If you want to access JESS from DesignBuilder or the standalone JESS client, you can start with the built-in trial account which contains 5 computing hours free to use. Follow the animation on the bottom of this page to enable it. The trial account does not let you access the new online features such as job management and viewers, though.

To create a standard JESS account, please follow the steps here:

1. Go to https://app.ensims.com and create an account there You will just need to provide a name and a valid email address to create an account on the web portal. A verification email containing a link to set password will be sent to your mailbox. Please check the spam filter if the email is not received.
2. Log on https://app.ensims.com and go to My Account You can request a JESS account on the second tab ("JESS Account"). You will be asked to fill in some contact details before your JESS account is created. You should receive an email containing the credentials and information about the JESS service if successful.
3. In DesignBuilder or the JESS client, log on with the received JESS username and password You will have 10 hours in the account to start using JESS straightaway. To top-up, use the third ("My Invoices") tab on the My Account page.
Please feel free to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

Do you sometimes feel fed up with computers and just want something that work? We understand that your time is too precious, and you should not be bothered with unboxing, connecting, installing, configuring, testing, and waiting on the end of a telephone line to get problems sorted. This is why we would like to call the ENSIMS products appliances (as your washing machine) rather than computers - they do only one thing and do it very well, without much of your attention.

What is an EnSimS Simulation Station?

EnSimS Simulation Stations are highly customized computers with specialized software installed for running energy simulations. The products are the results of our extensive research and development in seeking the best performance possible. Also included in the package is our full installation and maintenance service*. We will discuss with you to help you choose the best machine for your business need. We will deliver the machine to your premise, install, connect and configure everything onsite, and give a demonstrate and necessary training to your staff. At the time we finish, you will be using your new simulation station already. 

What does this mean to me?

The simple answer is, you can treat this highly specialized equipment like a piece of house appliance - switch it on, use it and forget about it. Within the warranty period, we will provide regular health checks and maintenance* for your simulation station to ensure it operates at its best. Should you have any questions or issues using the equipment, we will only be an email or a phone call away. 

Can I use it for other purposes?

The EnSimS Simulation Stations are designed specially for running energy simulations. Nevertheless it is a very powerful computer and can do more should you need it to. However, since installing additional software or changing the configurations may interfere with the ability that we provide maintenance and support, please discuss your need with us first. We will be happy to help you find the best solution. 

* Terms and Conditions apply

JESS stands for Java EnergyPlus Simulation Server. It is a software system we have developed to provide remote simulation solutions to EnergyPlus users. JESS Online is the online service with which you can run time-consuming simulation jobs on our high-performance computers. Not only it will free up your computer for other tasks while you are waiting for the results, but running simulations on JESS will also return you results quicker in most cases. Especially, with JESS's acceleration method, simulations can be 5-10 times faster than a standard run. This will let you do a lot more analysis using the model and hence producing better designs.

Why use online simulation? Online simulation is an emerging technology for architectural design and engineering fields. It gives you the ability to access fast computing resources to run multiple simulations in parallel, and lets you do more creative works while waiting for the results. It enables a whole new workflow of handling models and let you do things that were "impossible" before.
What is the advantage of JESS? JESS started its life in 2011 and has grown into probably the most reliable and mature online EnergyPlus simulation service available. To date, it has been tested by over 600 users and executed nearly one million hours of simulations. Performance and compatibility are the key advantages of JESS. We use only the standard releases of EnergyPlus (all versions from 7.0 and above) to ensure the best compatibility. Even with the acceleration method, the results produced by JESS are faithful and compatible with the standard outputs in the majority of cases.
How much does it cost? The JESS service is charged at a flat rate of £0.25 (ex. tax) per hour of computing time. You will be invoiced on a "pay-as-you-go" basis, which means you only pay for what you have used. If you just want to test the system and see how it works, you can get a trial account with 5 hours of simulation time free of charge.
How to get started? JESS is supported by a number of building simulation tools. For example, DesignBuilder has built-in JESS support for both standard/accelerated simulation and optimisation runs. You may also download the standalone JESS Client program, which lets you connect to JESS from all sorts of tools including OpenStudio, EP-Launch, Matlab, and so on. To get started, please first fill in the form for requesting a JESS account.

Click on the screenshot below to access the JESS web portal for users. You need your own JESS account to access the user's portal.