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• Manual S Calculation Software
• Manual S Calculation Software

This is a guest post by David Butler of in Arizona and a frequent commenter here in our blog. I've known David for a couple of years now, and I can attest to his expertise in the field of HVAC. When an HVAC question stumps Chris and me, we call on David because he'll most likely know the answer and will explain it in great detail. If you're a home energy pro, make sure you download and read his paper,.

I wonder how many energy raters and auditors are familiar with Manual S, which is an important part of? For those who don't know, the S stands for selection, as in equipment selection.

Why should you care? Well, if you don't at least understand the basics of Manual S, you're in no position to judge if an air conditioner is sized properly, as required by the ENERGY STAR new homes program. This is one reason why to this well-intended policy when it took effect in 2006. The new HVAC contractor checklist being introduced with includes several fill-ins intended to demonstrate Manual S compliance. The problem is that most HVAC contractors currently sidestep the Manual S procedure, relying instead on or nameplate capacity for equipment selection. I'm sure many of you have heard this criticism before (I've said it often enough), but you may not know why sizing based on AHRI or nameplate capacity it's a bad thing.

Here's the rest of the story. As it turns out, the capacity of an air conditioner is a moving target. It depends on three environmental variables - outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity - and one system variable - airflow at the evaporator coil. Further complicating matters, an air conditioner's total capacity is split between sensible capacity (satisfies the thermostat) and latent capacity (removes moisture from the air). As it turns out, the sensible-total ratio, also known as sensible heat ratio (SHR), is also a moving target. It's important to note that the SHR is not a design condition but rather a result of the design conditions. Change any one condition, and you change an air conditioner's sensible and latent capacity.

An air conditioner's nameplate capacity is based on a specific set of operating conditions - 95° F outdoor dry bulb, 80° F indoor dry bulb, and 67° F indoor wet bulb. (Wet bulb is a way of expressing the amount of moisture in the air).

These conditions, established by AHRI Standard 210, provide a convenient reference for comparing equipment but not much else. Not surprisingly, equipment manufacturers optimize their designs so that performance peaks at AHRI conditions. After all, nameplate capacity is all that matters in the marketing world. In the real world, a given air conditioner will perform very differently in Phoenix than it will in Savannah. In fact, AHRI operating conditions have little relevance in any climate.

For example, no one designs to 80° F indoor dry bulb. The ENERGY STAR homes program requires 75° F and some contractors go even lower. And if we reduce indoor dry bulb to 75° F, then we'll get into trouble if we leave indoor wet bulb at 67° F. A psychrometric calculator reveals that this combination converts to a relative humidity of 67%! Working backwards, if we design to a relative humidity of 50% at 75° F dry bulb, then the corresponding wet bulb is 63° F.

This is the most common assumption for the indoor conditions. Furthermore, nameplate capacity tells us nothing about an air conditioner's sensible-latent split. Neither does its AHRI rating. Unfortunately, many Manual J trainers teach students to use a generic sensible heat ratio, thus perpetuating a short-cut that bypasses Manual S. To make matters worse, this bogus equipment selection method is institutionalized by popular Manual J software tools. And provide an equipment selection search engine based on AHRI ratings and a user selectable sensible ratio. It's no wonder so many HVAC contractors never bother to learn or follow the Manual S procedure.

Flagrant oversizing may make this a moot point in practice, but as I've written so many times before,. In this ill-conceived ploy to avoid call-backs, HVAC contractors are throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Manual S picks up where leaves off. It lays out a fairly simple (albeit non-intuitive) procedure for selecting equipment based on the design loads. In the case of a furnace, the procedure is trivial: output capacity should be between 100% and 140% of the design heat load. But for an air conditioner it's not so simple. You need to know the system's sensible and latent capacity at the design conditions specific to the project.

This information can be found only in the manufacturer's. These tables are at the core of the Manual S procedure for air conditioners and heat pumps. Some manufacturers have developed proprietary equipment selection tools that utilize expanded performance data. However, these tools are limited to the company's own product line and are available only to dealers. Unfortunately, since there's no central database of expanded performance data, independent software companies like Wrightsoft and Elite cannot offer a Manual S module. It's up to the practitioner to obtain performance data from the manufacturer for each model of interest.

Lennox and Carrier's engineering books are available online in PDF format if you know where to look. In other cases, you have to contact the distributor. Moreover, manually looking up performance data for several prospective equipment combinations can be time consuming.

