WATER HEATING CALCULATION

Flamco
Calculation of water heating systems
Rules for determining the heating requirement for heating drinking water in
residential constructions according to the German standard DIN 4708 Part 2DIN
4708 Part 2 Page 1

CONTENTS
Page
1
1
1
2
2
3
4
4
4
6

1 Scope of validity
2 Other relevant standards
3 Terms
4 Determining the demand factor N
4.1 Calculation reference documents
4.2 Computation pass
5 Application
5.1 Choosing a water heater
5.2 Checking the rated power of the heat generator
6 Sample calculation

1 Scope

3 Terms

This standard is valid as the basis for the uniform

determination of the heating requirement in central
drinking water heating systems in residential
constructions whose water heaters are heated
directly or indirectly. They can be combined with
heat generators for heat supply or can be intended
exclusively for heating drinking water (see also DIN
4753 Part 1).

For other terms refer to DIN 4708 Part 1 and Part 3.

This standard does not apply if an above-average

simultaneity in the utilization of the water heating
unit is to be expected according to the position and
purpose of the building to be supplied
(e.g. in factory apartments) or if the central water
heating system is intended only for supplying a selfcontained apartment unit (apartment).

2 Relevant Standards
DIN 4471
DIN 4701

Bath tub, cast iron, overview

Heating systems; rules for
calculating the heating requirement
of buildings
DIN 4708 Part 1 Central water heating systems,
terms and basis of calculation
DIN 4708 Part 3 Central water heating systems;
rules for testing the capacity of
water heaters for residential units
DIN 4753 Part 1 Water heating systems for drinking
and process water; design, fitting
and testing

3.1 Demand factor N

The demand factor N is the result of the
determination process for the requirement for
heated drinking water. It is identical to the number
of unit apartments in the construction project, but it
does not necessarily correspond to the number of
apartments.

3.2 Occupation rate p

The occupation rate p is the number of persons per
apartment.
3.3 Unit apartment
The unit apartment is a dwelling size determined
from statistical values, for which the number of
rooms r, occupation rate p and requirement for
hydrants wv are agreed upon and whose demand
factor is N = 1. (Refer to DIN 4708 Part 1 Appendix
A.)

3.4 Number of rooms r

The number of rooms r is the number of rooms of a
apartment which must be taken into consideration
when calculating the demand factor N .

3.5 Number of apartments n

The number of apartments n is the number of
apartments of a construction project, in which the
number of rooms, the occupation rate and the
sanitary fittings are the same.

Standards Commission for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (NHR) at the DIN German Institute
for Standardization e.V

VEN1139

Flamco, Edition: 2005 / EXP

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WATER HEATING CALCULATION

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3.6 Number of hydrants v
The number of hydrants v is the number of hydrants

Table 1
Number of rooms
r

for heated water per residence, which must be taken

into consideration when calculating the demand
factor N .

draw heated water from a hydrant.

4 Determining the demand factor N

4.1 Calculation reference documents
4.1.1 Information on the construction
project
Determining the demand factor N requires the

4.1.2 Number of apartments n

The respective number of identical apartments ni can
be seen from the drawings.

4.1.3 Number of rooms r

The number of rooms r of each apartment group ni

2) If the residential building to be provided has mainly

1- and/or 2-room dwellings, the occupany number p for
these dwellings is to be raised by 0.5.

4.1.5 Number of hydrants v

When determining the hydrants to be included in the
calculation v for heated water, it is assumed that
only the hydrants within a apartment are to be taken
into consideration. According to the sanitary fittings
of the apartment, a distinction is made between
residences with standard fittings (see Table 2) and
residences with comfort fittings (see Table 3).

4.1.6. Features for assessing sanitary

fittings in residences and their
inclusion in determining the
requirements
When deteriming the requirement, a distinction is
made between:
Residences with normal fittings
Residences with comfort fittings.
Normal fittings are deemed to exist, if the devices
mentioned in Table 2 are present.
Table 2. Normal fittings

can be seen from the drawings. It refers to the

number of living rooms of a apartment. Secondary
rooms such as the kitchen (not kitchen-living area!),
entrance hall, corridor, bath and storage room are
not taken into consideration.

