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sustainable home
sustainable home

climate control

definitions

Quantity

CFM: cubic feet per minute, flow rate

Energy

Watt-hour (Wh): a measure of electrical energy equivalent to a power consumption of one watt for one hour

British Thermal Units (BTU): amount of energy necessary to raise the temperature of one amount of water from 60F to 61F

MBH: thousands BTU’s per hour

Efficiency:

Coefficient of Performance (COP): ratio of thermal output (heating or cooling) to energy input

energy modeling

Yearly weather profile

Operating schedules

Building envelope conditions

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Building Energy Modeling 101: HVAC Design and Operation Use Case⁠

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Modeling and Simulation of Residential HVAC Systems Energy Consumption⁠

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% savings=1-SEERcurrentSEERcurrent*100%

*only applies if rated cooling output and operating schedules remain the same after upgrade, otherwise energy consumption in kWh must be calculated separately for existing and projected running conditions

air conditioning

types

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Ductless Mini-Split⁠

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Energy Saver 101 Infographic: Home Cooling⁠

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10 Questions to Ask Before Repairing or Replacing Your Air Conditioner⁠

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Energy Star Most Efficient 2020 (AC and Air Source Heat Pumps)⁠

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Coolant

R-410a: new standard, more efficient, no ozone damage, higher pressures (requires tougher, more durable parts, increasing life of system)

R-22 (freon): old standard, illegal in any system manufactured after 2010, no longer imported or manufactured after 2020. Less energy efficient (heat transfer), contributes to depletion of ozone, rising prices.

Metrics

Efficiency: ratio of cooling output (BTU) to heating input (watt-hours) (unit = BTU/Wh)

Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER): fixed set of operating conditions (Tindoor = 80F, Toutdoor = 95F, relative humidity = 50%)

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER): averages performance across a range of outdoor temperatures typical of the cooling season.

Degradation

Estimated Capacity: BTU/Hr

US DOE: 3% degradation for unmaintained, 1% for completely maintained systems

Florida Test: median 5.2%

degradation=-0.0454+0.00269(Age)+0.030(Tons)-0.00127(SEER)

Degradation = -0.0454

heating

Metrics

Efficiency:

Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF): analogous to SEER, applies for heat pumps in heating mode only

SEER: describes heat pumps during cooling season

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE): used for combustion-based appliances (boilers, furnaces), ratio of effective heating output to total energy contained in the fuel consumed

Cannot compare w/ the HSPF. Would have to estimate yearly running costs,

comparing the cost of the fuel consumed by the boiler or heater w/ the cost of the electricity consumed by the heat pump⁠

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recycling

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LA City Sanitation⁠

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plastic film

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PlasticFilmRecycling.org⁠

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drop off locations⁠

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