rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

Building Simulation: A Tool in HVAC System Design, Selection and Energy

Savings
Hazem M. Elseoudy1,*
1

Independent Researcher, Cairo, Egypt

* Corresponding author. Tel: + 20 1002540888, E-mail: hsaudi@aucegypt.edu

Abstract: Buildings are the dominate energy consumers on the planet. HVAC systems contribute to 30 % of
energy use in buildings (from 22 % to as high as 54 %). Escalating energy costs are driving customers and
consultants to choose different alternatives in regard to HVAC systems in order to save on running costs. Egypt
is a gas producing country and it is assumed that gas is offered at low prices. Consultants and owners are
switching from using traditional electrical compression cycle equipment to use high initial cost direct fired
absorption chillers in order to save on running costs. The approach sounds appealing; however as engineers it is
our responsibility to provide customers with value engineering for their procured equipment and thus protect
their investments. Building simulation softwar s became very handy as powerful tools to estimate the energy
consumption of various HVAC systems and building energy. Even if the project budget, circumstances and
architecture considerations limit the choice to use a specific HVAC system, and in order to offer a sustainable
design, economic lifecycle analysis should be performed to provide a comprehensive approach over the lifecycle
of the project.
In this research different projects in Egypt and various HVAC systems were modeled and investigated using
building simulation and modeling software at the design stage, and the study was completed with an economic
lifecycle analysis.
Each building has different characteristics regarding building usage, function, cooling load profile, lighting,
energy prices, bui
etc. Building simulation tools can model
and replicate these factors. Therefore, it is very important to use building simulation modeling all these factors
against different proposed HVAC systems before jumping to conclusions. And thus, develop a complete
understanding for the systems and buildings under design in order to choose the optimum HVAC system design
and select the equipment that will result in achieving significant reductions in building energy use and savings;
in addition to lower carbon emissions and reduced environmental impacts.
Keywords: Building Simulations and HVAC System Selection, Modeling HVAC Systems, HVAC System Selection
and Energy Saving, HVAC Lifecycle Analysis, Emissions Resulting From HVAC and Building Energy Use

1. Introduction
1.1. Overview of energy used in buildings
and factors of consideration
World total energy production is divided
between the building sector, the industry
sector and the transportation sector. The
building sector consumes 41% of the energy
while the latter two use up 31% and 28%
respectively. As is shown in fig. 1 [1], the
41% consumed by the building industry
reflects 22% being used up by residential
buildings while 19% reflects the usage by
commercial buildings; thus highlighting the
fact that buildings are the dominate energy
consumers on the planet.

Fig. 1. Data Source: US EIA - World Energy

Consumption by Sector 2011

Energy plays a vital role in the development

of world economies, thus creating new
opportunities. A major issue of concern is
that the increasing world demand on energy
accompanying economic growth creates
more pressure on the world supply channels

rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

and resources along with national and

economic resources. Fig. 2 shows the
estimated projection of energy consumption
by fuel type. According to the US Energy
Information Administration, world energy
consumption will increase by 53% between
2008 and 2035. Likewise, based on the
information obtained from the same
database, energy consumption in Egypt is
also estimated to rise by 67% to 77%
between 2008 and 2035. [2]

Fig. 2. World energy consumption by fuel type,

1990-2035

Fig.3 shows the increase and the expectation

of energy demands for different parts of the
world without imposing energy regulations
and improving energy efficiency especially
among non OECD countries (i.e. Africa,
[3]

Another major environmental concern is the

water consumption associated with energy
production as shown in table-1. [4]
Table-1 Water consumption in (L/1000kWh) by
type of electricity generation

Power
Generation
Technologies

Efficiency (liters
per 1000 kWh)

