Climate Consultant — The Complete Guide: Climate Analysis and Passive Design Strategies
Climate Consultant is free software from the Energy Design Tools Group at UCLA. It reads an annual weather file in EPW format and shows the site climate in charts: temperatures, radiation, wind, humidity and comfort hours. From the data it suggests passive design strategies and shows how many hours a year each one can keep the building comfortable. It runs on Windows and macOS; the download page asks for an email address.
Climate Consultant
UCLA Energy Design Tools Group
Graphic analysis of climate data (EPW files) with recommendations for passive building design.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Climate charts — temperature, radiation, humidity and wind over the year.
- Psychrometric chart — the comfort zone and the hours of the year around it.
- Passive strategies — shading, natural ventilation, thermal mass and passive solar heating.
- Wind rose — wind direction and speed, useful for ventilation design.
- Design guidelines — a list of recommendations tailored to the selected climate.
How to use it
At the concept stage, load the EPW file of the nearest city, see which strategies cover most hours, and use them to guide building orientation, shading and openings. Keep in mind that it analyses climate; it does not simulate the building itself.
Related tools
To check thermal comfort against standards — CBE Thermal Comfort Tool. To simulate the building itself — EnergyPlus or eQUEST.
CBE Thermal Comfort Tool
Center for the Built Environment, UC Berkeley
Thermal comfort calculation to ASHRAE 55 and EN 16798, in the browser.
Get it from the vendor
EnergyPlus
US Department of Energy
Annual building energy simulation — envelope, HVAC, thermal comfort and daylight. The US DOE engine.
Get it from the vendoreQUEST
James J. Hirsch & Associates (DOE-2)
Year-round hourly building energy simulation, with wizards that take you from early design to comparing alternatives.
Get it from the vendorOpenStudio
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Graphical workflow on top of EnergyPlus — geometry, systems and scenario comparison.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
Climate Consultant is an excellent starting point for any climate-responsive design: simple, visual and free.