Sr.
No.

4.1.4 Number of occupants p

1
1.1

The data regarding the actual occupation of the

individual apartments, but at least the values of
statistical occupation, must be used as given in
Table 1.
The data on the statistical number of occupants p of
each apartment is arrived at from the number of
rooms used in the calculation r1).

1.2

2
1)

2,02)
2,02)
2,02)
2,3
2,7
3,1
3,5
3,9
4,3
4,6
5,0
5,4
5,6

1
1 1/2
2
2 1/2
3
3 1/2
4
4 1/2
5
5 1/2
6
6 1/2
7

3.7 Hydrant rate wv

The hydrant rate wv is the quantity of heat needed to

following documents and information from the

building owner or architects:
a) Floor plans of all floors in the building which are
to be supplied centrally with heated water, at
least on a scale of 1 : 100, showing all hydrants.
b) Information on the type, number and size of
sanitary devices in order to determine the
number of hydrants v and hydrant rate wv.
c) Information on the number of persons per
apartment. As a minimum, the statistical values
given in Table 1 are to be used as the basis of
calculation.
d) If the occupier is to influence fittings in the
construction project individually in respect of the
number and type of hydrants, the building
owner must supply corresponding information.
If the calculation results in a demand factor N of
about 1, but it is known or suspected that more than
one bath will be needed in the near future for
reasons of sanitary fittings (e.g., the physical
separation of bath and shower), the selected power
of the heater must be greater than calculated.

Number of occupants
p

>From current information of the Federal Statistics

Office on the occupation density of apartments.

Existing
fitment
per dwelling

to be used for
demand determination according
to section 4.2:

Bath:
1 Tub bath 1600
conforming to DIN
4471 (acc
to table 4 Sr. No. 1)
Or:
1 Tub bath 1600
1 shower stall with/
conforming to DIN
without mixer unitand
4471 (accto table 4
normal shower (acc. to
Sr. No. 1 or No. 2)
Tab. 4 Sr. No. 5)
1 Washing counter (acc.
to Table 4 Sr.
is not considered
No. 9)
Kitchen:
1 Kitchen washing
place (acc. to Table 4
Sr. No. 12)

is not considered

Comfort fittings are deemed to exist, if other or more

comprehensive fittings than those indicated in Table
2 for normal fittings are present in every apartment.

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WATER HEATING CALCULATION

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Table 3. Comfort fittings
Existing amenities per apartment

To be taken into account for calculating requirements

Room

Amenities

Bath:

Bath*1

As existing acc. to table 6, no. 2 to 4

Shower cubicle*1

As existing, incl. any additional facilities acc. to

table 6, no. 6 or 7, if arranged to permit
simultaneous use*2

Wash basin*1

Not to be taken into account

Bidet

Not to be taken into account

Kitchen:

1 Kitchen sink

Not to be taken into account

Guest
room:

Bath

per guestroom:
As existing acc. to table 6, no. 1 to 4 wiht 50% of
draw-off demand "wv"

or
Shower

As existing acc. to table 6, no. 5 to 7 with 100%

of draw-off demand "wv"

Washbasin

At 100% of draw-off demand "wv" table 6*3

Bidet

At 100% of draw-off demand "wv" table 6*3

1* Size different from standard specification.

2* If no bath is installed, a bath is assumed instead of a shower cubicle as with standard specification (see table 6, no. 1)

unless draw-off rate of shower cubicle exceeds that of bath (e.g. deluxe shower). If several different shower cubicles
are installed, at least one bath is assumed for the shower cubicle with the highest draw-off rate.
3* If no bath or shower cubicle is assigned to guestroom.

