Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation Strategies in Passive House Design
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On a Path to Zero Energy Construction: Passive House & Building Workshop Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation Strategies in Passive House Design John Semmelhack www.think-little.com AGENDA o HVAC goals o Heating, Cooling, Dehumidification o Ventilation o Single-family, mixed-humid climate focus HVAC GOALS o We don’t build buildings in order to save energy o Our first job is to provide comfort! o Indoor Air Quality – first, do no harm HEAT – COOL – DEHU AGENDA o PHIUS heating + cooling load standards o Load calculations o Equipment selection o Supplemental dehumidification? o Duct design PHIUS HEATING + COOLING METRICS PHIUS HEATING + COOLING METRICS For a 2,500ft2 house: 10,000 Btu/hr heating load 12,250 Btu/hr cooling load “1-ton” LOAD CALCULATIONS* Why do we do load calcs? * aka “Peak loads” or “Design Loads” LOAD CALCULATIONS Why do we do load calcs? Prior to selecting equipment, we need to know how much heat we need to add or remove in order to maintain comfort during peak/design conditions. We’d like to pick equipment that’s neither too small (bad comfort) nor too big (higher cost and bad comfort) ……but just right! LOAD CALCULATIONS Three loads: 1. Heating 2. Sensible cooling 3. Latent cooling (aka dehumidification) LOAD CALCULATIONS Three loads: 1. Heating 2. Sensible cooling 3. Latent cooling LOAD CALCULATION METHODS Manual J o Room-by-room or block load o Typically uses 1% and 99% ASHRAE design temperatures o Incorporates solar and internal gains for cooling, but not for heating o Thermal mass/lag is accounted for in solar gains. The calculated peak solar gains are typically in the ballpark of 80-90% of the daytime average o Latent load calculation? YES! FACT SHEET FOR PH LOADS Heating loads in Passive Houses are driven mostly by envelope performance and delta-T Sensible cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven almost entirely by solar gains and internal gains Latent cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven almost entirely by ventilation gains and internal gains All houses will experience part-load sensible with peak latent on some days (cloudy + humid) FACT SHEET FOR PH LOADS Heating loads in Passive Houses are driven by envelope performance and delta-T Sensible cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven almost entirely by solar gains and internal gains Latent cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven almost entirely by ventilation gains and internal gains All houses will experience part-load sensible with peak latent on some days (cloudy + humid) FACT SHEET FOR PH LOADS Sensible cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven almost entirely by solar gains and internal gains In some situations, peak solar gains can occur outside of the summer months! Dynamic/hourly calculation is probably needed for houses with excessive south glazing Solar gains can be reduced by : o Reducing window area o Lower SHGC o Better shading – especially operable/moveable o FACT SHEET FOR PH LOADS Heating loads in Passive Houses are driven by envelope performance and delta-T Sensible cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven almost entirely by solar gains and internal gains Latent cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven almost entirely by ventilation gains and internal gains All houses will experience part-load sensible with peak latent on some days (cloudy + humid) FACT SHEET FOR PH LOADS Latent cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven entirely by ventilation gains and internal gains Assuming a fixed climate, internal gains and ventilation rate, the only option to reduce latent gains is to increase the moisture transfer rate on an ERV! FACT SHEET FOR PH LOADS Heating loads in Passive Houses are driven by envelope performance and delta-T Sensible cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven almost entirely by solar gains and internal gains Latent cooling loads in Passive Houses are driven almost entirely by ventilation gains and internal gains All houses will experience part-load sensible with peak latent on some days (cloudy + humid) FACT SHEET FOR PH LOADS All houses will experience part-load sensible with peak latent on some days (cloudy + humid) It’s useful to calculate the sensible heat ratio (SHR) for both peak sensible conditions (high solar gain) and part- load sensible conditions (low solar gain). Manual J doesn’t do this. Controlled dehumidification may be needed. EXAMPLE HOUSE 30x30x20 – 1,800ft2 3-bed house with moderately-heavy south glazing and “OK” overhangs… overhangs not shown! LOAD CALCULATIONS – Manual J LOAD CALCULATIONS – Manual J LOAD CALCULATIONS – Room loads (Manual J) LOAD CALCULATIONS – Room loads (Manual J) Approx. 