GSA Building Performance

and
Customer Satisfaction
Workshop
HVAC System Selection and Design
PBS P100 Chapter 5 Mechanical Engineering
HVAC Requirements Summary

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC General Requirements

Design for current uses, plan for future uses
Design for maintainability and reliability
Design for sufficient redundancy (not stand-by)
Design state-of-the-art, not experimental
Coordinated and integrated with other building systems
Responsive to local climate
Design for controllability
Consideration of local code requirements (site specific)
Selection based on lowest Life Cycle Cost

HVAC System Selection and Design

Energy Analysis and Life Cycle Costing

Computer simulations of annual energy consumption (DOE2)
Baseline system + 2 alternatives
Computer simulations of life cycle costs (BLCC)

25 year life cycle

Specific hours of operation

Decision making tool

Use in schematics or design development

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC Baseline System

Dual-fuel boilers
Electric, water-cooled chillers
Cooling towers with multi-speed condenser fans
Primary/secondary piping (reverse return)
Variable speed pumping
Black steel or copper piping
Non-permeable piping insulation
Perimeter convectors for envelope heat losses

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC Baseline System

Simple Variable Air Volume (VAV) air handlers
25,000 cfm maximum size
Cooling only
Variable speed drives
UVC emitters for microbial control
Air-side, dry bulb economizer
Low leakage ductwork
Ductwork externally insulated
Direct Digital Controls (DDC)
Building Automation System (BAS)

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC Zoning Criteria

Interior zones vs. perimeter zones
Corner offices are dedicated zones
Dedicated air handlers for courtrooms
2 courtrooms max on any air handler

HVAC System Selection and Design

Arrangement of Mechanical Spaces

Floor-by-floor air handlers
~2% of floors gsf for ahu room
Central heating and cooling plant

Location is building specific

~3% of typical floors gsf

Heat rejection equipment (e.g. cooling towers)

Location is building specific
~1.5% of typical floors gsf
Appropriate circulation and equipment access allowances

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC Heating Systems

Heating source
Low temperature, hot water boilers preferred
District steam allowable if LCC feasible
Electric resistance/electric boilers prohibited
Northern climates

3 equally sized boilers (combined for 120% peak capacity)

Southern climates
2 equally sized boilers (each at 67% peak capacity)

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC Cooling Systems

Cooling source
High efficiency electric, gas or steam chillers
District chilled water allowable if LCC feasible
Due consideration of part-load performance
If peak cooling load is 500 tons+

3 equally sized chillers (combined for 120% peak capacity)

If peak cooling load is less than 500 tons

2 equally sized chillers (each at 67% peak capacity)
No CFC refrigerants allowed
Cooling tower cells to match number of chillers

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC Air Distribution Systems

High performance VAV air handlers
Maximum 25,000 cfm per unit
High efficiency filters (30% pre and 85%final)
Air side economizer for free cooling
Humidification only as required
Consideration of performance of VAV boxes and diffusers
Consideration of sound performance at peak capacity
Raised floor supply plenum
Properly seal to minimize leakage
Include anti-microbial coating

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC Pumping and Piping Systems

Primary/secondary pumping arrangement
Variable flow pumping on secondary
Isolation of piping at all main equipment
Non-permeable piping insulation

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC Control Systems

Direct Digital Controls (DDC)
Minimize simultaneous heating and cooling
Night set-back and set-up to end each day
Morning warm-up or cool-down to start each day
Air and water temperature reset controls
Building Automation System (BAS)

LCC justified
Open communication protocol (BACnet, LonMark)
Integration of HVAC controls, lighting controls
Integration of instrumentation for energy measurement

HVAC System Selection and Design

HVAC Submission Requirements

Conceptual/Schematic Design
Narrative description
Plans showing HVAC equipment spaces
Design Development
Narrative description
Load, energy and LCC calculations
Plans showing major duct runs, system flow diagrams
Construction Documents
Narrative description
Final calculations
Final HVAC plans and diagrams
Specifications