GBC Version Development

GBC Version 1 Features

Whole Building and Room-by-room schedule of accommodation:
- add: dimensions: areas and volumes calculate automatically,
- add: hours of operation, design temperatures inside and out
Room-by-room heat loss calculator:
- determine radiator or underfloor heating requirements;
- to size the boiler or insulate to meet the boiler size.
Analysis of Form Factor:
- optimal U values to respond to them,
- thickness of different insulation materials
Elements and secondary-elements:
- select from ready-made lists to match the project;
- dimensions are added by the user and their areas are automatically calculated
Schedules of windows, rooflights and doors:
- Since they may come in a multitude of sizes
Building Performance Targets:
- Users can compare and choose between:
- Building Regulations Part L,
  - other national standards
- Design Standards:
  - LETI, AECB CarbonLite, Passivhaus, EnerPHit,
  - Environmental Assessment Methods: BREEAM etc.
  - other national design standards,
- including: U values, Airtightness, Form factors, Elevation glazing percentage and orientation
Automatically and instantly see what thickness of different k-value insulation materials is needed to meet targeted U values
Elemental Assemblies:
- Allows user to choose a combination of functional components and then choose the materials or products for each component
Costs of insulation, windows and energy savings:
- Helps users to persuade clients to spend money on insulation and higher performance windows and glazing (Version 1 only)
Bill of materials, quantities, labour and costs:
- enables cost planning and proper value engineering (Version 2)
- based on building fabric only (Version 2) services in later versions
Element Summary: compare calculated U values with selected or target U values. highlighting ‘pass’ of ‘fail’
Summary of calculated energy losses or demands:
- For each element, secondary-element and whole building
- Totals elements and secondary elements as a percentage of the whole
Allows comparisons to be made, by the user, to prompt reconsideration of earlier decisions

Buy Now

GBC Versions 2 Features: launched April 2022

Green Building Calculator V2 is being developed now, including:

Bill of Materials, Quantities, Accessories, Products, Labour, Costs,
- For Cost Planning, Quote collection, Tendering
Retrofit:
- Historic fabric element upgrades, inside or out
- Add domestic furniture fixtures & equipment
- Add solar shading, decking, pergolas,
- Add hard and soft landscape
Embodied Energy, Embodied Carbon, Sequestered Carbon Calculator (EE EC SC)
- ICE Database v1.6 > v3 (for EE EC)
Domestic Landscape Elements
Basic Civils & Infrastructure Elements
More Generic Material datasets

GBC Versions 3 to 50 Summary

The development order is subject to GBC user feedback:

Many versions are now planned to add to their functionality in the following years including:

Green Building Price Book
Green Building Product Data Collection
Green Building Robust Specification Generator
Green Building FM Specification Generator
Green Building Timber Carbon Calculator
LCA Calculator
Instructions sheet, instructions in worksheets,
Comments: indicating where cell content comes from
Instructions by video: worksheet purpose, worksheet instructions
Increase 200 to 2200 materials dataset
Develop more switches to interrogate more detail
- Winter v Summer
- Secondary elements v components
Air tightness & Energy Loss (Make much sooner)
Scenarios (developed in B2 & B6 Retrofit version)
House Types dataset (developed in B2 & B6 Retrofit versions)
Form factor: floor plan shape diagrams, roof shape diagrams (developed during B2 retrofit version)
Regulations & design standards updates
Lifestyle (clothing) and internal temperatures (developed in B2 retrofit version)
Hours, of operation, weeks, years, building life (developed in B2 retrofit version)
892 elemental assemblies (from GreenSpecStudio)
MEP Services (not visible in V2 yet)
Decrement Delay (V3?)
Building Section Coding, Competent Application,
Manufacturer Accredited Bespoke Assemblies, Accessories,
Condensation Check,
Thermal Bridges
Green Building Secondary Element Calculator (Windows and Doors) (started in V2 and B3)
Thermal mass calculator
Landscape (much hidden in V2)
Civils and Infrastructure: (Much hidden in V2, Increase scope)
Waste Calculator (using WasteCost®Lite)
Plastic free v Recycled Plastic
Interiors: Scope increased, Ska fit-out. refit
Circular economy: Reclaim Reuse,
Materials Passport for reclaim and reuse
Self-build Interface
CAD BIM App (Make sooner with Firstplanit)
Whole Project Budget Calculations, full Fee bid calculation
EU and International versions (currency, products, (not metric unlikely))
Services Design Module: Occupancy level, Energy Sources and uses,
Lighting Design Module: Health & Wellbeing, Light Nutrition
Biodiversity Inclusion, Biodiversity Net Gain
Local Climate Appropriate construction and materials
Vernacular, local: materials, trades, economy
O&MM Operation & Maintenance Manuals
Local Procurement, Transport to site, distance search facility
On Site Construction Emissions
Design Life, Durability and Competent Products
Value Engineering Opportunities: in not out
Healthy Building
Screening Priorities
Indoor Air Quality
Natural Lighting Levels
Circular geometry buildings
Screeds calculator

GBC B Bespoke Versions

Discussions have started or bespoke versions are being developed

B1 Retrofit Window & Insulation Calculator
B2 Responsible Retrofit Carbon Calculator (led to B6)
B3 Window Calculator
B4 Screeds Calculator
B5 QS interface
B6 Interreg Energy Pathfinder
- Scottish Islands Case Study 6 building analysis
B7 Timber carbon calculator

Future Development

GBC will maintain a stakeholder group to ensure we make what you want and need
Having a large number of users will help with:
- error detection, feedback loops, encouraged by free upgrade versions
- developing GBC Green Building Calculator with more features and stronger datasets
We will encourage customisation requests to be shared; ideas will be considered for development into the core file for the greater good
Users will be invited to review the 35 version’s order of development, in case users want something sooner, by popular demand