If you ever wonder what HVAC stands for, you need to know that it is an abbreviation of the words heat, ventilation and air conditioning. There are numerous disciplines involved in the engineering field called HVAC. You definitely need the assistance of an HVAC firm or professional in case you are thinking of building a new house or making some modifications to the old one. An HVAC professional can help you select the right air conditioning system, make the proper plans for the pipeline, perform the right heat load calculation, and ensuring that the indoor air quality is in the right parameters.
Each and every HVAC consultant and designer should know the fundamentals of heat load calculation in order to be successful. This calculation is very important for every house owner considering the fact that heating and cooling a building is practically the most important energy expense in building management. A building is heated through many sources, internally and externally. In order to determine the full effect of heat from every source, contractors usually perform this so-called heat load calculation.
But which are the most popular heat sources?
There are both direct and indirect heating sources that can affect a building. Regardless of the building, you are studying, you need to know that there is a commonality in all building heat sources that usually remain constant.
Solar heat
Depending on the design of the building in the study, we can say that solar energy can trigger heating and cooling issues, but it is also a good method to conserve energy and generate power. Convection, radiation, and conduction are practically the most important kind of solar heat that can influence the heat load calculation of a building.
When the walls and roof of a building are exposed to a difference in temperature between indoor air and the warmer outdoor air, they are practically going through a process called conduction.
The heat transfer generated by movements of large pockets of warmer outdoor air or indoor air from one room to another is usually called convection.
The sun is practically the most important source of heat for the majority of buildings, and thus it is very important to obtain a proper design to take advantage of all the effects of solar heat. This can be done only with a proper HVAC load calculation. The position of the sun at the moment of the calculation is the most important factor when figuring out the solar heat gain in a specific room. Each wall of a room will receive a certain amount of heat from the sun, at particular moments of a day. Depending on how they occur, the solar heat gain effects can be felt differently from one point of the house to another. Indoor temperatures will be raised very quickly when the glass windows are exposed to solar heat.
People generate heat as well
The temperature within the building structures can be highly influenced by human beings. People normally consume a minimum of 2000 calories each and every day from foods and drinks. Calories result in energy, which is also converted to heat through a metabolism process. Physical activities are another form through which the human body generates heat. The human contribution to the overall heat temperature of a building can be quite significant if we add up all of these aspects.
More information regarding the heat load formula
It is very important to analyze and identify all of the heating sources present in a building in order to conduct a proper heat load formula. The HVAC designer will be entitled to recommend a type of air-conditioning system according to the final calculation. This calculation is very important for homeowners as it will help them estimate the proper capacity of their HVAC system, avoiding, therefore, any oversized or undersized unit.
Only a specialized HVAC professional can perform this time-consuming and complex task called Heat Load Calculation. Through this calculation, he is able to offer the basis to select an air-conditioning system of the right type and capacity for the application at hand, which will help in time to achieve optimal building performance.
As a property owner you need to know that in order to obtain this calculation, the HVAC professionals will request some additional information about the building, such as the architectural plans. As soon as all the necessary data has been collected, the calculation procedure can begin. The calculation can be done both manually and with the help of specialized software.
By using predefined equations and tabulated parameters, professionals are able to analyze the data gathered from the building survey and complementary documentation. It is very important to evaluate the building geometry, construction materials, and appliances and building systems in order to determine the right equations and table values. The air-conditioning system is recommended based on these calculations.
Heat load calculations can also be performed with the help of software, such as Trace 700 and HAP. The programs help professionals automate all the time-consuming processes. However, the software requires ample technical knowledge. The software performs the calculation for you based on the data obtained from the building survey, architectural plans and any other relevant documented that you have at hand. All areas of the building are taken into account when performing the heat load calculation. All the recommendations that can lead to peak thermal performance are made based on these calculations.
What do we need to know?
Even though many individuals see professional design services as an expense, you should know that they are practically an important investment in the future. A properly-designed HVAC system will ensure the cooling load of a building it serves. You should think about solar power as a reliable solution in case your property has an ample rooftop area. With this option, you can optimize the solar heating effect while obtaining an environment-friendly source of energy.
