Engineering Commons^™

Field Testing And Computer Modeling To Characterize The Energy Impacts Of Air Handler Leakage, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

In order to determine the impact of air handler location upon heating and cooling energy use, the amount of air leakage which occurs in the air handler cabinet needs to be known. Also, the leakage which occurs at the connections between the air handler cabinet and the return and supply plenums needs to be known as well because these connection leaks would also be located in the attic or any other location.

In order to assess this leakage, testing was performed on a total of 69 air conditioning systems. Thirty systems were tested in the year 2001 under funding from …

Design And Construction Of Interior Duct Systems, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

To combat the energy, durability, and indoor air quality penalties of duct leakage, energy experts have recommended putting the duct system and air handler inside the conditioned space. Two paths of accomplishing this have emerged: unvented attics/crawl spaces and interior chases. This study focuses on the design, construction, and performance of the interior chase approach as implemented by five different builders in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.

Researchers found that, in many cases, breeches of the air barrier were evident from simple visual inspection. Critical points of design and construction were identified and will be presented through photos, design and …

Sunsmart Community Partnerships: Summary And Lessons Learned Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jennifer Szaro

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Through a working partnership with the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA), the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation (LEAF), and FMEA member utilities, the SunSmart program offers a unified, low-cost solution to providing municipal electric customers with a solar energy option. It also provides its member utilities with a high level of technical and administrative support to alleviate concerns about working with an unfamiliar electric generation technology. It relies on a core team to develop a standardized marketing and public outreach plan which can be utilized by all participants, and …