4.1.7 Hydrant rate wv

The hydrant rate wv of the heated water
hydrants used in the calculation can be obtained
from Table 4. Table 5 should also be taken into
consideration.

4.1.8 Unit apartment

The total heat requirement of all apartments to be
supplied is converted into unit apartments.
The following features are agreed-upon for the unit
apartment:
=4
Number of rooms r
Number of occupants p = 3.5 (3 to 4)
= 5820 Wh/ water drawn
Hydrant rate wv
to fill a bath tub.

4.2 Calculation procedure

The demand factor N is determined from the
information given in section 3.1 according to the
formula:
where
(n p v wv)

N=

(n p v wv)

=
p wv

(1)
3.5 5820

where
p wv = 3.5 5820 as values for one unit
apartment.
The pre-printed form is used for the calculation
(Table 5).
The apartments to be provided with heated water
are to be entered in the columns 1, 2 and 3 of the
form (Table 5).

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WATER HEATING CALCULATION

Flamco
Table 4. Hydrant rate wv (Heat quantity in Wh for heated water for one draw)
No. of sanitary facilities or draw-off point

DIN code

Draw-off
volume per
use or useful
capacity in
litres

Draw-off
rate "wv"
per use in
Wh

Bath

NB 1

140

5820

Bath

NB 2

160

6510

Small and step-type bath

KB

120

4890

Large bath (1800 mm x 750 mm)

GB

200

8720

BRS

40*5)

1630

BRN

90*5)

3660

BRL

180*5)

7320

cubicle*4)

Shower

Shower cubicle*4) with mixer tap and standard shower head*6

Shower

cubicle*4)

with mixer tap and economy shower head

with mixer tap and deluxe shower

head*7

Washbasin

WT

17

700

Bidet

BD

20

810

10

Washbasin

HT

350

11

Kitchen sink

SP

30

1160

For baths whose usefull capacities vary considarably, draw-off rate "wv" should be calculated in Wh acc. to the formula
wv = c x V x T and be used in the calculation (T = 35 K)
*4 To be included in calculation only if bathroom and shower cubicle are in sperate rooms, i.e. simultaeous use is possible.
*5 Based

on 6 minutes use.
flow class A to DIN EN 200.
*7 Fitting flow class C to DIN EN 200.
*6 Fitting

5 Application
5.1 Choosing the water heater
According to the demand characteristic N
determined in section 2, the water heater is to be
chosen according to the power characteristics
shown in the manufacturer's documentation, NL .
The power characteristic must be greater than or at
least equal to the demand characteristic N (see also
section 4.1.1, last paragraph).

5.2 Checking the power rating of the heat

generator
5.2.1 General
Heat generators that are used for central heating as
well as for water heating must - depending on the
ratio of the two heat consumers - have an
allowance over and above the boiler power
determined according to DIN 4701 ZK according to
the formula:
QN=QK+ZK in kW
(2)
Here,
QN is the rated heating output of the boiler in kW
QK is the boiler power for the heat requirement Qh
according to DIN 4701 including the allowance
for pipeline losses in kW
ZK is the boiler allowance for the heating of
drinking water in kW.
Depending on the circumstances of the building, the
boiler allowance ZK can be reduced by the
allowances applied in the heat requirement
calculation based on DIN 4701, edition January
1959, section 2.2.21, if this can be substantiated by
the usage characteristics.

5.2.2 Boiler allowance ZK

The magnitude of the boiler allowance ZK depends
on the construction type of the water heater
(storage or throughflow heater) and is determined
for each device by the manufacturer within the
framework of the power testing according to DIN
4708 part 3, edition October 1979, section 7.5.

