New Upgrades in RETScreen Version 9.3

The RETScreen® Clean Energy Management Software platform enables low-cost energy planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting. Click here to download RETScreen Expert.

RETScreen Expert is an all-in-one platform available in Viewer mode free-of-charge. Premium features are available in Professional mode by purchasing an annual subscription. Click here for more information.

The most recent updates to RETScreen (Version 9.3) were released on May 6, 2025. The new premium features added to this version, as well as to the previous release (Version 9.2) in November 2024, are listed in more detail below.

For example, these upgrades include a series of new energy efficient plus deep retrofit archetypes for the Virtual Energy Analyzer (VEA). In addition, key new capabilities have been added to the software to facilitate and automate the ongoing commissioning of facilities, and to help implement RETScreen as an Energy Management Information System (EMIS). Many other features and upgrades have been added too, and are listed below.

Benchmark & Feasibility Analysis Modules

Summary of Key Upgrades - Benchmark & Feasibility Analysis Modules

• Several more energy efficient plus deep retrofit archetypes added (restaurants, hotels, retail stores, greenhouses, various industrial facilities, embassies and consulates, etc.)

• Information Technology (IT) equipment energy model

• Data center archetypes & case studies

• Peak shaving & renewables added to electrical storage model

• Advanced version of electricity rate calculator

• Scaling for Net Zero Planning (NZP) Tool & hot climate model improvements

• New heat pump Coefficient of Performance (CoP) | Seasonal efficiency calculator

• Dynamic GHG emission factors database with global coverage now

• Currency switch for Fuel & Electricity Rate Database

• Updates to built-in Varennes individual facility example

More details of these upgrades and more are described below.

Virtual Energy Analyzer - Energy Efficient & Deep Retrofit Archetypes

• Commercial/Institutional - Food retail - Supermarket/Grocery store

• Commercial/Institutional - Food services - Quick service restaurant

• Commercial/Institutional - Food services - Full-service restaurant

• Commercial/Institutional - Lodging - Hotel - Small

• Commercial/Institutional - Lodging - Hotel - Large - Swimming pool

• Commercial/Institutional - Enclosed mall/Strip mall - Strip mall

• Commercial/Institutional - Enclosed mall/Strip mall - Shopping mall - Store

• Commercial/Institutional - Data center - Data center - Large

• Commercial/Institutional - Public building - Library - Data center - Small

• Commercial/Institutional - Public building - Chancery building – Consulate

• Commercial/Institutional - Public building - Chancery building - Embassy

• Residential – Detached dwellings - Official residence - Embassy/Consulate

• Industrial – Chemical – Pharmaceuticals/Medical

• Industrial - Textiles – Apparel

• Industrial – Printer

• Industrial - Plastic/Rubber products

• Industrial - Food

• Industrial - Furniture - Wood

• Industrial - Fabricated metal products - Metal fabrication

• Industrial - Machinery

• Agricultural - Greenhouse - Greenhouse

• Agricultural - Poultry - Poultry

Facility Worksheet

• Upgraded metering systems section

• Meter information: Period of operation (From | Until)

Energy Worksheet

• Electricity and fuel database: Currency switch, with new option to convert rates to the desired currency

• Electricity rate – calculator (also available in Toolbox): New Electricity rate – advanced and Electricity rate – advanced - tiered

• Information technology: New model to model IT equipment and data center with 4 levels (Onsite – Level 1, Onsite – Level 2, Offsite – Level 1, Offsite – Level 2)

• Thermal storage: New cost database for various thermal storage technologies

• Electricity storage - Upgrade: Peak shaving. New section in ‘’Comparison’’

• Electrical equipment: Added new Level 1

• Heat pumps: New Coefficient of performance (COP) | Seasonal efficiency calculator

Emission Worksheet

• Updated GHG emission factors

• Added dynamic GHG emission factors database with global coverage

Performance Analysis Module

Summary of Key Upgrades - Performance & Portfolio Analysis Modules

• New ongoing commissioning tool with automated Bulletins as follows: Level 1- Sustainability Manager-Annual; Level 2-Energy Manager-Monthly and Level 3-Facility Operator-Hourly

• Energy Management Information System (EMIS) meter management (tree structure) & portfolio reporting capabilities

• New automated portfolio annual report

• New custom database tool, including templates for Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Fleet inventory, Greenhouse gas inventory, IT equipment inventory, & Refrigerant inventory, with more templates to come

• Dynamic GHG emission factors database with global coverage

• New Histogram l Bin Hours Tool

• RETScreen Connect – ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager: Direct connector

• RETScreen Connect - RETScreen - Template - SQL server

• Updates to built-in NRCan portfolio of facilities example

More details of these upgrades and more are described below.

