Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Evaluating The Impacts Of Uncontrolled Air Flow And Hvac Performance Problems On Florida's Commercial And Institutional Buildings - Final Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Twenty commercial and institutional buildings located in central Florida were tested for uncontrolled air flow and cooling system problems. Tested buildings were selected based on three criteria; 1) buildings with large exhaust fans, 2) buildings with leaky ceilings, and 3) education buildings. They ranged in size from a 650 square foot portable classroom to a 50,000 square foot elementary school, with an average floor area of 6518 square feet.

Diagnostic inspection and testing was performed in each building to identify problems related to uncontrolled air flow or HVAC system or control problems. The tests were performed to characterize or identify …

Building Envelope Air Leakage Failure In Small Commercial Buildings Related To The Use Of Suspended Tile Ceilings, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Recent research over the last few years is providing a better understanding about the building envelope of small commercial buildings. These buildings have very similar construction to single-family residential buildings, but unlike residential buildings, they usually have a suspended tile ceiling between the conditioned space and ceiling or attic space. Testing indicates that the building envelope in small commercial buildings is substantially less airtight than residential buildings and the cause is associated with the suspended ceiling. Ceiling airtightness test results from two buildings are presented in this paper and show that they are very leaky. The pathways in the ceiling …