In an ideal world, AHRI would maintain a database of expanded performance data that could be accessed through third-party software tools. But don't hold your breath. Manufacturers see zero benefit in having us look over the shoulder of their dealers, many of whom don't follow the rules. For those who want to learn more about the Manual S procedure, here's an. The one shortcoming is an overly simplistic explanation of choosing the cooling design airflow (Figure 5), although understandable considering the venue. System designers are advised to follow the complete procedure outlined in the book, available from ACCA for $58.

Related articles. Nice piece, lots of good, solid, (if slightly impenetrable information - particularly the linked article by Wes Davis.) It does, however, raise an important question - how can we get quality (and code compliant) HVAC designs when most people don't know how to do them, accurate data for Manual S is not readily available, and few, if any people are willing to pay anything extra to build or renovation a building in these challenging financial times? I always enjoy learning more about building performance, and this article filled a gap in by knowledge, but it also serves to point out how far we have to go and makes me wonder if, as an industry, we will ever get to where we need to be. With a perfect install in a dry climate, I have proven time and time again that Man S is too conservative and still over-sizes equipment. Let us not forget the 20% fudge factor Man J, S have inherent to them. So if Man J over-sizes by 20% and then Man S does that too, then what are we left with?

To me it comes back to 'sizing is secondary to getting air flows correct.' We concentrate too much on tonnage, and ignore the air movement. Just my opinion. By the way how many AC contractors have the tools to measure total air flows and air balance? Probably about as many that actually own the manuals J and S. Ohh yeah, air flows are much easier when the units are sized correctly - as in small, small. Next up Man D and T.

Good work as always David. Chris, not sure why you would suggest that S leads to additional oversizing.

The procedure instructs you to add back half of the excess latent capacity to the sensible capacity, so in a dry climate, this will allow you to choose a smaller system than for a house back east with same sensible load. The idea behind this is that excess latent capacity will act to reduce RH below design. This 'rule of thumb' is decidedly unscientific, and in fact, may be a bit ambitious in a dry climate where monsoon doesn't coincide with peak sensible loads. I totally agree with your comments regarding overemphasis on 'tonnage', and lack of emphasis on airflow. 'Chris, not sure why you would suggest that S leads to additional oversizing.' To be specific it is the manufacturer charts that I think do this.

It is my belief that those charts have fudge factor in the figures. Unproven, except by myself on my own post tests. I guess I should not generalize on that.

On the post tests on my own installs when I verify airflow with a flow hood and calculate in temperature split and altitude, I get 25-20% more Btuh output than the charts say I should. Sorry for being skeptical. Technically it is not Man S that would have the fudge factor in that case. Great comments, everyone! This is a tough subject, and David has expertly pointed out the difficulties with doing this job correctly and why we need to get over our capacity fixation. (When is a 2 ton air conditioner not a 2 ton air conditioner? Most of the time!) Carl: Your question kind of sums it all up: How can we get quality (and code compliant) HVAC designs when most people don't know how to do them, accurate data for Manual S is not readily available, and few, if any people are willing to pay anything extra to build or renovate a building in these challenging financial times?'

As I wrote a few months ago , this is part of the central problem we face with high performance homes.

If you’ve been paying attention to energy-efficiency experts and green-building Web sites, you probably know that it’s important to properly size your HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). Collectively, the mechanical systems that heat, ventilate, and cool a building. Most sources repeat the same advice: oversized furnaces and air conditioners cost too much, waste energy, and sometimes provide lower levels of comfort. To avoid these problems, the first step is to insist that your HVAC contractor perform a Manual J calculation to determine the heat loss and heat gain Increase in the amount of heat in a space, including heat transferred from outside (in the form of solar radiation) and heat generated within by people, lights, mechanical systems, and other sources. See heat loss.

For each room of your house under peak (worst-case) conditions. Then your contractor can specify equipment that meets Manual J requirements. If you’re building a new home, your contractor should design your duct system using Manual D. (Manual D depends on the room-by-room heat loss and heat gain numbers supplied by the Manual J calculations.) Sounds easy, right? Well, it isn’t.

In most areas of the country, it’s very difficult to find a residential HVAC contractor who is willing to perform Manual J and Manual D calculations. Helpful advice from your government According to, “Homeowners should insist that contractors use a correct sizing calculation before signing a contract. This service is often offered at little or no cost to homeowners by conscientious heating and air conditioning contractors.” Yeah, right.

RELATED ARTICLES The government Web site goes on to advise, “When the contractors are finished, get a copy of their calculations, assumptions, and the computer printout or finished worksheet.” Well, that’s easy for you to say. But just see how easy it is to get that paperwork from Bob once his Do-It-Right HVAC Service has finished installing your new air conditioner. Easy enough for an 8th grader to do it — Quick, find me an 8th grader Manual J and Manual D are calculation worksheets published by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA).

