Comments on: 7 Steps to Commissioning a New Home & HVAC System

By: ABC

ABC — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:44:07 +0000

Unfortunately, not all HVAC
Unfortunately, not all HVAC service providers actually have a list like this. As a Dallas HVAC contractor, it is a good idea to have this list in order to make sure that the system works as a whole. After all, what we must consider is of course the quality of products and service for our clients. Good read!

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:30:15 +0000

Jim B.:
Jim B.: Yes, you're absolutely right. The list above is meant only as a rough guide to the tests you should do, and the 20° F ΔT I listed was not meant as THE number someone should look for.

Thanks for commenting, Jim, and thanks for selling a lot of great tools for those who make these kinds of measurements!

By: Jim Bergmann

Jim Bergmann — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:41:40 +0000

Watch rules of thumb for air
Watch rules of thumb for air conditioning temperature drop across coils. The split (difference between supply and return air temps) can be easily from 16-24 degrees depending upon the latent load (humidity. There are tables that can be used to determine the required split which involves measuring return air wet bulb, return air dry bulb and supply air dry bulb. Using this information you can quickly determine if there could be airflow or refrigerant charge issues.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:04:53 +0000

Bob: Good
Bob: Good point about oversizing. That should be set in the design phase, so in a true high performance home, the commissioning of that part should just be verifying that the HVAC contractor installed what they were supposed to install.

Thomas A.: Yes, the new ENERGY STAR Version 3 checklists do include this stuff, which is great. As I wrote on Friday, I'm not crazy about all the prescriptive requirements they've loaded up the program with, but I do like the ones that relate to commissioning. Thanks for the invitation to check out your Performance Tested Comfort Systems in the Pacific NW (one of the places I used to live).

By: Thomas Anreise

Thomas Anreise — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:18:25 +0000

This is a great synposis,
This is a great synposis, Allison. I think it captures a good deal of the v3 requirements that are currently being balked at or written off as dubious. In the NW, we have a well-established approach to the commissioning requirements via our PTCS (Performance Tested Comfort Systems) program, which integrates well into the v3 checklists/requirements here. For more info, see our website.

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:09:13 +0000

A big problem is equipment is
A big problem is equipment is typically oversized to cover up problems. Stop the oversizing and it forces the building to be done right.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:54:34 +0000

M. Johnson
M. Johnson: I'm with you 100% there. Let's spread the word.

John P.: Thanks and you're welcome!

By: John Poole

John Poole — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:47:33 +0000

Nice summary, Allison. And
Nice summary, Allison. And thanks for providing the white paper.

By: M. Johnson

M. Johnson — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:38:32 +0000

Those FSEC ideas are simple
Those FSEC ideas are simple and good. It would be a big plus if everybody understood them.