What a Builder Needs to Know About the HVAC System Design Process

Registration Closed

A majority of builders are installing HVAC systems that are more efficient than energy codes require, and most new homes are built with relatively tight duct systems and envelopes. Despite these construction improvements, today’s installed HVAC equipment are generally significantly oversized, and corresponding duct systems are generally woefully undersized. This session will review the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Manuals J (Residential Load Calculations), S (Residential Equipment Selection) and D (Residential Duct Design); provide a basic understanding of what an accurate system design entails; and identify specific, discrete design parameters that can be checked to ascertain if the design process has been followed.

Participants in this webinar replay will:

Review the building code requirements and industry standards that govern the design and sizing of HVAC systems.
Identify the criteria the builder needs to provide to the HVAC contractor for proper equipment and duct sizing.
Determine the design calculations and submittals the builder should receive from an HVAC contractor.

Speaker: Glenn Hourahan, Sr. Vice President, Air Conditioning Contractors of America, Arlington, Va.

NAHB Continuing Education: 1.0 hours of continuing education credits for the following 12 designations: CAPS, CGA, CGB, CGP, CGR, CMP, CSP, GMB, GMR, Master CGP, Master CSP, MIRM.

Cancellation and Refund Policy: No refunds are issued for webinar replays upon purchase. However, NAHB regularly reviews these products and reserves the right to remove replays that are no longer current. If you are unable to view a replay during your 12-month access period, please contact Deborah Krat at EdWebinars@nahb.org.

Glenn C. Hourahan

P.E. Senior VP, Technical, Accreditation, & Educational Policy, ACCA

Glenn Hourahan directs ACCA’s technical activities in developing / updating design manuals, standards, contractor accreditation programs, and formulates ACCA’s educational policy for an evolving workforce. Related duties are in program management, identification / generation of new approaches and opportunities, workforce development, creation of supporting technical documents, standards/code body interactions, and technical representation of the contracting community with allied organizations and associations. The overarching aim is to provide tools and information that support HVAC practitioners in delivering energy-efficient, high quality indoor environments (comfort, health, and productivity) for residential and commercial applications.

Mr. Hourahan has 25⁺ years of experience in the HVACR industry and is a licensed professional engineer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Environmental Science from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and is active on a variety of ASHRAE committees as well as those of other industry organizations.

Prior to joining ACCA in 2002, Mr. Hourahan was the Vice President of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute (ARTI) and Director of Technology at the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI; now known as the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, AHRI). In this concurrent role, he was instrumental in the establishment and management of several multi-year, multi-million dollar research initiatives for the HVAC industry. Previously, he worked for Automatic Equipment Sales (an independent distributor of HVACR equipment) and Dunham-Bush Inc. (a manufacturer of screw compressors and chiller packages).