ASHRAE has released a new standard that provides a test method to determine the heat gain generated by office equipment.
The growing use of plug loads coupled with insufficient data on how much energy they generate present a challenge to engineers in determining how to best cool a building.
ASHRAE/ANSI Standard 203-2014, Method of Test for Determining Heat Gain of Office Equipment Used in Buildings, prescribes methods of test to determine the range and average operating heat gains of electrical equipment for use in cooling load calculations.
The standard applies to plug-load type electrical equipment. Plug loads (computers, monitors, printers, projectors, etc.) use between 20% to 50% of a building’s energy.
Increased use of computers and advances in building techniques and building envelopes have made heat gain from electrical equipment a larger factor in engineering cooling systems.
“Most plug loads operate at a fraction of their nameplate electrical load, so, as a result, produce significantly less heat load than engineers may use in their cooling load calculations based on those nameplate values,” according to an ASHRAE statement. “This can result in over-sizing of air-conditioning equipment, resulting in extra initial cost for that equipment as well as higher operating cost.”
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Oct 9, 2020
One of the few Class A office buildings in New York’s East Harlem should start construction early next year
Big floor plates will accommodate tenant customization.
Office Buildings | Oct 8, 2020
New Florida office property is designed for a post-Covid-19 world
Chesterfield is developing the project.
Office Buildings | Sep 15, 2020
REI sells new, unused HQ to Facebook
Site developer Wright Runstad & Company and Shorenstein Properties also purchased an undeveloped 2-acre portion of the property.
Office Buildings | Sep 4, 2020
The office building of the future should be an essential part of its community
When the dust settles, the office is going to look and feel like a different place than the one we left in March.
Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020
2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Coronavirus | Aug 25, 2020
Video: 5 building sectors to watch amid COVID-19
RCLCO's Brad Hunter reveals the winners and non-winners of the U.S. real estate market during the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus | Jul 20, 2020
Student housing amid the pandemic, infection control in buildings, and future airport design on "The Weekly"
Experts from Core Spaces, Bala Consulting Engineers, and Populous were interviewed in the July 23 streaming program from Horizon TV.
Coronavirus | Jul 10, 2020
HOK, Cushman & Wakefield, and HMC Architects hold sway on July 16 "The Weekly"
“The Weekly,” a new streaming program for the commercial design and construction industry, to feature experts from HOK, Cushman & Wakefield, and HMC Architects. Tune in July 16 for insight on social media and interior design, the future of the workplace, and healthcare design after COVID-19.
Office Buildings | Jul 9, 2020
Sydney will be home to the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower
SHoP Architects, in collaboration with BVN, is designing the project.
