[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”329″ img_size=”360×170″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Relative Heating and Air is in the business of building science and engineering. We perform critical calculations that help us assign a quantifiable value to a buildings ability to resist the tendency to gain or lose heat through the various seasons in your geographic location. By entering the elements of the home with specific values that rate those elements energy transmissivity among other characteristics, we are able to develop a complete picture of how the home will perform with regards to energy efficiency. These elements include things such as insulation values, window efficiency, orientation to the sun, among many others. The results of this effort yield a result noted in terms of BTUs/hour.
A person’s metabolism will determine how they burn energy. That energy is replaced when a person consumes food and nutrition. If a balance is not struck, that person will either gain wait (too much intake) or lose weight and become ill (too little intake).
A home heating and cooling system performs very similarly. The ideal scenario is that the system is designed such that just as heat leaves your home in the winter, your system adds that same amount of heat to the home, thus holding a balance of interior conditions. The same holds true for the warm season when heat comes into your home from the outside, and your cooling system tries to remove that same amount of heat. The goal of our service is to ensure these values for your home are accurate so that the best system can be selected to best match the BTU loss or gain of your home.
The Relative Heating and Air calculation is the part where we measure the calories (BTUs) of the HVAC system we put in to match the house’s rate of energy transfer. Every AC unit is rated in tons (BTUs per hour). There 12,000 BTUs in a ton. Therefore, if the manufacturer considers a system to be 2 tons, then it is considered to have 24,000 BTUs of capacity. Manufacturers build an extensive list that shows collected data for every combination of indoor and outdoor unit they produce and how they perform with each other in nearly all possible combinations. This data is usually provided at what are called nominal outdoor conditions. These outdoor conditions may be different from the climate conditions where you live. Therefore, it is possible to expand the rating conditions to account for even higher or lower climate conditions than the nominal ratings. Ultimately this will clarify if a particular piece of equipment is capable offsetting the calculated load needed to maintain the conditions in your home. Believe it or not, these nominal rating conditions are those of Harrisburg Pennsylvania. which is the chosen reference city used by all manufacturers that report equipment performance and efficiency to the voluntary rating organization called AHRI. Where the average summer temperature is higher than Harrisburg PA, we must decrease the rating, or take away from the nominal rated capacity. If the humidity is higher than Harrisburg Pennsylvania then we must also remove rated capacity of the equipment’s ability to remove humidity in the summer time. That is a crucial adjustment that most HVAC contractors don’t even know about. Finding this ideal match is of utmost importance when it comes to ensuring the chosen system is the right match for your home or business.
Once a proper selection of equipment is complete, we must assess the ductwork design to ensure it is capable of supplying enough airflow to each room to properly heat and cool them. It is scarily common ductwork to be designed approx. 25% smaller than is needed. In most cases erroneous myths and traditional rule of thumb work from the HVAC industry result in these poor practices.
Bottom line:
When the building envelope is super insulated the HVAC game changes radically. If your home has enough nominal tons installed to equal a ratio of 500 sq. ft. per ton, then it is most likely design based on tradition rather than good science.
If the equipment is over-sized by more than about ten to fifteen percent of the required design then you most likely do not have proper humidity control where you live.
If you have questions about this, or would like to considering partnering with us on your next project, please don’t hesitate to give us a call and we will discuss how we can best serve your needs.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]