Choosing an HVAC System 219

Chapter 13

Choosing an
HVAC System

T
To
he goals of HVAC systems:
provide an acceptable level of occupancy comfort.
To provide temperature and humidity control for process function.
To maintain good indoor air quality (IAQ).
To minimize energy requirements and costs.

The purpose of an HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air con-

ditioning) system is to provide and maintain environmental con-
ditions within an area called the “conditioned space.” The type of
system selected is determined by the mechanical designer ’s
knowledge of systems and the building owner’s financial and
functional goals.
The commercial system selected for a particular application
endeavors to provide the optimum environment for employee
comfort and productivity, process function, and good indoor air
quality with energy efficiency and cost savings. Different systems
will satisfy each of these objectives with different degrees of suc-
cess. It is up to the designer and the owner to make the correct
assessments.
In most applications, there are several choices for the type of
system to use. The selection of the type of HVAC system by the
designer and the building owner is a critical decision. It is the
designer’s responsibility to consider the various systems and se-
lect the one that will provide the best combination of initial cost,
operating cost, performance, and reliability based on his under-

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220 HVAC Fundamentals

standing of the owner’s needs and goals. In the selection process

all factors must be analyzed, but cost of installation and operation
are usually foremost.
Some of the many cost concerns include initial or installation
cost, operating and maintenance cost, and equipment replace-
ment costs. Another cost concern that may be overlooked by the
designer is the cost associated with equipment failure. For ex-
ample, how often might a selected system or component be ex-
pected to fail and what is the cost in loss of product and
production? How long will the system be down? How will the
comfort, safety and productivity of the occupants be affected by
such a failure and what are these costs?
Depending on the owner’s goals, each of these concerns has
a different priority. Most owners do not have knowledge or un-
derstanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the different
types of systems, so it is up to the designer to advise the owner
which is best for each application. Likewise, the designer does not
usually have a complete understanding of all the owner’s finan-
cial and functional goals. For these reasons, the best situation is
when designer and owner are both involved in the HVAC selec-
tion process.

HVAC SELECTION

The first step in the selection process is for the designer to

ascertain and document from the owner the desired environ-
mental conditions for the building or conditioned space. The
designer must also learn and document the restrictions placed
on the system design. For example, what is the required equip-
ment space for a particular system versus what is available?
Unfortunately, it is the nature of the business that very few
projects allow as much detailed evaluation of all conditions and
alternatives as some would like. Therefore, the designer must
also rely on common sense and subjective experience to narrow
the choice of systems.