Hydroelectric

260

Geothermal

1,680

Solar Thermal

2,970 - 3,500

Fossil fuel
thermoelectric

14,200

28,400

Nuclear

31,000

74,900

Water is heavily consumed during energy

generation. Therefore, with the increase in
energy demands there will be penalties on the
water resources. In other words, there should
be concerns with buildings water footprint
not just from the domestic, process cooling
and irrigation water use perspectives but also
with the water consumed due to buildings
energy consumption associated with energy
production.
Another factor of consideration is the
buildings impact on the climate change.
Buildings are a key player in CO2 emissions
along with other emissions which contribute
to the global warming and greenhouse effect.
Buildings accounts for 35% of the
Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the U.S. [5]

Fig. 3. World Energy Demand chart - Source

ExxonMobil Outlook Report 2013-2040

Consequently, when designing new buildings

or retrofitting existing ones energy efficiency
must be addressed as the major concern by
the designer, architect, mechanical engineer,
operator and all others involved in the
building industry. Fig.4 shows the potential
energy savings from efficiency gains. [6]

rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

With the available and affordable

technologies engineers now have the ease of
investigating the effects of selected systems
and materials on buildings allowing the make
of better choices within a reasonable time.
1.3. Why HVAC matters
I
where buildings consume
energy. Fig.5 shows typical building energy
consumption. HVAC systems contribute to
30 % of energy use in buildings with a
normal range of 22 % or as high as 54 %. [9]

Fig. 4. Potential Global Energy Saving from

Efficiency Gains.

1.2. Buildings and sustainability

Sustainable design or sustainable building is
a hot topic in nowadays building practice.
But what does sustainability really means?
S
method of harvesting or using a resource so
that the resource is not depleted or
. [7]
sustainable, a society needs to meet three
conditions: Its rates of use of renewable
resources should not exceed their rates of
regeneration; its rates of use of nonrenewable resources should not exceed the
rate at which sustainable renewable
substitutes are developed; and its rates of
pollution emissions should not exceed the
assimilative capacity of the environment .[8]
Comparing the effects the building industry
has on the environment (i.e. resources use,
places a lot of
responsibilities on the people involved in this
the
business is done not to jeopardize the futures
generations and the planet. Each decision to
be taken will affect future generations.
understand that the
industry can no longer continue with the
same old conducts for constructing buildings.

Fig. 5. Typical Building Energy Consumption

1.4. Building simulation softwares;

powerful tools
Each building has different characteristics
(i.e. building usage, cooling load profile,
lighting, building materials, geographic
simulation tools have the capabilities to
model and replicate these factors.
Simulation software
They are powerful tool for estimating energy
consumption of HVAC systems; along with
evaluating the effect of building material,
envelope, orientation, glazing, and other
considerations that would affect the energy
use and consumption of the building.
1.5. Energy and engineering
responsibilities
The escalating energy costs are driving
customers and consultants to choose different
alternatives in regard to HVAC systems in
order to save on running costs. Egypt is a
natural gas producing country and it has been

rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

assumed that using HVAC equipment

utilizing natural gas will result in lower
operating costs. That made consultants and
owners think about switching from using
electrical compression equipment to use gas
direct fired absorption chillers that have high
initial cost hoping to save on running costs.

HVAC system selection is a very critical

decision to be made. The satisfaction of the
customer and occupant is what determine
whether the HVAC system was a success or
failure. A good designer must be able to
foresee the performance of the intended
HVAC system.

The approach sounds appealing; however,

without detailed analysis this would become
very tricky. Engineers have the responsibility
to provide customers with value engineering
for their procured equipment and thus their
investments. Even if the project budget, and
architecture considerations call for a specific
HVAC system, different vendors offering
this specific system should be energy
modeled before selecting equipment based on
initial costs.

In addition to that, other factors have to be

considered such as initial cost, operating
costs, load capacity required and the market
adoption of the technologies to be used.

