Technology Solutions Case Study: Low-Load Space-Conditioning Needs Assessment
Low-load options in the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) market are limited, so many new-construction housing units are being fitted with oversized equipment that results in penalties in system efficiency, comfort, and cost. To bridge the gap between currently available HVAC equipment and the rising demand for low-load HVAC equipment in the marketplace, HVAC equipment manufacturers need to be fully aware of the needs of the multifamily building and attached single-family home markets. Over the past decade, Steven Winter Associates, Inc. has provided certification and consulting services for hundreds of housing projects and has accrued a large pool of data that describe multifamily and attached single-family home characteristics. In this project, the research team Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) compiled and analyzed the data from 941 low-load buildings in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions to outline the heating and cooling design load characteristics of low-load dwellings. Within this data set, CARB found that only 1% of the dwellings had right-sized (within 25% of design load) heating equipment and 6% had right-sized cooling equipment.
- Research Organization:
- Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings; CARB
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Building Technologies Office (EE-5B) (Building America)
- OSTI ID:
- 1220519
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/GO-102015-4671; 7137
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Low-Load Space Conditioning Needs Assessment
Low-Load Space Conditioning Needs Assessment
Related Subjects
Residential Buildings
CARB
Building America
Low-load
Multifamily
Dwellings
SWA
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings
Steven Winter Associates
All-electric HVAC options
Air-source heat pumps
Construction type
Heating loads
Heating capacity
Cooling loads
Cooling capacity
Right-sized
Over-sized
HVAC
Space conditioning loads
Equipment selection