Data Worksheet

• New Custom database tool, including templates

• Meter name (in Consumption and Production) and Meter summary

• New Monthly performance tracker

• Electricity consumption table: Data processing – Power average (used into the Level 2 Bulletin)

• Format table: Add new Description dropdown to identify the type of meter (Utility invoice, Main meter, Submeter, None) – this is then used by Create bulletin

• Custom database: Import from file – CSV file

• Custom database: Templates - Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Custom database: Format table - Create dropdown list template for Country, Province/Territory, State

• Custom database: Format table - Insert column - Hyperlink (website, email, etc.)

• Enter data: Filter and Sorting

• Table: Duplicate table option

Analytics Worksheet

• Histogram | Bin hours: New graph

• Bar graph | Consumption summary: Upgrades

• Bar and pie charts | Custom database

• Time series: Add "Moving period" option (e.g. last 4 weeks)

• Heat map | Duration curve: Add "Last month", “Last year”, "Last complete month", “Last complete year”, etc.

• Duration curve: New threshold in terms of %

• Option: Graph - Consumption summary - Customized colors (e.g. fuel type, etc.)

• Custom database: Add "Count" option (number of occurrences of a specified parameter)

• Custom database: Weighted average option

Portfolio Analysis Module

Portfolio Worksheet

• Energy Management Information System (EMIS) meter management (tree structure) and portfolio reporting capabilities added, including new Meters view option in Step 2 - View

• Create new .retx file option added to Step 1 - File

Meters:

• Portfolio: Tree view - Show description

• Portfolio: Tree view – Facility | Meter information in mouse over

• Portfolio: Tree view - Zoom option

• Dashboard: Export - Unmetered – Export estimated data to facility file Data worksheet as Virtual meter

• Dashboard: Details – Add columns for meter information

Net Zero Planning (NZP) Tool:

• New energy efficient plus deep retrofit archetypes added to NZP Tool

• New scaling feature

• Scaling | Calibration: Percentage method

• Hot climate model improvements

• Electricity and fuel rate: Option to chose between Database | User-defined for base case and peak load

Edit portfolio:

• Summary - New option to generate Summaries (Data)

• Regression analysis - New independent variables available

• Bulletin: New option to generate automated Bulletins from templates (Level 1–Annual, Level 2–Monthly, Level 3-Hourly)

• Data | Summary: Creates Offsite renewables summaries if available in file

• Data | Summary: Advanced - Option to use the meter description selected in format table to create the summary (e.g. Utility invoice)

Facility bulletin (also available on the Custom worksheet of the .retx file)

• New ongoing commissioning tool with automated Bulletins as follows: Level 1- Sustainability Manager-Annual; Level 2-Energy Manager-Monthly and Level 3-Facility Operator-Hourly

• New graph: Level 2 - Predicted | Actual – Last 12 months

• Create new: Level 3 | Facility operator | Hourly

• Option: Add energy unit selection

• Advanced: Option to set Reference year, Calendar year | Fiscal year (in Custom worksheet of the .retx file only)

Annual report

• New automated portfolio annual report

• Create Annual report: Fuel consumption | GHG emissions | Fuel cost

• Create Annual report: Transportation and Water

• Options: Select group, energy unit, calendar year | fiscal year, reference year

• Options: Show benchmark, base case, target

Dashboard Worksheet

• New Performance analysis – Meters

• New Performance analysis – Custom database

• Option: Graph - Performance analysis - Customized colours (e.g. for fuel type, facility name, facility type, province, etc.)

