Experimental methodology and results for heat gains from various office equipment (ASHRAE RP-1742)

Abstract

Recent advances in building envelope systems and fenestration have resulted in improved building envelopes, reducing both the air leakage and the heat transfer with the surroundings. At the same time, the power consumption of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems is reduced due to the improvement in their energy efficiency. This leaves plug and miscellaneous loads as one of the main contributors to the overall energy consumption of buildings, accounting for up to 50% of the building's total energy consumption (NBI 2012). As a result of this, it is important to accurately assess the energy consumed by plug loads as overestimation can result in oversized HVAC systems increasing capital and operating cost while undersized systems result in thermal comfort problems for occupants. The ASHRAE Fundamental Handbook heat gain tables were last updated in 2009. Since then, equipment's power management capabilities improved tremendously and many new types of office equipment were introduced. ASHRAE, therefore, funded research project RP-1742 to update heat gain tables. The current article outlines the experimental methodology used in RP-1742 to measure heat gain values for different office equipment. The peak heat gain values for various office equipment are listed in different tables in the result section of the article and will be included in the 2017 ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook.