Rule of thumb checks - block load estimating

[chitownjoe]

I am looking for any data on past projects or general rules of thumb for block load estimating: cooling, heating and ventilation. The project is located in Illinois and is a skilled nursing facility. This is my first project of this type of occupancy, and I want to check my preliminary loads. If anyone knows where I could possibly go to find this type of information, or can give me advice from personal experience, I would appreciate any help. My experience tells me to use around 65 BTU/SF (because of increased O.A. requirements),250 SF/ton, and 9 A/C.

 

[dchristiansen]

I am compling a list of "Rules of Thumb" for HVAC design - mostly for estimated design cost, but also checking program output results.

Some of the Rules of Thumb include for cooling: ~300 SF/Ton external spaces and ~400 SF/ton internal spaces (~600 SF/ton for residential). These can vary by +/- 50 to 75 SF/ton, depending on the actual application.

For heating it seems that ~35 BTU/hr-SF is a good gage. However, there is also a pretty fair variance on this Rule of Thumb also.

I am finding out that these Rules of Thumb are good to get in the ball park, however, only experience can get you to the best solution that will work.

 

[quantum]

For your weather and for the application you have I believe 250 sf/ton is too conservative. I think it should be in the range of 285-300 sf/ton [sig][/sig]