In order to offer a sustainable design

economic lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA)
should be conducted to provide a
comprehensive approach over the lifecycle of
the project. Thus it is very important to use
building simulation to model all the HVAC
proposed systems against the factors
affecting building design to recognize their
energy performance before jumping to
conclusion. And hence, develop a complete
understanding of the systems under design in
order to choose the optimum HVAC system
that will result in achieving significant
savings in building energy use.
In this research different projects in Egypt
with various proposed HVAC systems were
modeled and investigated using building
simulation software at the design stage and
the studies were completed with economic
lifecycle costs analysis.
2. Methodology
2.1. HVAC systems
There are a huge number of HVAC systems
available worldwide. These systems have
different
efficiency,
advantages
and
limitations. A number of HVAC systems
have been considered for the three case
studies presented.

Another important factor is the owner

perspective of the building operation and the
life expectancy of the equipment to be used.
2.2. Life expectancy of HVAC systems
In order to perform the LCCA, the
anticipated life of the HVAC systems
understudy must be recognized.
The ASHRAE application handbook contains
survey-based estimated service life of HVAC
system components. The data were used to
perform the LCCA presented.
2.3. Data gathering and the building
modeling software
The methodology used in conducting this
research is summarized as follows:
1- Understanding of the cooling load was
developed.
2- Equipment data, catalogues, capacity...etc
of proposed systems were gathered.
3- Information gathered was used to create
the energy models for the building and
systems.
4- The energy model outputs and system
economics were fed into economic
software to develop the LCCA.
In this research two Carrier energy modeling
softwares were used to investigate the energy
consumption of the different proposed
HVAC systems.
The first was Carrier Hourly Analysis
Program (HAP). HAP is three tools in one.
The first tool estimates load and design the

rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

HVAC systems while the second tool

simulates building energy use and calculate
energy costs. It is also used for generating
LEED reports. HAP uses the ASHRAE
transfer function method for load calculations
and detailed 8,760 hour-by-hour simulation
techniques for energy analysis.
The second energy tool used was the Carrier
Chiller System Optimizer (CSO) developed
for simulating chilled water plants.
Calculations are based on actual data,
including ASHRAE bin weather patterns,
building load profile, occupancy schedules
and auxiliary equipment.
After formalizing a clear understanding of
the building loads, proposed sized equipment
were sent to different vendors for prices and
performance data from their matching
equipment. Gathered equipment data from
suppliers (i.e. sizing, actual load, energy
efficiency...etc.) were fed back again into the
modeling section of HAP or CSO for
performing energy analysis vs. actual
equipment sizing and performance.
Then the LCCA was performed using Carrier
Engineering Economic Analysis (EEA)
software. This program performs 4 types of
economic analysis of which:
- Simple payback analysis
- Private sector lifecycle analysis
HAP can export the energy simulation model
to the EEA saving time and minimizing
errors. The equipment initial costs gathered
were fed into the EEA along with the energy
models to perform the LCCA for each case.
2.4. Case study -1; the small office space
Table-2 summaries the assumptions and the
data gathered used in simulating this
building:
Table- 2 Case study-1 data & design assumptions

Location

Cairo, Egypt

Application Type

Office Space

Operation Schedule 8 (hr/day) Fri & Sat. Off

Area

427.5 (m2)

Estimated
cooling capacity

84.4 (kW)

Occupancy

86 (persons)

LCCA, Equipment
life expectancy

15 (yrs.) [10]

Electric rate

2013 commercial
tariff [11]

Table-3 is showing the initial cost for the 3

competing brands.
Table- 3 Equipment initial costs for case study-1

Brand-1 Brand-2 Brand-3

Initial Cost
(EGP)

148,475 108,400 100,100

As a rented property, the owner requirements

has limited the HVAC system choice in using
DX split units to condition zones separately.
Prices and catalogues for 3 different A/C
brands were gathered. Table-9 shows the
performance data and comparison for the 3
brands vs. the estimated load required. After
that, the 3 brands have been modeled for
energy consumption using HAP. LCCA was
performed using simple payback method.
2.5. Case Study-2; The WTC commercial
building:
The scope of this study was to compare the
LCCA for two different proposed chilled
water systems (Absorption chillers system
vs. centrifugal chillers system) then decide
which would be the more feasible
investment.
Table-4 is the assumptions and data as
provided by the project consultant. Initial
costs are provided in table-5 [12].
CSO was used to create the energy model for
the following two alternative systems:
A. Absorption chillers Qt. 3 - each 1407
(kW).
B. Centrifugal chillers Qty. 3 - each 1407
(kW).

rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

Table- 4 Case study-2 data and assumptions

Location
Application
Weather data
Operation schedule
Estimated cooling
capacity
LCCA, Equipment
life expectancy
Electric Rate
Natural Gas Rate

Cairo, Egypt
Hotel
ASHRAE Cairo
IWEC
24 (hours)
4220 (kW)
25 (yrs.) [13]
0.25 (EGP/kWh)
0.3 (EGP/m3)

Table-5 Initial cost and estimated annual

maintenance costs absorp. vs. centrif. systems.

Absorption Centrifugal
chillers
chillers
system
system
Initial Cost (EGP) 8,205,000
Annual maintenance
120,000
costs (EGP/yr.)

6,306,000
102,000

2.6. Case study-3: The 5th District Mall:

The scope of this case study was to calculate
the cooling load, provide system comparison
and identify investment costs for the
following 6 proposed alternative systems
available in the Egyptian HVAC market as
presented in table-6.
Table-6 Equipment estimated initial costs

System Type
VRF system
Air cooled
chillers system
Water cooled
chillers system
Absorption
chillers system

Estimated Initial
Cost (EGP)
8,100,000
9,317,000
9,500,000
9,999,999

DX split system

4,500,000

Water cooled
package units

12,000,000

Table-7 contains the design data and

assumptions used in case study-3.

Table-7 Case study-3 design assumptions

Location
Application

Cairo, Egypt
Mall, Retail
ASHRAE Cairo
Weather Data
IWEC
Operation Schedule 9 to 12 AM (hours)
Estimated Cooling
1746.2 (kW)
Capacity
Air-conditioned area
7,575.7 (m2)
Occupancy

3.72 (m2 /Person) [14]

Lighting Intensity
LCCA, Equipment
life expectancy

26.91 (W/m2) [12]

25 (yrs.)

HAP was used to calculate the cooling, and

then sized equipment was sent to different
vendors for actual equipment performance
and prices. The LCCA was performed after
the energy modeling was created.
3. Results
3.1. Results for case study-1; The small
office space
The following table-8 is the energy
simulation modeling output results for case
study-1.
Table-8 Simulation results for case study-1

Brand-1 Brand-2 Brand-3

HVAC Elec.
69,908 74,806 77,645
(kWh)
% of HVAC to
30.3
31.8
32.6
annual energy cost
Annual HVAC
energy cost/ floor 116.49 124.68 129.43
area (EGP/m2)
CO2 emissions
164,668 168,168 170,196
equivalent (Kg)
HVAC annual 49,774 53,275 55,304
energy cost elect.
Non-HVAC
annual energy
cost elect.
Total Annual
Energy Cost

114,262 114,288 114,302

164,036 167,563 169,606

rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

Fig.6 is showing that using brand-1 will

result in 30.3 % of energy consumed by
HVAC components versus 69.7% by nonHVAC components in this building. Brand-2
and brand-3 would use 31.8% and 32.6%
respectively of the total building energy.
HVAC
30.3%
NonHVAC
69.7%

The comparison in table-9 is between the

equipment of the 3 proposed brands
capacities versus the estimated zones cooling
load. This table is also showing the number
of the unmet load hours using each of the
proposed brands.
The results for the LCCA using simple
payback method are showing that brand-2 is
the winner case over both brands as
presented in table-10.

