Compare documented cooling loads, matched equipment and air distribution, then review complete quotes and verified installation results.
Record which rooms are uncomfortable, when the problem occurs, indoor temperature and humidity observations, equipment model numbers and service history. Ask the contractor to distinguish a repair or distribution problem from an equipment-capacity problem. Describe planned envelope changes before commissioning a new load calculation.
Have the designer document design weather, indoor conditions, construction, windows, shading, infiltration, ventilation and room loads. Ask for total and sensible cooling loads and the corresponding latent load. Enter the documented loads and proposed delivered capacities on the same conditions for comparison.
Request indoor and outdoor model numbers, matched rating identifiers and manufacturer performance at the design condition. Review capacity, minimum modulation, moisture control, electrical requirements and the intended thermostat strategy with the designer. Compare documented capacity with the actual load, without adding a blanket percentage.
Ask for the design room airflows, fan setting and manufacturer blower performance at the expected external static pressure. Collect component pressure losses and the equivalent duct path used by the designer. Compare fan airflow with the stated design band, then check room distribution and the available pressure allowance.
Request itemized equipment, duct work, controls, permits, removal, warranty and commissioning scope. Compare installed cash needs and financing separately. If exploring operating cost, use documented loads, equivalent full-load hours, seasonal ratings and the tariff, and keep those assumptions visible with each option.
Before closing the job, request the installer’s completed manufacturer checks, measured airflow/static pressure, condensate drainage checks, control settings and model/serial records. Review room results against the design and identify unresolved corrections. Record warranty actions, filter information and the next inspection dates from the actual instructions.
Keep a dated room-symptom record and the questions each contractor must answer.
Total the actual installed quote, deposit, chosen contingency and confirmed reimbursements; save competing quotes separately. · Total the actual installed quote, deposit, chosen contingency and confirmed reimbursements; save competing quotes separately. Use Project lifecycle comparison for stated annual energy, maintenance, future costs and residual values over a common horizon.
Compare entered total, sensible and latent cooling loads with documented candidate capacities. · Save a separate load-versus-capacity case for each proposed combination.
Use the matched-rating record for independent SEER2 and EER2 values; use Btu/h and watts only for a supported full-load EER/COP calculation.
Compare a documented blower operating point with entered airflow and external-static limits.
Use Duct pressure budget to subtract documented component losses and calculate the remaining path allowance.
Use the room balance record to retain each room’s design and measured airflow when commissioning data are available. · Save the design-versus-measured room airflow record and export room deficits for follow-up.
Model seasonal energy cost from explicit design load, equivalent full-load hours, seasonal rating and variable energy rate.
Use Calendar dates for documented inspection intervals or Runtime threshold for actual meter readings; save the reviewed schedule.
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ACCA Manual J addresses residential load calculation. Manual S covers selecting equipment using those loads and manufacturer performance; nominal size alone is not the selection method.
ACCA Manual D addresses residential duct design. The calculators here expose airflow, geometry and pressure arithmetic, while the designer remains responsible for the complete distribution design.
PNNL describes duct leakage testing and the pressure basis of its measurements. Keep the test pressure and test type with any recorded leakage value.
Use the same design loads and utility-price basis for every proposal, and record each model’s source data.
Put unresolved room airflow, noise or drainage items in the completion record with an owner and review date.