Documenting HVAC Systems in a Building Tune-Up Report
It is important to characterize building systems accurately in the Tune-Up Summary Report. Please follow these general guidelines:
- Please list each significant piece of equipment separately and group them by type. Do not combine different types of equipment.
- When naming the space a system serves, please use the exact space name you defined in the Spaces section of the report.
- Always list supplemental cooling and heating equipment as separate systems.
- A few system types are not fuel specific (i.e., 'Packaged VAV - Hot Water'). When selecting one of these, please clarify in the notes the system's fuel (e.g., steam, electric resistance, heat pump, gas, etc.).
- Many Tune-Up Specialists opt for the 'heat pump water source' system type when the heat pump is just one component of a larger system. However, these setups are often better described as a California Heat Pump Loop (also known as a 'Closed Water Loop Heat Pump')—see diagram below.
Please note: In these systems, a condenser water loop circulates throughout the building. Zonal water-to-air heat pumps are responsible for cooling spaces and rejecting heat to this condenser water loop. When heating is required, the heat pumps extract heat from the water loop. To maintain the minimum loop temperature, an auxiliary heating source is typically used; this can be a gas boiler, an electric boiler, or an air-to-water heat pump. Additionally, a chiller, cooling tower, or fluid cooler regulates the loop’s maximum temperature.
In this scenario:
- Select California Heat Pump Loop from the Heating and Cooling system drop-down list.
- Add the relevant auxiliary heating source (such as a gas boiler) as a separate system in the heating section and choose the appropriate cooling system type (like a chiller) as a separate system in the cooling section.
Courtesy of Building Potential, Building Operator Certification (BOC)