BME 4207 Refrigeration & Air Conditioning

Lecture Two – Heating Demand Calculations

Gideon Rutaraka, Bme (KAB)

 Heating
Heating is the transfer of energy to a space by virtue of a difference in
temperature between the source and the space.
Heat gain is the rate at which energy is transferred to or generated with in
a space.
Heat extraction rate is the rate at which energy is removed from the
space by cooling or dehumidifying equipment.
This rate is equal to the cooling load when the space conditions are
constant and the equipment is operating.
 Sensible Heat Transfer
This is the heat transfer that manifests a rise in temperature
The rate of sensible heat transfer can be related the rise in
temperature of air being heated by:
 Heat Transfer Modes
Thermal conduction is the mechanism of heat transfer between
parts of a continuum because of the energy transfer between
particles or groups of particles at the atomic level.
Steady-state heat conduction in one direction is described by the
Fourier's law:
 Heat Transfer Modes
Thermal convection is the transfer of energy by mixing in
addition to conduction.
Heat transfer rate by convection is described by the
Newton’s law of cooling:
 Heat Transfer Modes
Thermal Radiation is the transfer of thermal energy by
electromagnetic waves.
The rate of radiation heat transfer between a surface of
emissivity and area at temperature and the surrounding
surfaces at average temperature can be expressed as:
 Heating Demand Calculations
Heating demand calculations involve three different types of
calculations:
Heat load calculations – Used to design the heating system
Annual heating energy demand –Used to determine the amount
of energy needed
Transients – Used to investigate time dependent response of the
house and heating system Factors Affecting Heating Needs:
Insulation Quality: Better insulation reduces heat loss, lowering heating needs.
Building Characteristics: Age, construction type, and design influence heat
retention and loss.
Climate: Regional climate conditions, such as temperature extremes, affect
overall heating requirements
 Heating Load Calculations
This is the highest amount of heat energy that the heating system needs to deliver to maintain the desired indoor
temperature during the coldest outdoor conditions. This calculation considers factors such as the size of the building,

Used to design the heating system

insulation quality, number of windows, and local climate conditions.

What is the maximum heat load the heating system has to be

able to deliver?
• How many radiators The number of radiators required depends on the maximum heat load and the heat output of each radiator

• How large are the radiators The size of each radiator depends on the heat load of the specific room or area it will serve. Larger
rooms or rooms with higher heat loss require radiators with higher heat output.

The heat source, such as a boiler, furnace, or heat pump, must be capable of delivering the total heat

• Heat source requirement load required for the building.

The capacity of the heat source is determined by summing the heat outputs required for all radiators.

• Estimate the heat losses and heat gains! Heat Losses:

Transmission Losses: Heat lost through walls, windows,
floors, and roofs due to conduction.
Ventilation Losses: Heat lost due to air exchange with the
outside (infiltration and ventilation).
Radiation Losses: Heat lost through radiation to the outside
environment.

Heat Gains:
Internal Gains: Heat generated by occupants, appliances, lighting, and
other electrical devices within the building.
Solar Gains: Heat gained through windows and other openings from
sunlight.
 Heat Losses of a Building
Transmission losses– Through walls, floor, roof, windows, doors
Ventilation losses– Heat lost by introduction of cooler ambient
air to the heated space
Infiltration losses– Heat lost by leakage of cooler ambient air
into the house
Heat Losses of a Building
 Internal Heat Gains
Heat gain is the rate at which energy is generated in a space.
It has two components, Sensible heat and Latent heat.
• Solar irradiation through openings
• Latent heat and Sensible heat gains generated by occupants
within the space
• Heat generated by electric appliances and other equipment
• Sensible heat convection and radiation from internal objects
Heat Gains
The Heat Load Equation

.
 Annual Heating Energy Demand

Heating energy demand due to losses:

Annual Heating Energy Demand (AHED) is a measure of

the total amount of energy required to maintain a desired
indoor temperature over the course of a year
 Annual Heating Energy Demand
Assuming that the mean temperature difference between outdoor
and indoor temperature, , for the heating season can be
expressed as:
 Annual Heating Energy Demand
The above expression takes the form of

The specific heating demand:

Hence the annual heating demand can be found using:

 Transient Situations
Occur when one of few factors describing the environment
changes rapidly affecting all other aspects.
Consider an energy balance for a house:
Transient Situations
Heating-up case
Cooling-off case
Sudden Temperature Drop
 Example 1
Calculate how much heating energy the owner of a house can save per day if the
temperature is decreased during the night by switching off the heating system at
20.00 (8 PM). The heating system is turned on again at a certain time of the night to
raise the temperature to 20 °C at 07.00 (7 AM). Between 07.00 and 20.00, the
temperature in the house is 20 °C. The outdoor temperature is -5 °C, and the heating
system has a maximum heating power of 10 kW. The UA-value for the house is 170
W/K, and the ventilation flow rate is 150 m³/h. The specific heat and the density of
air can be assumed constant at 1000 J/(kg·K) and 1.2 kg/m³ respectively. The house
has a thermal mass (Σm·cp) of 20 MJ/K.
 Example 2
During the summer, a car parked in the sun quickly heats up due to the solar
irradiation. The compartment of the car can be approximated with a rectangular
shaped box with the dimensions 3 x 2 x 1.5 m (length x width x height). The
window area of the box is 25 % of the total area. Assume that there is no ventilation
or infiltration. The car has single glass windows with a U-value of 3.5 W/(m²·K) and
the walls (sides, roof, floor) has a U-value of 1.5 W/(m²·K). The solar intensity is
400 W/m² towards exposed areas. The emissivity of the walls can be assumed to
0.85, while all solar irradiation towards the window areas is absorbed inside the
compartment. The car can be assumed to be empty, and without internal heat gains.
The thermal mass of the compartment is 60 kJ/K. The ambient temperature is 27 °C.
Calculate the temperature in the compartment after 15 minutes exposure to the sun