For many years, these worksheets have been the standard methods for calculating residential heat loss, heat gain, and duct sizes. Manual J and Manual D calculations are no longer performed with a pencil and paper; contractors now use software programs.

Hank Rutkowski, the mechanical engineer who wrote (and continues to update) Manual J, explained to me how Manual J calculations are performed: “To bridge the gap between the complexity of the paper manual and the contractor you have to have software. It was never our intention that people do the calculations by hand. The manual serves as a guide to computer programmers. The key is the software, which takes the complexity and makes it simple enough for an eighth grader to use. The contractor never has to deal with the equations.” The best-known Manual J software programs are, and. Software programs for Manual D duct design include and.

A Manual J heat loss and heat gain calculation considers most of the factors that affect HVAC equipment sizing, including the climate; the size, shape and orientation of the house; the home's air leakage rate; the amount of insulation installed; the window areas, window orientations, and glazing When referring to windows or doors, the transparent or translucent layer that transmits light. High-performance glazing may include multiple layers of glass or plastic, low-e coatings, and low-conductivity gas fill. Specifications; the type of lighting and major home appliances; and the number and even the age of the occupants. For the calculations to be meaningful, information on all of these factors must be correctly entered into the software program. Manual J and Manual D calculations are required by most building codes The 2006 International Residential Code requires (in section M1401.2) that “Heating and cooling equipment shall be sized based on building loads calculated in accordance with ACCA Manual J or other approved heating and cooling calculation methodologies.” Furthermore, IRC International Residential Code. The one- and two-family dwelling model building code copyrighted by the International Code Council.

The IRC is meant to be a stand-alone code compatible with the three national building codes—the Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) National code, the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) code and the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) code. Section M1601.1 requires that “Duct systems serving heating, cooling and ventilation equipment shall be fabricated in accordance with the provisions of this section and ACCA Manual D or other approved methods.” There's some wiggle room in the code, of course; individual inspectors can theoretically approve “heating and cooling calculation methodologies” other than Manual J. But the intent of the code is to outlaw rule-of-thumb sizing — for example, “one ton of cooling per 400 square feet.” Where can I find a contractor to do it? As with many code provisions, the requirement for Manual J and Manual D calculations is widely ignored and rarely enforced.

Most residential furnaces, boilers, and air conditioners are still sized by rules of thumb instead of careful calculations. As a result, almost all of the HVAC equipment installed in U.S. Homes is oversized. Dozens of studies have confirmed that the degree of oversizing typically ranges from 30% to 200%. Builders and homeowners who ask HVAC contractors about Manual J and Manual D calculations are usually met by a blank stare. One homeowner posting under the name Tom21769 posted the following anecdote on the: “I’ve had a bunch of contractors out, most of them sales reps but a couple with technical/repair backgrounds, and not a single one has brought up the subject of Manual J. In one case, when I asked about getting one, the guy did not know what I was talking about.

They all seem to assume that if a 2-ton system is in here now, that's what the replacement needs to be.” On, Carl Seville recently reported, that it “is difficult to obtain an accurate HVAC Manual J calculation. It seems that few HVAC contractors understand how to prepare an accurate report, often oversizing systems out of habit rather than designing them for the actual house loads. Also, while the reports are supposed to be delivered before the equipment is installed, they rarely are, and mistakes are usually identified well past the time to make any corrections.” Another GBA blogger, reported, “When I have asked my HVAC contractor what it would cost to add Manual D, he responds that a $12,000 system with J alone would be $15,000 with D. That may be his way of saying that he doesn’t know how to do it, but the fact remains that this is a very common situation with residential HVAC contractors who can barely implement Manual J.”, Michael Chandler wrote that his local planning board was “still not even enforcing the Manual J requirement which results in inefficient, oversized air conditioners and attendant humidity and mold problems.

Even though reps of the local HBA pointed out the benefit of requiring Manual J, the county is still not requiring proof that a Manual J has been done to award a certificate of occupancy.” On, energy consultant Allison Bailes wrote, “HVAC contractors, at least here in the Southeast, don’t often do Manual J load calculations at all. They mostly use rules of thumb based on square footage (e.g., 500 square feet per ton of AC capacity). When they take the time to enter data and run a Manual J, they usually do it incorrectly.” Even when they do the calculations, the results are usually wrong In his posted comment, Bailes raised an interesting point: the problem of “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) Manual J calculations. Several energy experts have commented on the GIGO problem, including, and. Hank Rutkowski, the mechanical engineer who wrote the original Manual J document, was recently interviewed for a profile posted on.