Fig. 6 Brand-1 Annual HVAC & Non-HVAC

Costs Totals
Table- 9 Unmet load hours comparison for the 3
brands versus estimated space and zone loads

Zone Space / Zone Estimated

Brand-1 [15]
Brand-2 [16]
Brand-3 [17]
No.
Name
Cooling Equipment
Equipment
Equipment
Capacity
Gross
Unmet Gross Unmet Gross
Unmet
Load
Cooling Load Cooling Load Cooling
(kW)
Cap. (kW) Hours Cap. (kW) Hours Cap. (kW) Hours
1 A/P Broker R.
5.60
6.01
0
6.44
0
6.80
0
2 A/P Delivery R 4.30
4.98
0
5.27
0
5.27
0
3
A/P MGRS
2.70
3.37
0
3.51
0
3.52
0
4
Archive 1
9.40
9.01
0
9.01
0
9.01
0
5
Archive 2
3.10
3.37
0
3.51
0
3.52
0
6 Cashier Room
3.80
3.37
0
3.51
0
3.52
0
7 Facility Mgr.
1.00
3.37
0
3.51
0
3.52
0
8
Meeting R.
2.00
3.37
0
3.51
0
3.52
0
9
PBX
2.50
3.37
0
3.51
0
3.52
0
10 Printing Pool
2.30
3.37
0
3.51
0
3.52
0
11
Reception
4.50
4.98
0
5.27
0
5.27
0
12
Space 1
4.20
4.98
0
5.27
0
5.27
0
13
Space 2
5.50
6.01
0
6.44
0
6.80
0
14
Space 3
4.20
4.98
0
5.27
0
5.27
0
6.74
157
6.74
79
15
Space 4
6.70
6.01
697
6.44
327
6.80
121
8.57
0
16 Server Room
5.10
6.01
3
6.44
0
6.80
0
17 Top T/T Mgr.
2.60
3.37
0
3.51
0
3.52
0
18
Waiting 1
4.10
4.98
0
5.27
0
5.27
0
19
Waiting 2
6.70
6.01
0
6.44
0
6.80
0
20
Waiting 3
4.10
4.98
0
5.27
0
5.27
0

rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

Table- 10 LCC analysis results for case study-1

Challenger Base Case Additional Payback

First Cost Period
(EGP)
(yrs.)
Brand-2 Brand-3
7,600
4.0
[Winner]
Brand-1 Brand-2
41,795
n/a
[Winner]
3.2. Results for case study-2: The WTC
Commercial Building
Table-11 represents the energy consumption
comparison and savings by each HVAC
system component understudy.

Table-12 Annual energy cost detialed results and

comparison between centrifugal chillers system
vs. absorption chillers system
Annual Centrif. Absorp. Savings %
Savings
Energy System System
(EGP) (EGP)
Cost Det. (EGP)

Chiller
847,142
electric

60,537

Chiller
fuel

582,937 (582,937) n/a

Cooling
tower

75,173

191,700 (116,527) -155%

786,605

93%

Chilled w.
13
0%
151,355 151,342
pumps
Table-11 Annual energy use details of chilled
water system components in (kWh) for eclectic Condenser
227,033 407,111 (180,078) -79%
use and (m3) for gas use.
w. pumps
%
Annual Centrif. Absorp. Savings
Total
Savings
Energy System System
energy 1,300,703 1,393,628 (92,925) -7%
Use Det. (kWh/yr.) (kWh/yr.) (kWh/yr.)
cost
Chillers 3,382,506 241,728 3,140,778 93%
Table-13 Executive summary for the energy

Cooling
300,146 765,472 (465,326) -155% modeling of the centrifugal vs absorption chiller
towers
system
Chilled
Economic
Best System
Value
0%
0
604,320 604,320
w. pumps
Criteria
Design for
(EGP)
Cond. w.
Each Criteria
906,480 1,625,621 (719,141) -79%
pumps
Lowest
(A) Centrifugal
Annual
1,300,703
Total
System
5,193,451 3,237,141 1,956,310 38%
Energy Cost
Elec. Use
Natural
Gas Use

1,943,122 (1,943,122)
n/a
(m3)
(m3)

Table-12 is showing the detailed comparison

of the annual energy cost used by each
component in the systems and the final
energy cost savings in (EGP).
The energy report executive summary in
table-13 is showing that the centrifugal
chillers system has the lowest running cost.
The summary of the LCCA economic study
using the private sector analysis for mutually
exclusive base is displayed in table-14.

