Updated Building Efficiency System Tool Available for Download

A significant upgrade to the Hydronic Industry Alliance-Commercial’s Building Efficiency System Tool, the interactive commercial building HVAC system efficiency comparison application, is available for download at forms.iapmo.org/hiac/software_register.aspx.

While previous versions of BEST calculated maximum electrical demand for HVAC systems based on ASHRAE design weather conditions, at certain temperatures those systems lose efficiency and may even switch to back-up sources for protection.

If those sources are electric, this creates an immediate surge in demand. BEST 6.1 factors in this surge at peak heating and cooling temperatures and displays the maximum electrical demand each system would incur on a Demand Energy Efficiency Ratio screen.

The update also enables the calculation of heat recovery or “netting” the energy in a building. Although waste heat produced by the cooling system has typically been thrown away through chillers or cooling towers, it’s more often recovered and used to preheat domestic water. BEST 6.0 provided the ability to determine domestic water heating costs — version 6.1 adds heat recovery to the equation.