DB License Upgrades

collinar · Posts: 5

If I buy a perpetual license for version 1.x, and you upgrade DesignBuilder to 2.x, will I be able to use my 1.x license to run DB 2.X, or will I have to buy a new perpetual license?

Andy Tindale · Posts: 1198 Location: Stroud

You won't be able to use your v.1 licence to run v.2, but you can upgrade v.1 licences to v.2 equivalents with a 40% discount relative to the full v.2 cost.

My advice would be to purchase an annual licence at this point as you'll get v.2 software included when it becomes available.

Andy

collinar · Posts: 5

I only use the product about 12 hours per year, so I can not justify the cost of an annual license. I also can not justify the cost of a perpetual license if major upgrades require paying an additional 60% of the cost of a new license. I guess I will just have to wait for the EnergyPlus user interface to grow up.

lklawrie · Posts: 76

"I guess I will just have to wait for the EnergyPlus user interface to grow up."

EnergyPlus is intentionally just an "engine" with the flexibility and features for simulation. We want to rely on third parties to supply interesting Interfaces. If you can't justify DB, perhaps you can look at some of the other interfaces that are offered by others.

collinar · Posts: 5

EnergyPlus was intentionally "just an engine" so it could remain OS platform independent. A UI requires OS specific code. However, using Google's Open API, EnergyPlus can include a User Interface as rich as DesignBuilder's, yet remain OS platform independent.

lklawrie · Posts: 76

Incorrect assumption -- EnergyPlus is "just an engine" so that others can provide the interfaces their domains need. So that US Government funds are focused on the features of the Building Energy (plus) simulation, not on interfaces.

collinar · Posts: 5

What if the taxpayers funding this effort want EnergyPlus to have an integral, intuitive user interface?

Login