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Residential Loads

A New Standard
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by Bill Smith

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he release of Manual J 8th Edition (MJ8) by the Air Conditioning Contractors Association (ACCA) in 2002 was quite a momentous occasion. It had been 16 years since the 7th edition of Manual J (MJ7) was released in 1986. Since the initial edition, ACCA's Manual J has been the industry standard for residential HVAC load calculations for nearly 50 years. MJ8 was recently recognized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as the method for performing residential heat gain/heat loss. How Do MJ8 and MJ7 Compare? One question often asked is whether ACCA MJ8 produces higher load values than MJ7 under similar conditions. Loads from roof, walls, and glass sections will be very similar for both versions. However, how the two methods handle duct issues can be significantly different if a non-rigorous approach is followed. Keep in mind that an exact equivalent comparison is difficult because MJ8 has so many new material types not covered in MJ7. If a comparison is done without taking advantage of load reducing conditions, such as internal and external shading, then MJ8 will often produce higher loads. But when all information is entered accurately for the two methods, a house calculated with MJ8 will often result in lower loads than when done in MJ7. Essentially, MJ8 rewards good construction and sound installation practices with lower loads, and it penalizes poor practices with higher loads. One goal of MJ8 was to remain usable by hand, just as MJ7 has been. Of all the goals set for MJ8, this was the toughest to accommodate. MJ8s increased precision and sensitivity to many more design conditions required scores of tables chock full of load factors. Doing a load calculation by hand requires the designer to manually look up all these load factors. The load information can be entered into a calculator. However, the MJ8 manual includes a free spreadsheet to minimize the use of a calculator. The spreadsheet doesnt automatically look up required load

With MJ8 now battlehardened through two years of field use, and refined with the input of many of the countrys top residential HVAC experts, an HVAC contractor just cant go wrong employing this new ANSI standard load calculation procedure
factors, but it does perform the necessary calculations and summarize load totals. Enhanced Capabilities of New Version with Software Solutions To fully automate the MJ8 load calculation process, third-party software is required. Two software vendors, Elite Software and Wrightsoft, are the currently ACCArecognized MJ8 software providers. There are other software companies with MJ8 programs under development. Although MJ8 is more tedious to use by hand than MJ7, the differences between the two arent so great. Users of MJ7 software shouldnt fear switching over to MJ8. MJ7 Lays Foundation for MJ8 MJ7 enjoyed a long run of success because it was usable by hand, yet was still relatively accurate at calculating heating and cooling loads for many residential applications in varied locations throughout the U.S. The problem that arose was that the housing industry evolved over the years to employ many new material types and building methods not covered by MJ7. Building much tighter houses to reduce air infiltration and

RESIDENTIAL COMFORT

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possibly require mechanical ventilation was a new building procedure unknown to MJ7. Insulated concrete form (ICF) construction, where concrete is surrounded by Styrofoam and left in place after the concrete is poured, is a perfect example of a new wall construction procedure. The ICF construction technique introduced the concept of using both high mass and high R value material to create an especially energy efficient wall type. With MJ7, such a wall could only be handled by selecting a standard concrete block wall type and then applying a different U-factor than what the MJ7 table suggested. This worked to some degree, but didnt really reflect the full accuracy that could be achieved if such a massive and insulated wall type was analyzed in more detail. Other items such as logs and EIF (exterior insulated finish) materials had to be handled in a compromised fashion as well when using MJ7. Add to that the evolution of window technology where windows ship with different rating factors, such as the new glass solar heat gain coefficient. ACCA recognized this situation and commissioned longtime ACCA technical consultant Hank Rutkowski, P.E. to create MJ8 as the replacement for MJ7. Being the author of MJ7, and numerous other technical documents published by ACCA, Rutkowski was the perfect choice for this task. Numerous well-known HVAC experts worked with ACCA to refine MJ8 procedures. For some, this involvement began with the initial goal setting of MJ8. Others worked to implement MJ8 on real world projects and toward ultimate ANSI standard approval. Enhanced Capabilities ACCA wanted to vastly expand the material library used for MJ8, and improve the accuracy of duct heat gain/loss factors. The association also wanted to offer a way to evaluate peak load and transient conditions so that zoning systems could be more accurately assessed. On top of all this, the new method was sup-

posed to remain useable by hand just you and a calculator. Did ACCA achieve all these goals? Yes, but not without a few bumps. As with many engineering standards from ASHRAE and other organizations, adjustments, and improvements have been made to MJ8 in the form of technical addendas. These updates can be downloaded free of charge from ACCAs Manual J website at www.manualj.com. MJ8 provides numerous advantages over MJ7. Most of the enhanced capabilities revolve around increased sensitivities to factors like wood or metal framing, glass and external shading conditions, altitude effects, and numerous other items. A complete list of these improvements can also be seen at www.manualj.com. A major upgrade with MJ8 is the greatly expanded building material library. The material combinations covered by MJ7 totaled to 236, while in MJ8, the number of construction material combinations is 2,726. Virtually all modern roof, wall, and glass

