HVAC Sizing Methodology for Insulated Concrete
Homes (February, 2004, 58 p.)
The objective of this work was to compile available information
regarding energy use in concrete homes, develop additional
information as needed, and use this information to develop
a methodology to properly size heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning
(HVAC) equipment for concrete homes in the US and Canada.
The authors prepared a literature review on thermal performance
of insulated concrete walls and on sizing HVAC equipment in
residential construction. The literature review, attached
as Appendix A, identifies and briefly summarizes published
information on (i) thermophysical properties of concrete and
concrete walls, (ii) thermal behavior of concrete walls, including
work performed to support the development of energy codes,
(iii) general information on sizing HVAC equipment independent
of construction type, and (iv) sizing HVAC equipment for insulated
concrete homes. Appendix B is a summary of thermal mass in
concrete and masonry.
The authors developed an Excel-based program intended for
use by residential contractors to estimate the required heating
and cooling system capacity for single-family concrete homes.
The capacity is based on a user-defined thermostat set point,
the house dimensions, construction materials, and location
(US and Canada). The program uses the DOE2.1E (Winkelmann,
2002) program modules to determine energy loads for equipment
sizing. A recent version of Microsoft Excel for Windows (such
as Excel 97, 2000, or XP) is required to use the program.
The program User’s Manual is attached as Appendix C.
The software developed for this report is available from
the Portland Cement Association. The software is in their
Residential Catalog as CD044 HVAC Sizing software for
Concrete Homes and is available at www.concretehomes.com
or www.cement.org.
|
| 
