Instructor
Cate O’dahl
Session One –Green HVAC and
Healthy Homes
This class consists of all online
Lecture with 11 hours of Lab required
 See the Course Syllabus for details
 If this is your first online course, use
the tools on the home page to help
you understand how
to use Canvas
Online Learning
Management Tool
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Session
Topic
Week 1
Green HVAC and Healthy Buildings
Week 2
Codes, Regulations & Certifications
Week 3
Building Science
Week 4
House as a System
Week 5
Fact vs. Fiction
Week 6
Equipment & Product Selection
Week 7
Testing & Code Compliance
Week 8
Customer Service
Week9
Business Development - Building Science & Business
Science
Week10
Green VHAC
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The Syllabus will be reviewed
Week 1 during the first lab
meeting.
If you miss this first lab meeting,
YOU are required
to familiarize yourself with course
assignments and
assessment OR contact the
instructor.
The syllabus is linked in Canvas
and will be
emailed to you prior to the Week
1 lab meeting.
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Course Information
◦ Includes contact info for instructor
Course Objectives
◦ Introduce students to online learning
◦ Teach students to understand how green building
strategies affect quality HVAC installation, service,
and repair
◦ Inform students of new code, regulations, and
building certifications that affect current HVAC
industry standards
◦ Provide latest equipment and product information for
changing industry
◦ Begin to learn how to look at HVAC as one component
in the house as a system
◦ Prepare students for the changes in HVAC industry to
better equip them for a changing workforce.
What you will learn in
this course – see syllabus
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Textbook
Residential Energy, Cost Savings
and Comfort for Existing Buildings,
John Krigger/Chris Dorsi - 2009
Sixth Edition ISBN - 13: 978-1-880120-23-1
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Additional Required Reading Materials
Click the links to connect to reading materials assigned for this class.
 Washington State Energy Code Builder’s Field Guide,
2009, 8th Edition, available on line, click link from
your computer to access pdf document.
Full document:
www.energy.wsu.edu/Documents/entire_guide.pdf
 Residential Pressure & Air Leakage Testing Manual,
Retrotec Inc., revised 2011-08-05, available on line,
click link from your computer to access pdf
document.
 Read this: The Building Connection, available online, click link from your computer to access pdf
document.
Student Network Account
 Readings, Assignments Homework

What you will learn in this course
 Textbook
 Online Course Necessities
 Student Network Account
 Readings, Assignments Homework

What you will learn in this course
 Textbook
 Online Course Necessities
 Student Network Account
 Readings, Assignments Homework

Readings, Assignments Homework

Getting Started
 Attendance
 Grades
 Course Schedule
 Computer Labs & Tutoring
 Campus Safety& Security
Information
 Disability Services
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Student Code of Conduct
 Netiquette and Privacy
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◦ Be sure to READ this section so you are
prepared to fully participate in the online
Discussion Forums

