Information Menu
This menu is designed to capture information and inputs that can be collected prior to a site visit and which will be used to speed data collection on-site or serve as reference. These data will be collected from available documentation or pre-site visit interviews with facility staff.
Energy Audit Input Menus
These menus are focused on data input screens that are used to collect information for a typical ASHRAE Level I, II or II+ audit.
Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) Input Menus
These menus provide access to condition assessment inputs that are either unique to FCAs or provide easy mapping to data collection menus and items that are already included in the Energy Audit Menus.
Post Audit Menus
These menus are focused on menus associated with retrieving data from the BAT or inputting post-analysis results for preservation and use in export templates and reporting.
Administrative Training
The BAT contains features reserved for Agency and contract managers. At the Agency level, these features are associated with assigning sites for audit/assessment to the subcontractor(s) and with tools for reimporting and uploading data generated by the BAT and related audits/assessments. Contract managers are provided access to the tools to manage assignment of specific buildings to auditors/assessors.
The following videos describe and demonstrate key administrative features including creating new users, assigning roles, designating work assignments, and generating working files for auditors/assessors/managers.
WBDG Participating Agencies