The piece notes, “Rutkowski estimates that only 10% of heating and cooling equipment sizing decisions are based on some type of Manual J calculation and that less than 1% of the jobs are based on an aggressive implementation of the recommended design procedures.” Rutkowski explains the GIGO problem this way: “Manual J is a good tool if you use it aggressively. Follow the rules and it will give you a reasonable margin of safety. But the average contractor says, ‘Better safe than sorry,’ so he fudges here and there. He adds 5 to 10 degrees to the summer and winter design temperatures, calls the building ‘average’ instead of ‘tight’ and doesn't take credit for shading by interior blinds and drapes.

Then when he finally comes up with a load number for sizing, he throws in an extra half-ton of AC just for the heck of it.” For a high-performance home, sizing by Manual J may still result in oversizing Several years ago, I had a conversation with building scientist Joe Lstiburek about air conditioners installed in Building America homes in Las Vegas. “HVAC designers are committed to the institutional oversizing of air conditioning equipment,” Lstiburek told me. “The average system is sized at 150% to 200% of the requirements of Manual J. They oversize because they don’t know what they will get for a building envelope Exterior components of a house that provide protection from colder (and warmer) outdoor temperatures and precipitation; includes the house foundation, framed exterior walls, roof or ceiling, and insulation, and air sealing materials., and to compensate for duct leakage and inappropriate refrigerant charge. If you size according to Manual J, there is already a fudge factor built in. But most designers then add another fudge factor.” According to Lstiburek, his experience proved that high-performance Building America homes in Las Vegas could have had HVAC systems sized at about 60% of Manual J. To be conservative, his team recommended installing systems sized at 80% of Manual J.

Does oversizing matter? There are strong arguments against routine oversizing of HVAC equipment. The best argument is simple: oversized equipment usually costs more than right-sized equipment. Oversized equipment suffers from short cycling. For example, an oversized furnace brings a home up to temperature quickly, and then shuts off. A few minutes later, it comes on again, only to shut off quickly.

Many homeowners find the see-saw sound of a short-cycling furnace to be annoying. When air conditioners short cycle, the units don't run long enough to achieve much dehumidification — at least in theory. (During the first few minutes of operation, an air conditioner cools a house. But not enough moisture has collected on the cold coil or on the pan below for any water to have actually gone down the drain.

When the air conditioner turns off, all of the moisture in the pan and on the coil just re-evaporates.) The conventional wisdom may be wrong, however Increasing evidence shows that energy experts have exaggerated the negative effects of equipment oversizing, however. Studies have confirmed that oversized furnaces don't use any more energy than right-sized furnaces. Moreover, newer modulating or two-speed furnaces operate efficiently under part-load conditions, solving any possible problems from furnace oversizing. Although there are ample reasons to believe that oversized air conditioners are less effective than right-sized equipment at dehumidification, was unable to measure any performance improvements or energy savings after replacing an existing oversized air conditioner with a new right-sized unit. The bottom line The main reason to choose right-sized equipment is to avoid paying too much money for equipment you don't need. A Manual J calculation will ensure you don't spend more than necessary for your furnace, boiler, or air conditioner. Moreover, a Manual J calculation will provide room-by-room heat loss and heat-gain information that is essential to good duct design.

Without good duct design, you're running the risk of comfort complaints. Last week’s blog. J first, then S, T, D by Allison A. Bailes III, PhD Great article, as always, Martin. Of course, there's always more you could've written, but you have to keep your articles from turning into books, so let me raise a few more points that didn't make the cut above. First, Manuals J & D don't stand alone. Once you get the loads (Manual J), you have to select equipment (Manual S) and work out some of the air distribution issues (Manual T) before designing the duct system (Manual D).

To do all this correctly, you have to understand air flow - static pressure, friction rates, net free area. As you pointed out, most HVAC contractors don't even understand J, much less S, T, or D. Second, one problem you didn't mention in regards to short cycling is the decreased equipment life. It's starting up and shutting down that causes most of the wear and tear, so short cycling equipment probably doesn't last as long. I haven't seen a study of that, though, so let me know if you're aware of one. Third, I learned from you over in the Q&A section here at GBA a while back about another FSEC study showing that. Of course, that comes from looking at only one part of the system - the equipment size - without considering the effect of the ducts.

