Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Ventilation, Humidity, And Energy Impacts Of Uncontrolled Airflow In A Light Commercial Building, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.
Ventilation, Humidity, And Energy Impacts Of Uncontrolled Airflow In A Light Commercial Building, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.
FSEC Energy Research Center®
A small commercial building was monitored before and after energy saving retrofits to study the impact of retrofits upon ventilation rates, humidity, building pressure and air conditioning energy use. Duct airtightness testing identified severe duct leakage as a significant source of uncontrolled airflow. Differential pressure and infiltration measurements using tracer gas indicated an attic exhaust fan as another significant source of uncontrolled airflow. Duct repair resulted in a 31% drop (30.5 kWh/day) in cooling energy, and an increase in relative humidity from 72% to 76%. Turning off the attic exhaust resulted in an additional 36% energy savings (14.3 kWh/day), including …
Standards And Verification Protocols For Commissioning Air Flows In Buildings, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings
Standards And Verification Protocols For Commissioning Air Flows In Buildings, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings
FSEC Energy Research Center®
Commissioning involves three major elements - 1) process, 2) standards, and 3) protocols to verify compliance with the standards. Process is the step-by-step oversight of and involvement in the design, build, and start-up of the facility, to make sure that the design matches the customer's needs, that the design is consistent with good building science practice, that construction matches the construction documents, and that systems and system interactions are properly tested at start-up. This paper does not address process, rather it focuses on the second and third elements -- standards and compliance protocols. It presents standards related to airtightness, air …
Building Cavities Used As Ducts: Air Leakage Characteristics And Impacts In Light Commercial Buildings, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings
Building Cavities Used As Ducts: Air Leakage Characteristics And Impacts In Light Commercial Buildings, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings
FSEC Energy Research Center®
Field testing in 70 small commercial buildings in central Florida identified that building cavities were used as part of the air distribution system in 33 buildings. The various building cavity types (# of buildings in parentheses) are: enclosed air handler support platforms (10), mechanical closets (8), mechanical rooms (6), ceiling spaces (7), wall cavities (6), chases (1), and "other" building cavities (2). Testing found that these building cavities are considerably more leaky than standard ducts and plenums because they are generally not built to the same airtightness standard as ducts. Actual air leakage is a function not only of duct …