FirstRate5 v5.2.1a (3.13) is now available as a free download from the FirstRate5 website.
Enhancements
Single, double and triple glazed windows now graphically represented on plan – To help users identify at a glance which windows are single, double and triple glazed on plan, we have coloured these as follows:
 Single Glazing
 Double Glazing
 Triple Glazing
As a result, doors, which remain white, are also easy to distinguish.
Upload to FirstRate5 returns to the File menu – We have reinstated this feature after some behind the scenes enhancements.
Free Running Mode added to the Internal Temperature Graph (Analytics tab) – Click on the tickbox before clicking the Calculate and Load button to see how your zones perform without heating and cooling applied.
Bugs
We’ve fixed the following bugs which may have affected some users, the most serious of which involved Java:
- an issue that caused FirstRate5 application to stop responding. This was due to an issue in the latest versions of Java 8. (If this affects users of earlier versions of FR5 (v 5.2.0 (3.13) or v5.1.11c), a workaround is described in the ‘Unresponsiveness in FR5’ item in the Troubleshooting section of your online account).
- an issue that prevented foil being added to ceilings
- an issue that prevented the Waffle Pod floor type detail being updated in the Zoning tab
- an issue that prevented updating properties of more than 2 selected objects simultaneously in the Plan tab
- an issue that prevented the assessor details fields retaining its content for the start of a new project
For details of other bugs fixed, please refer to the FR5 v5.2.1a (3.13) release notes which will be installed with the software on your computer.
Transition Arrangements
FirstRate5 v5.1.11c
As previously communicated, v5.1.11c remains accredited by NatHERS until 1 August 2015 (see recent NatHERS notice).
FirstRate5 v5.2.0 and v5.2.1
Due to the imminent expiration of the NatHERS Roof Windows library (as advised by CSIRO on 03/06/2015), these versions will cease to calculate in certain circumstances after 15 June 2015. We advise users of these versions to upgrade to v5.2.1a prior to 15 June 2015.
Subject to any further releases, or NatHERS announcements to the contrary, the following versions of FR5 will be available to users:
From 15 June 2015
FirstRate5 v5.2.1a (3.13) and v5.1.11c will be accredited by NatHERS and calculate automatically on the FR5 website.
From 1 August 2015
FirstRate5 v5.2.1a (3.13), or a subsequent version of FirstRate5, will be accredited by NatHERS and calculate automatically on the FR5 website.
For more information on FirstRate5 visit www.fr5.com.au or email [email protected]
Note: It is the user’s responsibility to ensure certificates are produced with the appropriate version. If a user chooses to inappropriately use an earlier version of FR5 to produce a certificate, they run the risk that a Building Surveyor will reject the certificate leading to further certificate costs.
Note: Installation of minor releases involving a letter change, eg, v5.1.11b to v5.1.11c, will by default overwrite the previous version, while major releases involving a number change, eg, v5.2.0 (3.13) to v5.2.1 (3.13), will by default install beside older versions. |