Table-14 LCCA comparison summary between

absorption versus centrifugal chiller systems

Challenger

Base Additional
NPW
Case First Cost Savings
(EGP)
(EGP)
Centrif.
Absorption
1,899,000 -14,507,986
[Winner]

3.3. Results for case study-3: The 5th

District Mall
The energy modeling results for the 5th
District Mall project in case study-3 are
presented in table-15.

rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

Table-15 Energy modeling results of case study-3

VRF
System
HVAC elec.
(kWh)
HVAC natural
gas (m3)
HVAC annual
energy cost
(EGP)
Total annual
energy cost
(EGP)
% of HVAC to
annual total
energy cost
HVAC annual
energy cost /
floor area
(EGP/m2)
CO2 emissions
equivalent (Kg)

Air Cooled
Water
Absorption
Chillers Cooled Ch. Chillers

Ducted
Split

Water C.
Units

1,270,305

1,603,859

1,451,012

833,914

1,645,923

1,972,066

454,079

914,072

1,154,171

1,044,166

1,044,166

1,184,460

1,419,239

3,369,681

3,609,840

3,499,790

3,509,631

3,640,127

3,874,949

27.1%

32.0%

29.8%

29.8%

32.5%

36.6%

120.67

152.35

137.83

139.16

156

187

3,345,354

3,583,671

3,474,486

3,941,950

3,613,730

3,846,773

The comparison in the annual running costs

in (EGP) for the six proposed HVAC systems
are presented in table-16.
Table-16 Annual energy consumption cost in
EGP for case study-3

System
Component
Air System Fans
Cooling

VRF
System
(EGP)
128,714
785,124

Air
Cooled
(EGP)
128,888
943,070

Water
Cooled
(EGP)
128,886
634,722

Heating

234

4,900

1,208

Pumps

82,213

206,990

206,990

163,590

Heat Rejection
Fans

73,568

73,568

42,659

HVAC Sub-Total 914,072

Absorption Ducted
Water C.
Chiller
Split
Units
(EGP)
(EGP)
(EGP)
128,886
105,005
109,476
634,722 1,074,555 1,102,306

1,154,171 1,044,166 1,044,166

1,184,460 1,419,239

1,281,023 1,281,070 1,281,052 1,281,052

1,281,075 1,281,120

Elec. Equipment 1,174,479 1,174,523 1,174,506 1,174,506

1,174,527 1,174,568

Lighting

Non-HVAC
Sub-Total

2,455,502 2,455,593 2,455,558 2,455,558

2,455,602 2,455,688

Grand Total

3,369,574 3,609,763 3,499,723 3,499,723

3,640,061 3,874,927

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 rd - 24 th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

The results also showed the water cooled

package units manufactured locally were
neither competitive in operating cost nor in
price. It has the highest initial cost among the
proposed systems and it added no value from
the operating cost point of view. Therefore, it
was rejected and omitted from the design and
the economic analysis at early stage.
On the other hand, the DX split system was
dismissed for architectural reasons as having
many condensing units installed on the
building facades.
The two tables (15 and 16) revealed that the
VRF system has the lowest annual operating
cost.
Table-15 displayed that the VRF system has
the lowest HVAC energy cost representing
27.1% of the total energy cost of the
building. In addition to that, the table showed
that the VRF system has the lowest annual
CO2 emissions which are 3,345,354 (Kg) as
estimated by the energy model as shown in
table-15.
The LCCA was performed only for the four
remaining competing systems. The LCCA
results in table-17 disclosed that the VRF
system is the winner case.
Table-17 the Lifecycle incremental analysis data
for case study-3