Now, let me give you an example of right-sizing gone wrong. This was a spray foam insulated house with equipment put in according to Manual J loads, but the contractor didn't do anything different about the duct design than he usually does. Anatomy guide personal training. The cooling systems couldn't keep up in summer, however, with temperatures barely getting below 80 F with the units running continuously. I measured the air flow with a flow hood, and the 7 tons of equipment capacity was moving 5 tons worth of air - 2000 cfm instead of 2800 cfm. As with everything else in this field, you have to take a systems view and not focus on one detail. Response to John by Martin Holladay John, You wrote, 'I don't see how you can draw any conclusions' from the cited FSEC study.

In response, let me say that I draw exactly the conclusion that the Florida data support: replacing an existing oversized air conditioner with a new right-sized unit probably won't save energy or improve occupant comfort, unless duct location, duct leakage, and duct insulation problems are simultaneously addressed. We all owe a debt of gratitude to researchers.

Their data are essential to the advancement of building science. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Read the study and find out what it means. Response to Allison by Robert Latvala The scenario you layout is exactly what I am seeing with my HVAC contractor.

He runs manual S and J but that is as far as he will go. The attitude I get is that duct work will deliver the right amount of air no matter how it is run. I have recently been trying to put all of my duct work in conditioned areas. We build on crawl spaces so on a 2 story home the 1st floor ducts come up from a sealed crawl and on the 2nd floor ducts go between holes in floor trusses. We are seeing issues on the 2nd floor with comfort.

It feels humid even with the A/C running for long periods of time. We are using a 1.5 ton 14 SEER heat pump for about 1340 SF. The Manual J says the cooling load is about.8 tons. A 1.5 ton unit is the smallest available according to my contractor. I would suspect that I am losing air flow because of the way duct work is run through the trusses. Bends and branches in flex duct work without a plan.

If the unit was truly oversized I wouldn't think humidity would be an issue. I also need to consider that the Manual J has incorrect inputs in it. The home tested at 3 ACH and I received a HERS rating of 60. I am using batt insulation, house wrap, and caulking or filling around holes and cracks that penetrate the thermal envelope. Do you need some certfication to run these manual calculations? I am at a point where I would like to do my own for the piece mind that my contractors are the same. In the end it will be my problem if the unit doesn't operate correctly.

Response to Robert Latvala by Martin Holladay Robert, 1. Manual J and Manual D calculations are required by code. These calculations are necessary because they provide you with design airflows in CFM for each room. Every HVAC system needs to be commissioned. Commissioning includes measuring the airflow at the coil, and the airflow at each register in every room, to verify that the delivered cfm matches the design cfm. If your HVAC contractor skipped some of these steps, there's no way of knowing what's wrong with your system.

If your HVAC contractor can't step up to the plate, you'll have to hire a home performance contractor, an energy consultant, or an engineer to perform the necessary design work, verification testing, and equipment commissioning. Wisconsin study too by Michael Blasnik Martin- You might be interested in a fairly recent study by the Energy Center of Wisconsin where they swapped out an air conditioner for one of a different size and found no difference in energy use. It was part of a report summarizing A/C research work there that had lots of other interesting stuff. You can download it from their web site. A direct link is There is very little data to suggest significant energy savings from 'right-sizing' equipment.

Smaller equipment has some cost advantage but perhaps it's biggest benefit is that the previously undersized duct system is not as undersized when you install smaller equipment. Of all the ACCA manual's, I'd be most concerned with following D for comfort and probably energy efficiency. I'd be interested in any data people can find showing an impact on equipment lifespan, because I've heard that claim before but never seen any data to support it. Robert Latvala by Gene Wilhoit I have to chime in to note the system approach to these problems. A system that consists of a good air barrier, thermal barrier, and all HVAC inside the building envelope is the only way to acheive proper conditions for the manuel calculations to be totaly true.

With proper ventilation this would be the perfect building. First, the contractors do not have a clue about air barriers, they do not believe the attic should be sealed and fiberglass batt insulation is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

There is not a HVAC contractor in the country that can overcome all of these faults of the builder. In their defense, in the coastal southeast humidity you cannot expect a 55 degree coil in a 140 degree attic to not condensate profusely. The HVAC contractor knows that in these building conditions, if he follows manuel J he will get calls in the summer for too hot and calls in the winter for being too cold. The easy thing for him to do is oversize so he does not get these phone calls.

That is how it happens every day. If a 'system' is followed everybody contributes to the success of the 'system' instead of trying to blame one subcontractor (HVAC) for everybody elses shortcomings. United we build a workable system, divided we build pretty much as is common today. Oh yeah, Robert I was going to mention your exposed crawlspace as a major humidity source.