types can be found in MJ8. The two aspects of MJ8 that have been refined the most since its initial introduction relate to peak loads for zoning purposes and duct heat gains and losses. Average Load Procedures (ALP) MJ8 uses average load procedures (ALP) as the basis for most calculations. These procedures are similar to what was used in MJ7 and are primarily based on the ASHRAE Cooling Load Temperature Difference procedures. To address conditions where more than an average load may be needed, such as in living areas with many windows, the concept of adequate exposure diversity (AED) was introduced in MJ8. If the peak hour glass cooling loads for a system (group of rooms) didnt exceed the average glass cooling loads by more than 30%, then that system was considered to have adequate exposure diversity, and thus didnt need to use

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MJ8 Consumer Benefits

any of the MJ8 benefits to contractors carry right over to the consumer. Although consumers dont care that MJ8 has ten times more materials than MJ7 or that MJ8 has a completely new duct gain/loss procedure, consumers do care about comfort and operating costs. Comfort is more assured with an MJ8 design than with MJ7 because of greater accuracy in calculating heat gains and losses. An MJ8 practitioner can assure a home owner that all the expensive upgrades (better windows, increased insulation levels, window treatments, etc.) they purchased were taken into account when sizing the HVAC equipment. When HVAC loads are calculated with greater precision, the HVAC system can be selected to match the loads precisely and minimize the chance of installing an oversized system. Oversized HVAC systems frequently short cycle and dont provide enough run time to properly dehumidify the conditioned space. The resulting environment is often humid and sticky feeling one that also promotes the growth of mold and mildew. Not only is humidity better controlled with correctly sized systems, but temperature swings and variations throughout the spaces are much better minimized with a properly sized system that doesnt short cycle. Besides improved comfort, a correctly sized system also provides lower initial costs (small units cost less than large units), as well as reduced operating costs. A unit that doesnt cycle on and off frequently avoids the inefficiencies of motor starting conditions and is more reliable (more constant operation is much less stressful on equipment than is frequent starts and stops). While the home owner may not recognize terms like MJ8, ALP, and AED excursion, they do know when they are comfortable. And the use of MJ8 will help contractors make their customers homes more comfortable.

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special peak load procedures (PLP). (Early users of MJ8 found the PLP approach could create a significant and unexpected jump in cooling loads under certain conditions. ACCAs Addendum b to MJ8 addressed this issue and entirely replaced the PLP approach with the AED excursion method.) This new method requires examination of a graph such as shown in Figure 1 where the hourly glass loads are plotted against time. Yes, MJ8 provides factors for calculating hourly glass loads. A blue line is drawn that shows the average glass load across 12 hours. A red line is drawn at a level 30% above the average load line. This upper red line is also called a reference line. An excursion occurs if the glass load curve extends upward beyond the reference line at any hour. In the case shown in Figure 1, the glass load curve never exceeds the red reference line and thus there is no excursion. In a case where the glass load curve exceeds the reference line, the

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AED excursion method requires the difference between the peak glass load and the reference line to be added to the average glass load. This creates an adjustment that factors in some extra load above the average glass load so as to assure comfort in the conditioned area. Performing an AED test by

hand for each room and total system-conditioned area isnt practical. Using MJ8 at this advanced level requires the use of software to perform AED tests and determine excursion Btuh amounts to add to the average glass loads. Like MJ7, MJ8 provides a simple approach to calculate average glass loads that are appropriate in most situations. But when used with software, MJ8 also provides a means where exceptional glass loads and excursion loads can be accurately calculated. Improved Duct Modeling In the area of duct gains and losses, ACCA used the latest research from both ASHRAE and the Florida Solar Energy Center to create numerous duct load factor tables to better assess HVAC duct gains and losses. These duct tables take into account the degree to which the duct system is sealed/unsealed and insulated, the location of the duct system (attic, crawl space, basement, etc.), the layout of the duct system (radial or trunk and branch style), location of the outlets (perimeter or center of the room) and whether the duct system is a supply or return system. Other factors taken into consideration include discharge air temperature, attic temperature, and duct surface exposure adjustments. MJ7 provided only a few simplistic duct scenarios and offered few user inputs and adjustments. MJ8

