Heating Load Calculation Example
Heating Load Calculation Example
Heating Load Calculation Example
of eight ventilated crawlspaces summarized in Palmiter and Fran are becoming routinely available and should be considered in all
cisco (1996) yielded a median flow rate of 4.6 ach. Clearly, crawl- cases.
space infiltration rates vary widely, depending on vent configuration
and operation. Summary of Heating Load Procedures
Table 16 lists equations used in the heating load calculation pro
Ventilation and Infiltration cedures described in this chapter.
Infiltration of outdoor air causes both sensible and latent heat
loss. The energy required to raise the temperature of outdoor infil LOAD CALCULATION EXAMPLE
trating air to indoor air temperature is the sensible component;
A single-family detached house with floor plan shown in Figure
energy associated with net loss of moisture from the space is the
1 is located in Atlanta, GA, USA. Construction characteristics are
latent component. Determining the volumetric flow Q of outdoor air
documented in Table 17. Using the RLF method, find the block
entering the building is discussed in the Common Data and Pro
(whole-house) design cooling and heating loads. A furnace/air-
cedures section and in Chapter 16. Determining the resulting sensi
conditioner forced-air system is planned with a well-sealed and
ble and latent loads is discussed in the Ventilation/Infiltration Load
well-insulated (R-8 wrap) attic duct system.
subsection.
Solution
Humidification
Design Conditions. Table 18 summarizes design conditions.
In many climates, humidification is required to maintain com Typical indoor conditions are assumed. Outdoor conditions are
fortable indoor relative humidity under heating conditions. The determined from Chapter 14.
latent ventilation and infiltration load calculated, assuming desired Component Quantities. Areas and lengths required for load cal
indoor humidity conditions, equals the sensible heat needed to evap culations are derived from plan dimensions (Figure 1). Table 19
orate water at a rate sufficient to balance moisture losses from air summarizes these quantities.
leakage. Self-contained humidifiers provide this heat from internal
Opaque Surface Factors. Heating and cooling factors are de
sources. If the heat of evaporation is taken from occupied space or
rived for each component condition. Table 20 shows the resulting
the distribution system, the heating capacity should be increased
factors and their sources.
accordingly.
Window Factors. Deriving cooling factors for windows requires
identifying all unique glazing configurations in the house. Equation
Pickup Load
(25) input items indicate that the variations for this case are expo
For intermittently heated buildings and night thermostat setback, sure, window height (with overhang shading), and frame type (which
additional heat is required to raise the temperature of air, building determines U-factor, SHGC, and the presence of insect screen). CF
materials, and material contents to the specified temperature. The derivation for all configurations is summarized in Table 21.
rate at which this additional heat must be supplied is the pickup For example, CF for operable 3 ft high windows facing west (the
load, which depends on the structure's heat capacity, its material second row in Table 21) is derived as follows:
contents, and the time in which these are to be heated.
Because the design outdoor temperature is generally much lower • U-factor and SHGC are found in Table 2.
than typical winter temperatures, under most conditions excess • Each operable window is equipped with an insect screen. From
heating capacity is available for pickup. Therefore, many engineers Table 11, Tx = 0.64 for this arrangement.
make no pickup allowance except for demanding situations. If • Overhang shading is evaluated with Equation (28). For west expo
pickup capacity is justified, the following guidance can be used to sure and latitude 34°, Table 12 shows SLF = 1.1. Overhang depth
estimate the requirement. (Doh) is 2 ft and the window-overhang distance (X^) is 0 ft. With
Relatively little rigorous information on pickup load exists. window height h of 3 ft, Fs = 0.73 (73% shaded).
Building simulation programs can predict recovery times and • PXI depends on peak irradiance and shading. Approximating site
required equipment capacities, but a detailed simulation study is latitude as 35°N, Table 10 shows ED = \11 and Ed = 60 Btu/h- ft2
rarely practical. Armstrong et al. (1992a, 1992b) developed a model for west exposure. Equation (27) combines these values with Tx
for predicting recovery from setback and validated it for a church andF, to find PXI = 0.6[52 + (1 - 0.73)208] = 69 Btu/h-ft2.
and two office buildings. Nelson and MacArthur (1978) studied the • All windows are assumed to have some sort of interior shading in
relationship between thermostat setback, furnace capacity, and the half-closed position. Use Equation (29) with Fd = 0.5 and
recovery time. Hedrick et al. (1992) compared Nelson and IAC d = 0.6 (per Table 17) to derive IAC = 0.8.
MacArthur's results to tests for two test houses and found that the
furnace oversizing required for a 2 h recovery time ranges from 20
to 120%, depending on size of setback, building mass, and heating
At (colder locations require less oversizing on a percentage basis).
The designer should be aware that there are trade-offs between
energy savings from thermostat setback and energy penalties in
curred by oversizing equipment. Koenig (1978) studied a range of
locations and suggested that 30% oversizing allows recovery times
less than 4 h for nearly the entire heating season and is close to op
timum from an energy standpoint.
The preceding guidance applies to residential buildings with
fuel-fired furnaces. Additional considerations may be important for
other types of heating systems. For air-source heat pumps with elec
tric resistance auxiliary heat, thermostat setback may be undesirable
(Bullock 1978). ALL DIMENSIONS IN FEET \\w\w
Thermostats with optimum-start algorithms, designed to allow
both energy savings and timely recovery to the daytime set point, Fig. 1 Example House