An encapsulated floor and duct system, or an encapsulated crawl space would act the same as a vapor barrier under a concrete slab. They all control the evaporation effect (humidity) from entering under a building Putting all HVAC equipment and ductwork in conditioned space not only extends the service life of the equipment, but the maintenance and energy savings are nothing to sneeze. Speaking of sneezing, an HVAC system inside the building envelope with a good air and thermal barrier and properly ventilated will leave you nothing to sneeze. Who should be responsible for calculating heat load by Andrew Henry I can understand that one would expect an HVAC contractor do a manual J calculation when retrofitting a furnace/air conditioner. But I don't think they should be the one determining heat load for new construction.

Shouldn't it be a requirement that new homes/buildings be designed with the heat load in mind right from the start? Kind of like Passive House! An artifact of the architect/designer/builder's design is the heat load.

God forbid we still think it is acceptable that a designer be able to go through the design process for a building without knowing what the heat load is when they come out the other end of an iterative design process? Designers/architects probably still aren't using pen and paper to design buildings. If the designer can design the building using software they ought also to be able to resolve the buildings heat load as well. It seems everyone is letting off the designer of the building a little to easily. I third this sentiment by j chesnut Heating systems design, both the determination of the heat load and the design of the distribution system, are best done as the thermal envelope and the room layout of the house are being designed.

As Hunter said some architects/designers are already taking on this responsibility and I have seen schematic approach integrated into some architecture courses at universities. When we design custom homes at our office we use CAD software that creates a virtual 3D model. It is very convenient to pull the necessary quantities required for the calculations.

Also different systems can be overlayed (structural, electrical, mechanical, etc) to visualize for conflicts and efficiencies. My understanding is that Manual J, Manual D and the HERS system are based on ASHRAE heat load calculations. ASHRAE heat load calcs are simplified to not account for solar or internal heat gains (although I think ASHRAE cooling calcs do). What is the best software tool for American designers? I don't think HERS is rigorous enough. The Passivhaus PHPP is German import and I am unable to understand it 100% because it references German standards that are not translated into English. I don't know if PHIUS (the US Passivhaus institute) has the capacity to provide the support necessary to have the PHPP be consistently used in the American market.

The PHPP works very well when you can use European components (windows, ventilation equipment) that have been certified by the Passivhaus Institute. Its a little bit of approximation when domestic equipment is used. We need a fully developed and supported American PHPP. What institute will head this? The grassroots PHIUS that is an embassy for PHI?

I think this should fall on ASHRAE's lap but this becomes a turf war between the architects and HVAC contractors. Manuals & HVAC Design by Armando Cobo In almost all jobs I design we get a Mechanical Engineer involved to do all manuals and design the HVAC the right way. As a rule I never let the HVAC contractor do that work. An ME is an independent, third party designer who is not biased to oversize the system and with his designs my clients get much better bids.

I can count in one hand the HVAC contractors capable/willing to do the correct calculations and design in 12+ years of designing high performing homes. Armado, Do you employ ME's on by Hunter Dendy Armado, Do you employ ME's on residential projects or just commercial? I've found it difficult to bring another engineer's fees into the mix on residential. I think that would be the way to go if my clients would agree. I agree with J chestnut that we need much better energy/envelope modeling software.

Remrate is fine, but it doesn't take into account enough about the actual geometry of the house. I would like to see more rigorous solar studies on the model to determine heat gains.

ME & Manuals by Armando Cobo Hunter, I do use a ME on all residential projects. You may have to shop around; when we first started, prices where pretty high ($1.00/sf +), but they came down in the last 10 years or so. Now that the market is bad, prices have come down even more. Now it’s around $0.50 per sf in NM. In TX I did found an HVAC contractor to use his ME but it took four calculations and redesigns and a “come to Jesus” meeting for them to agree to do it correctly. I do review all work before the Builder/Customer makes the final decision. Supply and Demand will work on lower prices.

It is my experience that I get much smaller equipment, better duct design (4 manuals), higher quality installation inspected by the ME and a final commissioning and balancing of the system. In climates where humidification and dehumidification is highly needed, you should run Manual P. If you use Heat pumps, Manual H. If you use Hydronic, Manual GAMA H22. If you are zoning, Manual RS. By James Morgan Here in central NC we've been beating the drum on right-sized mechanicals for decades now and I've never once heard the claim that the intent of the right-sizing approach was energy savings. The Florida study could not be more irrelevant to the true issue here which is maintaining indoor air quality through proper dehumidification and reducing opportunities for condensation and mold growth within the conditioned envelope.