Challenger

Base Case

Additional
First Cost
(EGP)

Air cooled
ch. System

VRF [Winner] 1,217,000

Water cooled
ch. system

VRF [Winner] 1,400,000

Absorption
ch. system

VRF [Winner] 1,899,999

4. Discussion
4.1. Discussion of case study-1
From the table-9, the estimated cooling load
for zone no. 6 was 3.8 (kW). After running

the energy model for the 3 proposed brands,

brand-1 with 3.37 (kW) gross cooling
capacity was sufficient to cover the load
giving 0 (hours) of unmet load. This means
that, it is not always necessary to use bigger
or equal capacity machine to cover and lift
the space load.
Also from table-9, Zone no. 15, with
estimated load of 6.7 (kW), is another strong
example to prove this point. When modeled
against the nominal 24,000 (Btu/hr.) base
unit from the three competing brands; brand1 achieved 697 (hours) unmet load;
compared to 327 (hours) by brand-2 and only
121 (hours) unmet load by brand-3. Using 2
(units) from brand-1 3.37 (kW) each resulted
in 157 (hours) unmet load while equivalent
units from brand-2 each 3.51 (kW) resulted
in 79 (hours) unmet load. Thus if the
application is critical and demands 0 unmet
then the designer have to move to
bigger model when choosing and selecting
equipment to be used. This of course will
reflect on the cost, performance and energy
consumption.
The additional first cost of 41,795 (EGP) for
brand-1 which has the best energy efficiency,
could not be justified over the 15 (years)
expected life of the a/c split equipment.
Therefore, from the economic stand point
brand-2 was the winning equipment.
4.2. Discussion of case study-2
The LCCA summary in table-14 showed that
the centrifugal chillers system is the winning
system, although first impressions were to
the favor of using gas fired absorption
chillers which was assumed to have lower
operating costs that would offset the initial
cost differences for this project.
4.3. Findings and discussions of case
study-3
The results of the energy simulation and the
LCCA showed that the VRF system is the
wining system among the 6 proposed
systems and would generate the lowest
emission levels.

rd

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23 - 24

th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

The difference in CO2 emissions between the

lowest two systems in operation is 129,134
(Kg) annually. Considering 20 years of
system operation will result in around
2,582,680 (Kg) of CO2 emission reduction.
The simulation also highlighted that the gas
fired absorption chillers system is the worst
system in terms of CO2 emissions with
annual operation emissions level of
3,941,950 (Kg). If this system to be deployed
over VRF system, this will increase CO2
emissions by 11,931,920 (Kg) equivalent
over 20 years period. Such figures should be
well-thought-out at decision making.
Absorption Chillers
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Water Cooled Chillers

The electric driven water cooled chillers and

the absorption chillers are classified under
water cooled systems. Fig.7 highlights the
pumping power increase associated with the
condensing water side of the absorption
chillers compared to electric driven water
cooled chillers.
In addition to that, the increase in heat
rejection associated with cooling tower fans
adds more energy consumption to absorption
chiller systems.
specifying

The energy modeling results in table-16

showed that the six competing systems were
very close in terms of operating costs.
Therefore, this did not yield any significant
payback period within the studied equipment
expected life.
5. Conclusion
Each building has its unique characteristics
therefore it should be considered and studied
separately. No generalization should be
conceded without carful study. The
perception and assumptions about certain
should not be taken for granted.

