Updated heat gain and load density latest editions to ASHRAE Handbook

Outdated internal equipment heat gain data can result in oversized systems and higher operating costs, yet it is one of the most difficult areas for engineers to define.

To assist the building environment industry in defining these loads and designing more cost-efficient systems, internal equipment heat gain and load density data have been updated in the newest edition of the ASHRAE Handbook.

The flagship of ASHRAE’s Handbook series, the 2013 ASHRAE Handbook-Fundamentals’ 39 chapters cover basic principles and data used in the HVAC&R industry, including updated information on building materials, load calculations, energy resources and analysis, refrigerants, indoor environmental quality (IEQ), sustainability, controls, duct and piping system design and more.

Major revisions were made to Chapter 18, Nonresidential Cooling and Heating Load Calculations, including the new internal heat gain data and recommendations, an elevation correction example and an equation summary.

“Older assumptions based on out-of-date computer, copier and printer heat gains can result in significantly oversized HVAC systems resulting in higher first cost and operating cost,” said Steven Bruning, Handbook subcommittee chair of Technical Committee 4.1, Load Calculation Data and Procedures.

The chapter also includes an entirely new master example section based on the renovated ASHRAE headquarters building. The updated example reflects current practice in energy efficient building construction, lighting loads and updated Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, compliance, as opposed to the previous example, which reflected 1990s’ practice.

Other new information can be found in Chapters 2, Thermodynamics and Refrigeration Cycles; 5, Two-Phase Flow; 9, Thermal Comfort; 10, Indoor Environmental Health; 11, Air Contaminants; 16, Ventilation and Infiltration; 19, Energy Estimating and Modeling Methods; 21 Duct Design; 23 Insulation for Mechanical Systems; 25, Heat, Air and Moisture Control in Building Assemblies - Fundamentals; 26, Heat, Air and Moisture Control in Building Assemblies - Material Properties; 27, Heat, Air and Moisture Control in Building Assemblies - Examples; 29, Refrigerants; 30, Thermophysical Properties of Refrigerants; and 36, Measurement and Instruments.

The 2013 ASHRAE Handbook is published in two editions: inch-pound (I-P) units of measurement and the International System of Units (SI). The new 2013 volume will be added to ASHRAE Handbook Online by the end of June.