Our Builder Services division, Environmental Building
Solutions (EBS), offers HVAC load analysis and consulting
services.
EBS HVAC Services Include:
-
Accurate load calculation
performed by an HVAC Engineer and EBS Home Performance
Specialist.
-
Individualized home summary
report with recommendations.
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Hourly Glazing Load graph for
each zone, showing how house orientation affects hourly heat
gain from windows.
-
Telephone consultation with
builder to discuss summary report and recommendations
Pricing Schedule.
-
Base price for room-by-room
analysis.
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Discount when CAD files are
provided.
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Discount for larger homes.
-
Repeats on same plan, new
orientation.
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Equipment sizing and selection
(Manual S);
Includes telephone consultation with HVAC subcontractor and
a room airflow report.
-
Additional HVAC design
consultation.
SIX
reasons why "right sizing" is so important for air conditioning
1) Excess capacity means higher first-costs for HVAC and
electrical systems
2) An oversized compressor has a shorter life expectancy.
As with any motor, starting and stopping causes far more wear
than steady-state operation. An oversized compressor will have a
shorter average run-time and thus will wear out sooner.
3) Excess capacity causes comfort issues in two ways: a)
Shorter cycle times cause wider temperature swings ("overshoot")
and b) Short cycles greatly reduce system's ability to remove
moisture, thus increasing indoor relative humidity. It's a
well-known phenomenon that high relative humidity (over 60%) can
cause discomfort
4) Excess capacity leads to higher energy costs in three
ways: a) System efficiency drops off dramatically as cycle time
decreases and b) System efficiency drops as indoor relative
humidity increases. Homeowners often turn down the thermostat to
compensate for higher relative humidity levels
5) High relative humidity can lead to mildew and mold growth.
6) Larger compressors and blowers create more noise.
Why contract with
EBS to do load calculations?
-
All load calculations and
consultations are performed by an Engineer
-
EBS has no vested interest in
selling equipment
-
We obtain accurate details of
home plans and specifications when analyzing the home's load
characteristics
-
Our load analysis procedures
are performed room-by-room and are based on the 8th Edition
of Manual J
MJ8 represents the most extensive overhaul of load
calculation methodology in over 20 years,
yet many of those performing residential load calculations
are still using previous methods
-
EBS is in the best position to
characterize the energy impacts of other Builder Energy Star
upgrades and EBS provided services such as computer home
energy modeling, air sealing, duct sealing, sealed crawl
space, etc.
Note: For permits issued after
July 1, 2006, Energy Star requires Raters (EBS) to verify that
AC systems are sized
according to an accepted load calculation method. EBS will
either perform load calculations or review load reports
provided by others to ensure system capacity does not exceed the
load by more than 15% or next available size.