Fig. 7 Comparison of absorption vs. water cooled

system component costs as a percentage of total
building energy cost

Therefore,

fans if
can be tolerated
by the selected system and load profile. Also
the additional price for the VFD has to be
considered in the economic study though
they are becoming affordable technology
nowadays.

energy

saving

with water cooled systems on both

condensing water pumps and cooling tower

All project aspects should be considered such

as site location, availability of energy source,
application type and load profile
. In
addition, energy prices at project site must be
considered as it differs depending on site
location and utilities provided. Economic
evaluation and LCCA for alternative has to
be made and investigated for accurate
decision making.
It is recommended that no equipment should
be
evaluated
independently.
HVAC
equipment has to be studied as complete
systems. Though the studied cases proved the
opposite about absorption chillers, these
systems still could provide significant energy
savings in other applications than those
examined. To maximize energy savings,
various system arrangements should be
evaluated; for example, the electric chiller
versus absorption chillers or using electric/
absorption hybrid systems.
design engineers
should provide energy modeling for
buildings and perform LCCA for proposed
HVAC systems and equipment. Also, they

Building Simulation Cairo 2013 - Towards Sustainable & Green Built Environment, Cairo, June 23rd - 24th

Topic name: Energy in Buildings

have to investigate the environmental

impacts of various systems and clarify the
information to clients.
At this point, client
awareness and
involvement is very crucial in order to
understand the differences and the ecological
effects of building systems. This will result
in wiser decisions to be taken not just based
on economics but rather with respect to the
environment and sustainability concerns or as
known as social responsibilities.
The building industry cannot continue to do
business as it used to be. Energy guiding
legislations and codes should be imposed and
enforced. Energy conservation has to be
among the high regional priorities for Egypt.
Energy saving measures and technics has to
be implemented and studied carefully in
order to maintain and sustain the
development of the Egyptian economy.
In summary, there are lots of new emerging
technologies that should be considered and
explored. Using building simulation tools is
becoming very crucial to model all the
factors affecting building design in order to
evaluate
different
HVAC
systems
alternatives before jumping to conclusions.
Single HVAC equipment should not be
compared separately; whole systems have to
be studied. Systems should not be chosen
based on initial cost only. A complete
understanding of the HVAC systems and
buildings under design has to be made before
deciding the best optimal HVAC solution
that will result in achieving significant
energy reductions, in building energy along
with having lower environmental impacts.
References
[1] U.S. Energy Information Administration,
Annual Energy Review 2011, DEO/EIA,
2011, pp. 38.
[2] U.S. Energy Information Administration,
International Energy Outlook 2011,
DEO/EIA, 2011, pp. 2.

[3] ExxonMobil, The Outlook for Energy: A

View to 2040, 2013, pp. 8.
[4] Willie D. Jones, How Much Water Does
It
Take
to
Make
Electricity?,
http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/environ
ment/how-much-water-does-it-take-tomake-electricity, 2008
[5] Greenhouse
Gas
Emissions
by
Electricity
End-Use,
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghge
missions/sources/electricity.html
[6] ExxonMobil, The Outlook for Energy: A
View to 2040, ExxonMobil, 2013, pp. 6.
[7] Sustainability definition
Merriam
Webster
Dictionary:
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/sustainable
[8] ASHRAE, ASHRAE GreenGuide: the
Design, Construction, and Operation of
Sustainable Buildings, Elsevier, 2nd
Edition, 2006, pp. 16.
[9] Wise
Grid
Solutions,
http://wisegridsolutions.com/efficientlig
hting.html
[10] ASHRAE, ASHRAE Applications
Handbook, 2003, pp. 36.6 table-3.
[11] Electricity
Tariffs,
2013
http://egyptera.org/ar/t3reefa.aspx
[12] Carrier, Data provided by Carrier Sales
and Maintenance departments, 2008.
[13] ASHRAE, ASHRAE Applications
Handbook, 2003, pp. 36.6 table-3.
[14] Arthur A. Bell Jr., PE, HVAC
Equations, Data, and Rules of Thumb,
McGraw-Hill, 2nd Edition, 2007, pp.
97- 108.
[15] Carrier, Carrier
Catalogues, 2013.

Split

Residential

[16] LG, LG Split Residential Catalogues,

2013.
[17] Samsung, Samsung Split Residential
Catalogues, 2013.