2 sleeping children + 1 LED nightlight LOAD CALCULATIONS – Room loads (Manual J) Less than 50% of the lowest output on the smallest available mini-split LOAD CALCULATIONS – Room loads (Manual J) How much non-ducted cooling can you get through an open door on the 2nd floor? LOAD CALCULATIONS – Room loads (Manual J) How much non-ducted cooling can you get through an open closed door on the 2nd floor? EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION Manual J loads: Heating: 7,934 btu/hr Sensible Cooling: 9,020 btu/hr Latent Cooling: 1,641 btu/hr o Is there appropriate equipment available for these loads? o Do we need supplemental or backup heat? o Do we need supplemental dehumidification? EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION Manual J loads: Heating: 7,934 btu/hr Sensible Cooling: 9,020 btu/hr Latent Cooling: 1,641 btu/hr o How much money should we spend on equipment that provides just $100-200* worth of heat/cool per year? *energy cost o How do we make a choice? EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION Start with nominal- rated-nameplate capacity Manual J loads: As low as As low as Heating: 7,934 Btu/hr 18,000 Btu/hr 9,000 Btu/hr (1.5 tons) Sensible Cooling: 9,020 Btu/hr (3/4 ton) Latent Cooling: 1,641 Btu/hr EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION What about multi-splits? Manual J loads: Heating: 7,934 Btu/hr Sensible Cooling: 9,020 Btu/hr Latent Cooling: 1,641 Btu/hr EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION What about multi-splits? Manual J loads: Rated + minimum capacities as low as: Heating: 7,934 Btu/hr 18,000 - 8,000 Btu/hr for 2-head systems Sensible Cooling: 9,020 Btu/hr 24,000 - 13,000 Btu/hr for 3-head systems Latent Cooling: 1,641 Btu/hr 36,000 - 13,000 Btu/hr for 4-head systems EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION Isn’t oversizing “ok” for mini-splits? NREL lab testing shows 20- 40% decrease in COP when units cycle on and off when load is below minimum capacity! Manual J loads: Rated + minimum capacities as low as: Heating: 7,934 Btu/hr Sensible Cooling: 9,020 Btu/hr 18,000 - 8,000 Btu/hr for 2-head systems Latent Cooling: 1,641 Btu/hr 24,000 - 13,000 Btu/hr for 3-head systems 36,000 - 13,000 Btu/hr for 4-head systems EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION In most single-family Passive Houses, standard heat pumps and multi-splits are too oversized for the loads. Low-capacity single mini-splits become the “choice” Manual J loads: Rated + minimum capacities Heating: 7,934 Btu/hr as low as 9,000 - 3,000* Btu/hr Sensible Cooling: 9,020 Btu/hr Latent Cooling: 1,641 Btu/hr *~5,000-6,000 Btu/hr according to NREL EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION How much capacity do they have at my design temperatures? Need expanded performance data (aka “engineering data” or “capacity tables”) EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION Manual J loads: Heating @ 1F : 7,934 Btu/hr Sensible Cooling @ 89F DB : 9,020 Btu/hr Latent Cooling @ 73F WB: 1,641 Btu/hr EQUIPMENT SIZING + SELECTION Manual J loads: Heating @ 1F : 7,934 Btu/hr Sensible Cooling @ 89F DB : 9,020 Btu/hr Latent Cooling @ 73F WB: 1,641 Btu/hr 63 SUPPLEMENTAL & BACKUP HEAT Supplemental heat needed here SUPPLEMENTAL & BACKUP HEAT Supplemental heat needed here Excess heating capacity! SUPPLEMENTAL DEHUMIDIFICATION? All houses will experience part-load sensible with peak latent on some days (cloudy + humid) It’s useful to calculate the sensible heat ratio (SHR) for both peak sensible conditions (high solar gain) and part- load sensible conditions (low solar gain). Manual J doesn’t do this. Controlled dehumidification may be needed. SUPPLEMENTAL DEHUMIDIFICATION? Ducted or floor-standing “standard” dehumidifiers http://www.thermastor.com/Ultra-Aire-70/ DUCT DESIGN: FAN POWER + STATIC PRESSURE Ways to cut static pressure: o Lower velocity / larger duct o Aerodynamic fittings o Shorter lengths of straight duct FAN POWER + STATIC PRESSURE Ways to cut static pressure: o Lower velocity / larger duct o Aerodynamic fittings o Shorter lengths of straight duct FAN POWER + STATIC PRESSURE Ways to cut static pressure: o Lower velocity / larger duct o Aerodynamic fittings o Shorter lengths of straight duct 400 0.03 ~90% less pressure drop = 30W less fan power at air handler = 3,000kWh savings over life of duct system FAN POWER + STATIC PRESSURE Ways to cut static pressure: o Lower velocity / larger duct o Aerodynamic fittings o Shorter lengths of straight duct 80’EL 900fpm FAN POWER + STATIC PRESSURE Ways to cut static pressure: o Lower velocity / larger duct o Aerodynamic fittings o Shorter lengths of straight duct 80’EL 900fpm 900fpm FAN POWER + STATIC PRESSURE Ways to cut static pressure: o Lower velocity / larger duct o Aerodynamic fittings o Shorter lengths of straight duct 80’EL 900fpm 15’EL 900fpm FAN POWER + STATIC PRESSURE Ways to cut static pressure: oLower velocity / larger duct oAerodynamic fittings oShorter lengths of straight duct There’s very little “low hanging fruit” left in a passive house! This is one piece… FAN POWER + STATIC PRESSURE Ways to cut static pressure: oLower velocity / larger duct oAerodynamic fittings