Page 22 - Green Builder Sept-Oct 2016
P. 22
CREDIT: CREATIVE COMMONS
Commissioning issues. HVAC systems are rarely commissioned after installation, leading to problems such as leaks and air flow issues.
These panels consist of rigid foam insulation laminated on the Most companiesand the much colder Michigan.
face of a wood structural panel. The insulation provides more
thermal performance, and the wood structural panel provides Testing in different climate zones
the rigid substrate for installing roofing membrane, according install ductworkwill help gauge the system’s
to the agency.
moisture performance on homes
Home Innovation Research Labs is testing the systems in houses
in two different climate zones—the hot and humid South Carolina in various locations. using rules of
System simplification. Plug-n-Play is easily integrated and can be HVAC Solutions thumb, and usually
installed with less error and waste.
20 GREEN BUILDER September/October 2016 in an attic, whichHigh-performance buildings
create new IAQ challenges for the
building industry to solve. While
basic ventilation is standard, tight results in wasted
envelopes and new energy-saving heat and energy.
solutions don’t always account for
healthy IAQ. Building America’s roadmaps for Optimal Comfort
Systems for Low-Load Homes and Optimal Ventilation and IAQ
Solutions focus on creating solutions to new ventilation issues,
as well as solving issues that are common in traditional homes.
Werling says the problems are driven by an underappreciation of
the importance of the commissioning process.
“Systems are not installed as well as they should be, which leads
to duct leaks, refrigerant charge problems and air flow problems,”
Werling says. “There was a study done recently that estimated the
combined results of problems common in HVAC systems result in
10 to 70 percent degradation, depending on severity of fault of the
system. That’s a pretty big range of uncertainty about how HVAC
CREDIT: IBACOS systems are performing.”
Building America is looking at technical solutions that can help the
HVAC industry better measure system performance to improve and
streamline the commissioning process. To start, they are developing
automated fault detection and diagnostics. Those systems would
www.greenbuildermedia.com