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provides a huge increase in the ability to calculate duct gains and losses under virtually all conditions. But even with all these new duct variables, users of the initial release of MJ8 were often amazed at how much larger the duct gain and loss factors were compared to similar factors from MJ7. As more feedback came in from many people using MJ8, several points were discovered to improve the use of the new duct tables. As even more contractors began using MJ8, many made very conservative assumptions about duct scenarios. For example, if a contractor didnt know who had installed the duct system, it was often assumed that the duct system wasnt well sealed. An unsealed duct system naturally causes extremely high duct gains and losses and these high factors for unsealed duct systems in MJ8 surprised some designers. The revelation was that no HVAC system should be designed with the assumption of excessively leaky ductwork. Duct systems must be sealed before equipment can be expected to work properly. As industry use and discussions on MJ8 continued, MJ8 Addendum C was released by ACCA that expanded the duct scenarios even further and also allowed the designer to specify an exact leakage rate for the duct system. In this way, a designer didnt have to choose between simply a sealed or unsealed condition. Additionally, the ability to specify a leakage rate gives designers very fine control over duct loads as well as more accuracy. Use of Proper Procedures Lead to Strong Industry Support With several errata and three addenda released that addressed issues ranging from simple typos in the MJ8 manual to refinements on glass load calculations and duct load factors, MJ8 has achieved a very high satisfaction rate within the HVAC industry. Not only has ANSI recognized MJ8, but numerous state and government agencies have recognized it as well. In addition, HVAC manufacturers support the use of the updated version.

Industry Experts Join in a

LABOR OF LOVE

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n the on-going maintenance of MJ8, ACCA recruited the involvement of more than 20 experts from all corners of the HVAC industry. All parties involved with the project were united in their efforts to simplify MJ8 and make it teachable to the industry. According to Glenn Hourahan, P.E., ACCA vice president research & technology, A lively exchange of information from the diverse committee members contributed to the success of this industry-endorsed, battle-tested, new, and improved version. It would take pages to list all the contributions from all the individual committe members. Many thanks go out to all of them for their participation in the refinement of MJ8. Special recognition goes to the committee chair, Stan Johnson, a successful HVAC contractor and everyday practitioner of MJ8. Also, Rick Welguisz, The Trane Company, John Andrews, Brookhaven Natiional Laboratory, and Danny Parker, Florida Solar Energy made tremendous contributions of time and resources.

MJ8 COMMITTEE MEMBERS & CONSULTANTS:


Contractors: Stan Johnson; president, Stans Heating and Air Conditioning Inc Warren Lupson; president, Lupson & Association Frank Menditch; president, Menditch Consulting Kenny Watson; operations manager, Roscoe Brown, Inc. OEM Trainers: Jack Bartell; technical services manager, York International Tom Robertson; technical services & training manager, Nordyne Inc. Gary Schroeder; technical training manager, Lennox Industries Pete Van Lancker; senior training administrator, Rheem Air Conditioning Division Rick Welguisz; application engineering manager, The Trane Company Instructors: Bill Gallentine; president, Best & Associates Jim Herritage; president, Energy Auditors Inc. Art Miller; professor, Community College of Allegheny County Pat Murphy; vice president of Certifications, NATE John Parker; senior training analyst, Alabama Power Company HVAC Training Center Researchers: John Andrews, P.E.; researcher, Brookhaven National Laboratory Danny Parker; principal research scientist, Florida Solar Energy Center Consultants to the Committee: Chip Barnaby; vice president of Research, Wrightsoft Glenn Friedman, P.E.; principal, Taylor Engineering Glenn Hourahan, P.E.; vice president Research & Technology, ACCA Hank Rutkowski, P.E.; H.T.R. Consulting Richard Shaw, consultant Bill Smith; president, Elite Software

Beyond the improvements, another key to obtaining good results is to understand that old conservative assumptions used with MJ7 are not valid for MJ8. If used, such assumptions will almost certainly result in incorrect load calculations. With MJ7, designers often assumed: no internal shading from curtains, blinds, or drapes no shading from external overhangs record breaking design weather conditions poor construction tightness. Users of MJ8 need to think differently. Rather than guess conservatively on important input data, MJ8 designers should make every effort to enter exact information and take advantage of all load reducing conditions. In so doing, more accurate load estimations are achieved. And, just as importantly, a contractor has a defensible position from which to select his equipment. See the expanded article online at www.contractingbusiness.com/MJ8.html, which includes MJ8 Dos and Donts, for a listing of important design considerations. With MJ8 now battle-hardened through two years of field use, and refined with the input of many of the countrys top residential HVAC experts, an HVAC contractor just cant go wrong employing this new ANSI standard load calculation procedure. See for yourself just how modern and powerful the MJ8 procedures are. Go to the www.acca.org site and order your own MJ8 manual. Look over the MJ8 software on the ACCA website as well. Trial versions of the MJ8 software are available for downloading and evaluation free of charge. Keep your company current by using ACCAs new state-of-the-art MJ8 load calculation procedures. Bill Smith is president of Elite Software a software developer for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design software. The company offers more than 30 programs for such applications as HVAC load calculations, building energy analysis, and HVAC duct and pipe sizing. Bill can be contacted at 979-690-9420 or email bsmith@elitesoft.com.
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