What percentage of a building electrical usage is HVAC?

[jr1772]

I am looking for an approximate percentage, that I am able to back up that is the amount of a buildings electrical usage that is HVAC. The DOE says between 40 and 60% any agree with that?

 

[MintJulep]

I am looking for an approximate percentage, that I am able to back up

So you have a citable number from a credible source but you want to back it up with numbers from anonymous strangers on the internet?

 

[mauricestoker]

I think you'll find the DOE will also state it depends on the type of building it is-labs, as an example, use more HVAC than office buildings, so DOE is researching lab HVAC. Hospitals and restaurants are another example. I think unqualified statistics are useless 72.4% of the time.

 

[imok2]

mauricestoker

Isn't that 77.1234% of the time?

 

[IRstuff]

Sounds plausible. My electricity bill doubles in the summertime.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[AbbyNormal]

percentage gets higher if it is electric resistance heat

Take the "V" out of HVAC and you are left with a HAC(k) job.

 

[mauricestoker]

Only two kinds of lies-damn lies and statistics. 77.1234% of the time, yeah, that's the ticket, what I meant to say. Since two anonymous sources agree, it must be valid.

 

[ChrisConley]

I heard from a guy, that read somewhere that electricity is actually responsible for Swine Flu... and is causes 99% of all electrocution deaths.

 

[imok2]

Cris, If the 1% survive the chair do the authorities let them out

 

[Waramanga]

sounds reasonable. That includes all the old building stock etc so a new building will be much better than this, hopefully. They only just got rid of full glass facades facing west!!!!

 

[willard3]

You know, if it looks like poop and smells like poop, it's poop.........

 

[IRstuff]

In the worst-case, consider that the A/C cooling power is at least as much as the total electrical power dissipation within the building, since that essentially all goes to heat, and the A/C is not 100% efficient. Therefore, the A/C is at least 50% of total electrical load for a hot day.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[engair]

But willard how can you be sure if you dont taste it also?

 

[hoorain]

well done engair nice reply

 

[IRstuff]

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck...

No tasting required...

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[EEJaime]

I believe it is a lot lower than that, well in Siberia and Antarctica I would bet on it. Perhaps slightly higher ,(if you had any that is), in the Congo or Madagascar.

Residential in southern California, that figure is ok. I don't know about Alberta or Havana or Bonn or Quito. It is less for some occupancies, (warehouse), and more for others, (surgury center). You won't find any "typical" value that means anything without more information.

 

[willard3]

Well, if you have to taste poop, you should also taste the duck to be sure.............

 

[IRstuff]

The only ducks I ever taste are hung by 2 metal hooks in the display case at the local roast duck store; fairly certain, apriori, that it's duck that I buying and not something else.

Luckily, I never "have to" or want to taste the other.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[RossABQ]

"...fairly certain, apriori, that it's duck that I buying and not something else...."

see attached

 

[DRWeig]

Well, I wasn't satisfied with the accuracy levels available in electrical engineering so I got a masters in economics. Here's my take on it.

At the 95% confidence level, I'm 63.278% sure that HVAC energy accounts for somewhere between 2.78% and 97.22% of building energy use in the US of A. Or not.

Seriously -- me personally, I agree with the Dept of Energy's assessment. I spent lots of my career doing energy analyses of existing buildings, and they tended to fall into that 40% to 60% slot fairly regularly when in the office / medical / institutional / military category. K-12 schools were much lower since the ones I worked did not operate in summer.

Good on ya,

Goober Dave