• Left menu: Improve layout and attribute icons by graph type

• Export: Custom database

• Custom database: "Count" option (number of occurrences of a specified parameter)

• Custom database: "per unit of" option

• Custom database: Weight by option

• Custom database: Details - add multiple columns of data

• Custom database - Comparison - Group by: New graph to show results using two group by (e.g. show GHG emissions by equipment and by refrigerant)

All Modules

RETScreen Connect

Direct connect:

• New RETScreen - Template - SQL server - Automated connector

• ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager: Direct connector

• ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager: Added ENERGY STAR score

• Portfolio example - Direct connect - Create from file

• EnergyCap upgrade: Mapping power demand

• Blackstone Energy: New "Comment" column

Create from file:

• Portfolio example upgrade: Mapping power demand

• RETScreen Template: Add User-defined fuel, Offsite renewables, Summaries

• RETScreen Template: Add Occupancy, Facility size, User-defined columns

• RETScreen Template Metering System Data File – Example: New example for a Campus (Manual)

Custom worksheet

• Bulletin: New option to create automated Bulletins from templates (Level 1–Annual, Level 2–Monthly, Level 3-Hourly)

• Bulletin: New ‘’Set as Bulletin’’ book option

Default examples

• Updated Varennes – Example: Including new Meters (Facility worksheet), Sub-daily data and meter summaries (Data worksheet), Custom database (refrigerant inventory)

• Varennes - Example: Energy - Added Electricity storage

• Varennes - Example: Data - Sample - Added Utility invoices for electricity and natural gas

• Varennes - Example: Custom - Added new Facility Bulletin (Level 1-2-3)

• Updated NRCan – Portfolio: Including upgraded CanmetENERGY – Varennes (new Metering systems data), Bulletin, Custom database performance analyses

• NRCan - Example: Portfolio - New NRCan - Fleet files for 8 facilities (new graphs in Dashboard)

• NRCan - Example: Portfolio – Added Year of construction to real properties

• NRCan - Example: New Facility bulletin (Level 1-2 for all, Level 1-2-3 for Varennes)

• NRCan - Example: New Annual report

• NRCan - Example: Customize colours for facility names, fuel types etc.

• Net zero plan – Example: Updated with new cost (January 1st, 2025) and new GHG emissions factors

• Meter – Campus - Example: Show new options (e.g. Show description)

Case studies/Templates

• Data center – Located in an office building

• Data center - Migration to a colocation data center

• Custom database - Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Custom database – Greenhouse gas inventory (University)

• Custom database – IT equipment – Procurement IT equipment (Federal Government)

Databases

Cost database:

• Updated cost data to January 1, 2025

• Detailed cost data updates for power plants (photovoltaics and wind), heating system, cooling system, building envelope (walls/roof, windows/skylight), ventilation, lights, hot water, pumps, fans, motors, heat recovery, inverters, batteries, thermal storage, and transportation (on-road vehicles)

• Inflation updates to remaining power plants (gas turbines, hydro, etc.), cogeneration plant, district heating/cooling, off-grid (photovoltaics, wind, hydro), refrigerants, compressed air, solar air heater and solar water heater, with more detailed review and updates to come

• Added new cost data for building envelope (natural air infiltration)

GHG emission factors database:

• Updated in Emission worksheet and dynamic GHG emission factors database for global coverage

• Canada - Annual update for all provinces

• Other countries - Updated Emission worksheet and added new yearly dynamic data for most countries

Left menu

• Portfolio dashboard | Data | Analytics | Custom

• New folder | Clear folder

• New options: Expand all | Collapse all, Sort by name | Sort by type, Delete all (Right click of mouse)

Toolbar

• Notification of Update available

• Toolbox: Heat pump - Coefficient of performance | Seasonal efficiency calculator

 Help (in Ribbon)

• Ongoing commissioning image (Portfolio, Custom of .retx file) to facilitate awareness and training

• Monitoring, Targeting and Reporting (MT&R) image (Data, Analytics, Report) to facilitate awareness and training

 eLearning & User Manual - Spanish

• Completed translation of most of the user manual into Spanish (in addition to English, French and Chinese user manuals)

• Added new Spanish videos (All Facility types, Feasibility worksheets, Performance analysis, Portfolio analysis, and Net zero plan) to cover all eLearning videos

• Links to the Spanish videos are available directly within the software when Spanish is selected as the language. You can also see the full Spanish eLearning channel here - Aprendizaje en línea de RETScreen - YouTube

You can download RETScreen Expert (V9.3) free-of-charge from our website at - https://natural-resources.canada.ca/maps-tools-publications/tools-applications/retscreen

A software key provided with the subscription unlocks additional features summarized in the following table.

Please see our website if you are interested in ordering an annual subscription for the Professional mode of RETScreen Expert at - https://natural-resources.canada.ca/maps-tools-and-publications/tools/modelling-tools/retscreen/retscreen-subscription-order/23599#retscreen