or calculated and indicated in the technical

documents and obtained from there. In the case of
combined boilers, it must be clear which proportion
of the indicated nominal heating power is available
for heat supply.
The apartments that are identical with respect to the
number of rooms and scope of sanitary equipment
are summarized with a serial number (Column 1).
The following are to be entered:
Column 2: the number of rooms r
Column 3: the number of apartments n
Column 4: the occupancy number p, either from
Table 1 or according to the information
obtained from the building owner
Column 5: the result of multiplying column 3 by
column 4
Column 6: the number of hydrants v, which is to
be taken into consideration when
calculating the demand characteristic
N.
Column 7: the short designation (see Table 2) of
the number of hydrants used in
column 6
Column 8: the hydrant rate wv, (see Table 2) of
the number of hydrants entered in
column 6 and column 7
Column 9: the result of multiplying column 6 by
column 8
Column 10: the result of multiplying column 5 by
column 9.
The values entered in column 10 are to be added
and the result as the numerator in equation (1) for
calculating the demand characteristic N .
The numbers of apartments entered in column 3 are
to be added and the result entered after n . By
comparing this with the calculated demand
characteristic N the standard of sanitary fittings for
the construction project can be identified. In the
case of exclusively normal sanitary fittings, the
demand characteristic N is greater than or equal to
n. In construction projects whose sanitary fittings
place higher demands on the heated water supply,
the demand factor is N greater than n.

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Table 5. Form
Project No:
Requirement for heated water in centrally supplied dwellings

Sheet No:

Determination of the demand characteristic N for size determination of the water heater .
Project
Number of occupants p: according to statistical values according to section 4.1.4
1

10

in Wh

in Wh

11

Hydrants (per dwelling)

Sr. No. of
the
dwelling
groups

Number Number
of
of
rooms dwellings

No. of
occupants

Number
of
hydrants

n.p

Symbol

Hydrants
requirement in
Wh

Remarks

wv

v . wv

n . p . v . wv

1,5

2,0

8,0

BRN

1630

1630

13 040

3,0

10

2,7

27,0

NB 1

5820

5820

157 140

4,0

3,5

7,0

BRK

4070

8140

56 980

NB 2

6510

6510

91 140

BRK

4070

4070

56 980

BD

810

810

11 340

NB 1

5820

5820

125 130

NB 1

5820

2910

62 565

BD

810

810

17 415

4,0

5,0

3,5

4,3

14,0

21,5

(n . p . v . wv) = 591 730 Wh

ni = 25
. . .
N = (n p v wv)
3,5 . 5820

591 730 Wh
= 29,0
20 370

Page 5

50 % acc.
to Table 3

WATER HEATING CALCULATION

Flamco
6

Sample calculation

The demand characteristic N is used to determine the size of the water heater for the central water heating
system of a apartment construction project with the following apartments and equipment:
Amenities of the apartment

to allow for in calculating requirements

No. of draw-off
points/description

Number of
apartments
n

Number of
rooms
r

occupancy
rate
p

1,5

2,0

1 shower cubicle with standard shower head

1 washbasin in bathroom
1 sink in kitchen

acc. to table 4 on page 31

1 shower cubicle (BRN)

10

2,7

1 bath 140 litres

1 washbasin in bathroom
1 sink in kitchen

acc. to table 4 on page 31

1 bath (NB1)

1 shower cubicle with mixer tap and deluxe

acc. to table 5 on page 32

1 shower cubicle (BRL)

Quantity/description

shower
2

3,5

1 shower cubicle with standard shower head

(physically separated)
1 washbasin in bathroom
1 sink in kitchen
1 bath 160 litres
1 shower cubicle with mixer tap and

3,5

4,3

deluxe shower head in a separate room

acc. to table 5 on page 32

1 bath (NB2)
1 shower cubicle (BRL)

1 washbasin in bathroom
1 bidet
1 sink in kitchen
1 bath 160 litres
1 washbasin in bathroom
1 bidet
1 bath 140 litres in guest bathroom
1 washbasin in guestroom
1 sink in kitchen

Page 6

acc. to table 5 on page 32

1 bath (NB2)
1 bath (NB1) at 50% of
draw-off rate "wv"
1 washbasin (WT)
1 bidet (BD)