It doesn’t matter if you’re constructing your single-family dream house or designing and building a large commercial piece of real estate — there are so many decisions that need to be made. The decisions will have important implications as to the cost, sustainability, life and comfort of the people living or working in the facility. It is vital that you choose wisely. To do so, you need the most up-to-date information, which will allow you to come to the correct conclusion. For this discussion, we will focus on what I feel is the most important piece of the design puzzle related to the comfort of individuals living or working within the space — the HVAC system. I like to refer to it as the comfortable living system. To me, this is the make-or-break part of any living space in which I will be spending time. Now that we know what we are focused on, we can begin asking the questions that will allow us to receive the information we need to make the correct system selection that works in our personal space and fits our needs. Thankfully, the information is out there if you know where to look for it. Let’s put up some basic questions that will start us down the path and get us a better understanding of what is needed to make a proper judgment.
What is the climate in our location? The heating and cooling needs for a facility in Kodiak, Alaska, are nothing like those of a building in Orlando, Florida. We need to take a close look at specific location requirements. One size or system does not fit all. This allows us to look at a design temperature and get an idea of the actual heating and cooling requirements for a year-round basis. The heating and cooling load must be considered before we look at specific products or system types. Once we know this, we can move on to looking at the building design, insulation requirements and other factors that will affect the heating and cooling load.