This study was conducted on homes with terminally compromised thermal/hygric enclosures. As a cautionary tale of why you shouldn't expect miraculous results from poorly conceived piecemeal upgrades it has some value but I'd hate to see it quoted as a reason NOT to apply best-practice engineering to mechanical systems in properly built homes. Another complication - heat pumps by John Semmelhack In heat pump territory (such as here in Virginia), 'right-sizing' heat pumps might be leading to an overall increase in energy use. Heat pump systems are sized to the cooling load.

If the design heat load is greater than the capacity of the heat pump at design temperatures, then an electric resistance heater kit is added to the system to make up the difference. I'm seeing a lot of cases where 'right-sized' heat pumps are quite a bit undersized for the heating load, thereby leading to an increase in the use of the inefficient electric resistance heater. Behold the recent case of an Energy Star house I rated where the heat pump was 'right-sized' to match the cooling load, but at design heating conditions, was only able to satisfy about 25% of the load.

The other 75% of the load was handled by electric resistance heating. This is not a good way to save energy. Verifying Manual J by RichK I believe there are many reasons contractors don’t provide quality Manual J’s.

I have herd so estimate that 80% of the residential HVAC change out market is not permitted. If true it’s not hard to figure out why many don’t do them. Poorly done Manual J’s usually stem from a lack of training and/or review.

Educated homeowners and contractors should insist they get a copy of the manual j before they give any deposits. I recommend you review some of the basics it’s not very hard or time consuming. I have included links to ACCA’s site that should help anyone trying to review the manuals for accuracy. Manual J Verification (For Inspectors) Manual D Verification (For Inspectors) Manual S Verification (For Inspectors) Understanding and Using the HVAC Design Review Form Illustrated Example One Illustrated Example Two Some basic issues I see every day that are incorrectly reported on Manual J’s; design temperatures, area and volume, duct system location, insulation values, window areas, orientation, ventilation systems, infiltration rates. Most of these are easy to spot with a quick review. The only way we can expect the industry to get better is by raising the bar.

If you don’t insist on getting a proper Manual J you probably won’t. The contractor that wants to charge thousands more to do a Manual D makes me chuckle. If the contractor has invested in software to do the calculations its nothing more then a few mouse clicks. It just proves he is ignorant about the technology. Passive House by Greg Duncan j, Hunter: I agree that architects should be more involved in calculating heat and cooling loads as part of a systematic design process. The Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) allows architects to do this with some training.

I don't think it's necessary to have a separate American version. There is some tweaking that could make it easier for us in the US. For example, allowing direct input of NFRC data for windows. The US Department of Energy evaluates building energy modeling software and has this to say about PHPP: PHPP calculates energy demand for buildings. It is compatible with international norms (ISO 13790) and well validated with dynamic simulation tools as well as with measured data. It is especially adapted to high-performance buildings and can be used to prove Passive House requirements. The planning package comprises many tools specifically useful for the design of high-performance buildings.

The Passive House Planning (Design) Package (PHPP) includes: energy calculations (incl. R or U-values) design of window specifications design of the indoor air quality ventilation system sizing of the heating load sizing of the cooling load forecasting for summer comfort sizing of the heating and domestic hot water (DHW) systems calculations of auxiliary electricity, primary energy requirements: (circulation pumps, etc.), as well as projection of CO2 emissions verifying calculation proofs of KfW and EnEV (Europe) Climate Data Sheet: Climate regions may be selected from over 200 locations in Europe and North America. User-defined data can also be used. Lot of tools useful in the design of passive houses, e.g.

A calculation tool to determine internal heat loads, data tables for primary energy factors a comprehensive handbook, not only introducing PHPP use, but also highlights crucial topics to be considered in Passive House design. Strengths energy design and thermal comfort for high performance buildings, esp.

Passive houses Weaknesses Multizonal dynamic building simulation for buildings with large glazing areas (solar gains) and/or high need of control. Missing the forest for the trees, or the ducts for the equipment by Dan Perunko I always feel like the growing body of research that shows oversizing to be unimportant is oversimplified. In your next blog you comment on the energy saving available by using a smaller blower, do we leave that out when discussing condensing unit sizing? Also are we discussing correctly installed systems vs correctly installed systems? If so then the oversized system will require significantly larger ducts, which are much more difficult to run well through a truss system or a chase. It seems to me that right sizing is significantly easier and more effective.

My company is a small home performance company in california and we are undersizing manual J on all our jobs. Our average system works out to be about 1000 square feet per ton, we are able to guarnetee even comfort and low opperating cost. All of this is possible in part because the smaller equipment allows us to build duct systems that we can fit into the houses.

What would you rather install a 12' duct or a 20' duct? Sizing is important for furnaces, too by David Butler Studies have confirmed that oversized furnaces don't use any more energy than right-sized furnaces.

