Residential Construction
Residential construction in theory does not differ from commercial construction and design should follow the same procedures. However, there are some application specific differences to consider:
- Residences typically have less internal heat gain than commercial buildings. There is less need for artificial lighting during day time and not much office equipment generating heat. Therefore cooling loads are smaller
- There is less ventilation requirement. In addition the residential buildings typically have small footprints compared to the perimeter area. Therefore infiltration and heat transmission to and from the environment dominate the load, and not ventilation.
- Individual control and scheduling is needed in multi unit buildings. Large parts of a larg commercial facility typically are on one schedule, residential schedules are very individual and can differ daily.
- No professional personell maintains and controls the equipment. The occupant typically is in charge of making adjustments, requring simpler controls.