Chapter 3

Heating and Cooling-Load

Calculations

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Sub Topics
Introduction
Heat load calculations
Annual heating energy demand
Transients

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Heating Load Calculation
Heating load calculations involves three
different types of calculations:
• Heat load calculations – Used to design the
heating system
• Annual heating energy demand – Used to
determine the amount of energy needed
• Transients – Used to investigate time
dependent response of house and heating
system
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Heat load(Demand) calculations

Used to design the heating system

*what is the maximum heat load the heating

system has to be able to deliver?
How many radiators
How large radiators
Heat source requirement

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Heat Losses

 Transmission losses – Through walls,

floor
roof, windows, doors
 Ventilation losses – Heat lost by
introduction of cooler ambient air to the
heated space
 Infiltration losses – Heat lost by leakage
of cooler ambient air into the house

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On what does the losses depend?
 Indoor and outdoor temperature
Area of walls, floor, roof, windows, doors
 Insulation of walls, floor, roof, windows,
doors
Ventilation and infiltration flow rates

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Transmission heat losses

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Ventilation heat losses

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Infiltration losses
Pressure difference between the indoors
and outdoors cause leakage through
cracks near windows, doors, and corners
of the house.
 Usually the leakage is around 0.1-0.3
ACH for new houses, and 0.5-1.5 ACH
for old houses.
 The heat losses are calculated as the
ventilation heat losses with the new
volumetric flow rate.
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Heat Gains
People – Each human being dissipates
about 100 W/person
 Electric appliances and lighting – Heat
losses in appliances are dissipated in the
heated space.
 Solar irradiation – Heat gained by
transmission of sunlight through windows
(mainly)

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Cont….
Use a time averaged mean value of the
heat gained for people and electrical
appliances
 All Electrical appliances are not used at
the same time!

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Solar irradiation
What does the heat gain from solar
irradiation depend on?
 Depend on:
- Location of the house (Latitude,
Longitude)
- Orientation of the house (N, E, S, W…)
- Optical properties of the windows
- Window area

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Cont…

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Heat Load Equation

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Annual Heating Energy Demand

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Cont…

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Cont…

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Cont…

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Transients
If,for example, the outdoor temperature
suddenly changes, the indoor temperature
will also be affected.
However, the indoor temperature change
will be dampened by the thermal mass of
the building.

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Cont….

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COOLING LOAD
CALCULATION

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Cooling load equation

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Cont….
 Solar irradiation, heat dissipated from
people, and heat losses from electric
appliances are always heat gains!
 Heat gains due to transmission,
ventilation, and infiltration are dependent
on temperature gradient and are heat
gains if tindoor < toutdoor!

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Heat gains
Heat gains from people depends on the
number of people, and their activity.
Heat gains from electrical appliances are
the sum of their heat losses at a given
point in time.

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Cont….
Heat gains from solar irradiation
consists of two parts; irradiation
transmitted through windows, and
increased heat transmission through
walls.

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Cont….

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Heat gains

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Heat gains

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Heat gains

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