That depends. Unless the furnace and duct system are located inside the envelope, the heat absorbed by the mass of the system will be lost to unconditioned space every time the system cycles off. Due to higher temperature differential, this is a bigger issue for furnaces than for air conditioners and heat pumps.

As you point out in the blog, oversized equipment can also lead to comfort issues. This is especially true for furnaces In high performance homes, where gross oversizing is not uncommon.

If a furnace only runs 20 minutes out of the hour on a design day, perimeter zones will experience significant temperature droop before the thermostat 'sees' the load (the longer the off cycle, the more pronounced the droop). Under part-load conditions, a furnace's minimum run-time logic causes the opposite problem - overshoot. In warmer climates, heat pumps are ideal for high performance homes because they operate continuously at high loads and are unlikely to cause overshoot at part loads. The key is to design the shell so that supplemental heat is minimized. In homes with poor insulation, non-existent air barrier and leaky ducts in the attic, a heat pump may not be the best choice. Moreover, newer modulating or two-speed furnaces operate efficiently under part-load conditions, solving any possible problems from furnace oversizing. But at a significant price premium.

A properly sized single-stage furnace will not overshoot at part load. BTW, if the smallest available furnace that can carry the cooling load is more than 150% of the design load, then a gas-fired hydronic coil may be the best option, assuming natural gas is available. The main reason to choose right-sized equipment is to avoid paying too much money for equipment you don't need. You make all the right arguments and then drop this bomb? Notwithstanding your Aug 22 comment, this conclusion steals the thunder from your article. In full disclosure, I earn my living providing 3rd-party HVAC design services for high performance homes.

Manual S Calculation Software

For a qualitative, yet exhaustive look at oversizing, see my 2009 RESNET presentation on HVAC for high performance homes: David Butler optimalbuilding.com. Response to David Butler by Martin Holladay David, 1. I stand by my statement that 'Studies have confirmed that oversized furnaces don't use any more energy than right-sized furnaces.' If you can cite a study that shows significant energy savings attributable to replacing an existing oversized furnace with a new right-sized furnace, I'd love to read it.

Your hypothetical savings are predicated on cases where the furnace and duct system are located outside the thermal envelope. Of course, substantial savings accrue from moving a furnace and ductwork from an unconditioned attic or garage to within a home's conditioned space. The GBA Web site has consistently emphasized the importance of this fact. (To those of us who live in the Northeast or the upper Midwest, it's always astonishing to imagine that anyone would by nutty enough to put a furnace in an unconditioned attic.) But don't attribute these obvious available energy savings to right-sizing; these savings are due to obeying the important principle of locating the HVAC equipment and ductwork where they belong.

I agree that a single-stage furnace is often the best option, and that the upgrade to a two-stage furnace doesn't always pencil out (in terms of energy savings). You quote my article - 'The main reason to choose right-sized equipment is to avoid paying too much money for equipment you don't need' - and then append a comment: 'You make all the right arguments and then drop this bomb?' It's not a bomb; it's true. I'm a strong believer in energy conservation, but I also believe that it's important for energy consultants to base their advice on data.

Cite studies if you have them. HVAC contractor got defensive by Michael Schonlau I met with an HVAC contractor and my builder the other day.

When I brought up my requirement to have Manual J and a Manual D calculations done prior to me making a final decision on any equipment, the HVAC rep literally told me I could 'wipe my a!@ with a Manual J' and that it didn't provide any useful real world info. Instead, the two HVAC reps asked me for the square footage of my home and threw out 'that will probably need 3-1/2 ton equipment'. They didn't even know anything about my wall/roof construction, R-values, windows, or overall approach to energy conservation. The meeting was very disappointing. Manual J vs BEOpt vs PHPP by Ethan T; Climate Zone 5A; 6000HDD OK, so I've designed a house to be pretty well insulated (PGH), we will shoot for passive house level airtightness. I had a PHPP that needs to be updated and recently ran a new BEOpt that informs me that max heating load can be met with a 9Kbtu Minisplit or equivalent.

I had assumed we were going to do a classic 1 or 2 head Minisplit system or heat the whole place with the Minotair + electic resistnace + wood stove through cold spells. HVAC contractor ran Manual J – RHVAC (who knows what data he put in for insulation and airtightness) and came back with 2 ton Carrier Greenspeed Modulating inverter heat pump system.

Manual S Calculation Software

I quote: 'the load was 25,350' I'm assuming that's 25,350kBtu? Something seems wrong here. PS - Process note: would this be better as its own Q&A post? It seemed relavent here, but is maybe a separate issue than the original topic.