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Buildings and Their Systems

  1. Heating & Cooling Efficiency Applications 

Up to 50 percent of your home's energy costs may be going directly to heating and cooling. To get the most out of a heating and cooling unit a couple things need to be in order that a regular HVAC contractor may not typically check for, which gives you the differentiation advantage.

  1. Sized correctly. Units that are over or under sized can cause major comfort issues along with high energy bills.  The thumb rule to sizing HVAC units does not work in home performance.  A Manual J load calculation should be done on the home to determine the correct size unit.  Manual J takes into account the windows, insulation, orientation and lots of other factors.  Manual D is used to ductwork sizing.  An experienced tech may have a good idea of the sizing requirements but some exploring is always necessary.  High efficiency, dual stage units that are not set properly can also increase a homeowners energy bill. 
  2. Static pressure measurements. Static pressure measures the airflow on the supply and return side. A high static reading is bad on both supply and return ducts. High supply static means that there are restrictions somewhere in the duct system that is causing the air to backflow against itself. Restrictions can be caused by stamped faced registers, undersized duct work, kinks, and from interior doors being closed. High return static means that not enough air is getting to the unit, lowering the capacity and starving the unit for air.  Adding an additional return, return plenum, upsizing the return and changing stamped faced grilles to bar type are all solutions to relieving a high return static pressure.
  3. Coiils need to be cleaned. Dirty coils can lower the efficiency of a unit by slowing down the transfer of heat into and out of the home.
  4. Ductwork sealing.  A 17 SEER unit will not operate like a 17 SEER unit with leaky ducts.  The ducts need to be sealed with mastic to the thickness of a nickle. 
  5. Filters should be the cheapest ones and regularly changed. If you are unsure if the filter has any impact, measure static with the filter in and with the filter removed.
  6. Insulation. A well insulated house is going to keep the conditioned air inside the home much better than a poorly insulated home, creating longer run times and short cycling the unit.

Next Section

2a. Building Components
  1. Identify basic duct configurations and components
  2. Identify basic hydronic distribution configurations and components
  3. Identify basic structural components of residential construction 
  4. Thermal boundaries and insulation applications 
  5. Basic electrical components and safety considerations 
  6. Basic fuel delivery systems and safety considerations
  7. Basic bulk water management components (drainage plumbing gutters sumps etc) 
  8. Vapor barriers/retarders 
  9. Radiant barrier principles and installations 
  10. Understand fenestration types and efficiencies 
  11. Understand issues involved with basements, crawlspaces, slabs, attics, attached garages, interstitial cavities, and bypasses 
  12. Understand issues involved with ventilation equipment 
  13. Understand basic heating / cooling equipment components controls and operation 
  14. Understand basic DHW equipment components controls and operation 
  15. Identify common mechanical safety controls 
  16. Identify insulation types and R-Values 
  17. Understand various mechanical ventilation equipment and strategies: spot, ERV, HRV 
2b. Conservation Strategies
  1. Appropriate insulation applications and installation based on existing conditions 
  2. Opportunity for ENERGY STAR lighting and appliances 
  3. Identify duct sealing opportunities and applications 
  4. Understand importance of air leakage control and remediation procedures 
  5. Blower door-guided air sealing techniques 
  6. Water conservation devices and strategies 
  7. Domestic Hot Water (DHW) conservation strategies 
  8. Heating & cooling efficiency applications 
  9. Proper use of modeling to determine heating and cooling equipment sizing and appropriate energy use
  10. Understand the use of utility history analysis in conservation strategies 
  11. Appropriate applications for sealed crawlspaces basements and attics 
  12. Identify/understand high density cellulose 
  13. Appropriate applications for fenestration upgrades including modification or replacement 
2c. Comprehensive Building Assessment Process
  1. Determine areas of customer complaints/concerns in interview
  2. Understand / recognize need for conducting appropriate diagnostic procedures including when to refer to a specialist for further investigation
  3. Interaction between mechanical systems, envelope systems and occupant behavior
2d. Design considerations
  1. Appropriate insulation applications based on existing conditions
  2. Understand fire codes as necessary to apply home performance in a code-approved manner.
  3. Understand/recognize building locations where opportunities for retrofit materials and processes are needed to correct problems and/or enhance performance
  4. Understand climate specific concerns
  5. Understand indoor environment considerations for the environmentally sensitive
  6. Understand impact of building orientation, landscape drainage, and grading
  7. Opportunity potential renewable energy applications: geothermal , photovoltaic, wind
  8. Understand impact of shading on heating / cooling loads
  9. Awareness for solar gain reduction in cooling climate/solar gain opportunities in heating climates
  10. Understand need for modeling various options for heating, cooling and DHW applications, as well as other efficiency upgrades