5 Keys to Success
“If you steal from one author,
it's plagiarism; if you steal from many,
it's research.” Wilson Mizner
 So, remember, if you directly quote
one author, you must make a citation,
if you see the general idea in three or
more instances, paraphrase.
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Green HVAC is a new way of thinking about
an old problem
Einstein said “We can't solve problems by
using the same kind of thinking we used
when we created them.”
So, if we agree there is a problem in the
United States with residential heating and
cooling system efficiency, then according
to Einstein, we need a new way to think
about the problem to create a solution.
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Green HVAC is a new approach to Traditional HVAC that
solves some of the efficiency (waste) issues with current
HVAC design, installation and maintenance.
This course is designed to prepare HVAC students for
changes in the industry toward green HVAC including
more energy efficiency and improved indoor air quality
in residential home construction, renovation, and repair.
Students will learn basic building science as it applies to
green building and, especially to HVAC to understand
the “house as a system”.
The class covers new codes and regulations affecting
any home repairs, discussions of green options for
standard HVAC install, repair or services, including new
technology, equipment, and strategies that improve
energy savings and indoor air quality.
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Green, as a term associated with building and
development, also referred to as “Sustainable” where
strategies are designed to increase efficiency, reduce
waste, and reduce the impact on the natural
environment. It includes water, energy, materials and it
comes with an entire new vocabulary that defines its
parameters.
In this session we will
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Introduce and define Green Building
Introduce and define Green HVAC
Introduce and define a healthy home
Introduce and define indoor air quality
Define important factors for discussing Green HVAC
Set context for HVAC within the scope of overall green
building
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Green building, also referred to as
sustainable construction, refers to a set of
design, construction, and operations &
maintenance strategies that:
 Protect the natural environment
 Preserve and protect water quality
 Improve and enhance indoor air quality
 Improve and enhance energy efficiency
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The primary green categories include:
◦ Site
◦ Water
◦ Energy Efficiency
◦ Indoor Air Quality
◦ Materials Efficiency
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Comfort
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Air quality
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Operations & Maintenance
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HVAC is an integral component
to energy efficiency
Equally important to indoor air
quality (IAQ)
Indoor air quality is a
component of a Healthy Home
◦ Americans, on average, spend 90%
of their time indoors
◦ Good indoor air quality, then affects
the health of building occupants
Microbial contaminants
(mold, bacteria)
 Gases
(including carbon
monoxide, radon, volatile
organic compounds)
 Particulates
 Any mass or energy
stressor that can induce
adverse health conditions.
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Using ventilation to dilute
contaminants, provide filtration, and
source control are the primary
methods for improving indoor air
quality in most buildings.
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Green HVAC refers to
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Healthy Homes include
◦ Energy efficient mechanical systems
◦ Optimized delivery systems
◦ Integrated design to enhance air quality
◦ Construction & design that drives IAQ
◦ Material selection choices
that protect IAQ
◦ Mechanical systems that
support air quality,
particularly ventilation
◦ Operations & Maintenance
that preserves IAQ
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In this class we will explore how HVAC
service and installation can affect a
building’s energy efficiency
We will discuss how diagnostic tests and
computer software used to document a
building’s energy performance
That is, how well does the
HVAC system work in the
building considering the
system itself, the building
shell or envelope, appliances,
climate, and occupant behavior Sample EPS Score
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Especially in homes with ducted HVAC
systems, the efficiency of the HVAC
system directly affects the quality of
indoor air
◦ Leaky ducts drawing air from crawl spaces
and attics can introduce
contaminants
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Air leakage in the building’s
envelope (uncontrolled
ventilation) also can affect
IAQ
◦ Construction & design
 Construction includes thermal and air
barrier
◦ Material selection choices that protect IAQ
 Finish materials made without toxic
ingredients
 Adhesives, coatings, and sealants that
are low-toxic
◦ Mechanical systems that support air
quality, particularly ventilation
 Properly vented combustion devices
 Combustion Safety procedures
Thoroughly sealed duct work
 Duct work in conditioned spaces
◦ Operations & Maintenance that preserves
IAQ
 System Commissioning
 Owner’s Manual
 Scheduled maintenance
 Equipment and Distribution
 Climate influences
 Occupant influences
 Goal of Green HVAC
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New heating and cooling equipment
options offer energy savings
New diagnostic tests allow for
eliminating waste in the system
◦ Duct Leakage Testing
 Using a duct blaster to test for leakage in air
ducts – new contraction and existing
buildings.
 Air leakage in forced air duct systems is now
recognized as a major source
of energy waste in both new
and existing houses and
commercial buildings
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Studies indicate that duct leakage can
account for as much as 25% - 30% of
total home energy loss Up to 40% when
ducts are in unconditioned spaces
In many cases has a greater impact on
energy use than air infiltration through
the building shell.
Duct leakage is often the single largest
cause of performance and comfort
problems.
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The distribution system is an integral part of
many mechanical ventilation systems. It can have
a significant effect on the ventilation rate and
efficiency of a home. Duct leakage is a source of
energy loss, ventilation rate loss, and a source of
indoor pollution (in return ducts). When ducts are
run through unconditioned spaces like attics,
crawlspaces, garages, basements and other
locations outside the heated or cooled parts of
the house, they not only leak air to and from the
outside, but any heat lost through the walls of
the duct (by heat conduction) is also lost to the
unconditioned space instead of heating and
cooling the house.
Source http://bcap-ocean.org/residential-ducts
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The building envelope has a direct affect
on choices made for HVAC – one of the
largest used of energy
Improvements to the building envelope
have the potential to reduce Green
House Gas emissions from new and
existing buildings.
Local climate influences the
appropriateness and cost-effectiveness
of many decisions pertaining to building
envelope design and product selection.
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Even a perfectly designed HVAC can
become inefficient quickly if it’s not
operated correctly
◦ Filters need to be changed
◦ Temperature settings may be altered
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Good Green Building contractors
provide an O & M Manual to help
reduce issues associated with
occupant behavior
The goal of this class is to introduce
green building topics, terminology,
strategies into the HVAC certificate
series.
 The goal of Green HVAC in the
industry is to improve energy
efficiency and occupant health and
home environment quality.
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Durability
Thermal Comfort
Energy savings, as opposed to cost savings
Renewable/alternative Energy Sources for
residential applications – solar electric,
solar thermal, wind, geo-thermal, microhydro
Integrating renewable into existing systems
The Challenge, according to the Washington State Energy
Code, is that
 Recent research and testing of new homes in the Pacific
Northwest and across the United States shows the
importance of a properly installed HVAC system.
 Interactions between system components, the house
envelope, and other equipment can seriously affect:
◦ Occupant health and safety;
◦ Occupant comfort;
◦ Equipment and structural durability; and
◦ Energy efficiency.
 Durability of all system components can therefore
reduce energy waste and increase efficiency.
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Thermal Comfort — A Key to Occupant Satisfaction
and Productivity
Traditional Environmental Comfort Factors
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Other Comfort Factors
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Goal is to manage for these comfort factors when
designing, installing, or servicing HVAC systems
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◦ Temperature of the room air, ignoring moisture content (i.e., the dry-bulb
temperature)
◦ Relative humidity of the room air
◦ Speed of any room air that's hitting the occupant
◦ Average temperature of the solid surfaces surrounding the occupant (i.e.,
the mean radiant temperature)
◦ The amount of solar heat directly hitting the occupant through windows
◦ Occupant activity level and clothing level
◦ Adaptive factors, such as the amount of control we have over our comfort
conditions
◦ Variability, i.e., whether letting space conditions fluctuate somewhat is
more comfortable than rigidly constant conditions
This important factor has more to do
with how to talk about energy
efficiency than as a tangible factor.
 We will address this further in Week 8
– Customer Service
 Point here is to reframe the way you
think and talk about energy efficiency
from cost savings to energy savings.
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Renewable energy
◦ Energy Conservation is the single greatest
source of renewable energy
◦ Solar electric
◦ Solar water heating
◦ Wind
◦ Geo-thermal
◦ Mini-Hydro
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Since conservation is the greatest single
source of renewable energy, conceptually
it would seem to be a relatively simple
task to “integrate” into existing systems
Downside is this integration requires
consumer education, occupant behavior
changes and modifications, which are
hard to alter, quantify, and report.
Integrating other renewable energy
systems into residential applications is
much easier.
 Plan for integrating renewables into
existing systems in the design phase:
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◦ Pre-wire for solar photovoltaic
◦ Pre-pipe for solar hot water
 Energy supplies and resources
can no longer be taken for
granted
 Business Decisions
 Equipment
 NEW Code – set up for next
class
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Peak Oil
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Peak Natural Gas
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Problems with Nuclear Option
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High costs of obtaining new sources for new
demand
◦ Many experts agree that our societies have used over
½ of all available oil reserves on the planet and that
those remaining reserves are more difficult to extract
and may cause environmental tragedies in doing so,
namely the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2011.
◦ Some experts agree that natural gas reserves are in
the same perilous quantity scenario as oil, with equal
environmental concerns.
◦ Disposal and risks from natural disasters.
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The links provided on the previous slide
present only one side of these very large
issues.
Since these issues are not the basis of
this class, we will not explore them in
depth, but I encourage any class member
who has questions about the veracity of
these claims, to do research and submit
an Extra Credit paper backing up your
claims.
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Over 30% of heat is lost through most
improperly installed or maintained duct work
Improperly sealed building envelopes also
offer opportunities for inefficiencies.
◦ The building envelope – the interface between the
interior of the building and the outdoor
environment, including the walls, roof, and
foundation – serves as a thermal barrier and plays
an important role in determining the amount of
energy necessary to maintain a comfortable indoor
environment relative to the outside environment.
Source – Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
Choosing to build green
 Certifying a project
 Choosing subcontractors that align
with green building choices
 Plan and design well to avoid cost
overruns
 Get training and education to support
your business decisions
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Combustion safety
Confined spaces and even unconfined
spaces should ALWAYS direct vent because
of potential for incomplete combustion
High Efficiency models
 Energy-Star certified equipment
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Going Green in HVAC isn’t just a
personal choice
 New 2009 Washington State Energy
Codes increase requirements for
energy efficiency.
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Washington State Energy Code
 EPA Renovation Regulations
 Green Building Certifications
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