Architects & Designers: Design Review

Plan Evaluation - for new homes & renovations

We can help you keep construction costs to a minimum while improving energy
efficiency, safety and durability by evaluating plans during the design phase of the
project. Green Building Solutions can examine various plan features during a design
review. We'll look at your site conditions, proposed window orientation, type and location
of heating and cooling equipment along with the duct layout.  We'll also recommend specific
air sealing protocols, and insulation types and amounts. Indoor air quality is affected by humidity
control and ventilation techniques, and we'll look at related drainage provisions if applicable. We'll
discuss additional design details that can also affect indoor air quality such as materials selection.
If you want your project to achieve a GreenPoint rating or LEED certification, we'll go into all this and
more; much more detail is involved. 

Architectural plans or construction drawings and specifications are necessary for this process.

HVAC Load Calculation - for new homes & renovations

To properly design a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, it is necessary to do load calculations for each room to get the overall capacity required, and then use additional software programs to determine the equipment and duct sizing to deliver the heating and cooling required. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) (www.acca.org) has developed the software programs for ths, known as Manual J, Manual S, and Manual D. California's Energy Code requires that contractors use these tools, but few do in residential installations. Instead, they use rules of thumb based on experience with leaky buildings and poor installations, that yield hefty margins of safety to compensate for those shortcomings--at the expense of the homeowner's energy bills. Also, an oversized AC unit cannot properly dehumidify indoor air, to the detriment of the occupants comfort.

The calculations use detailed information about the building, including window type and orientation, wall and attic insulation measurements, wall and window areas, air leakage through the building envelope, and more.

Architectural plans or construction drawings and specifications are required for this process.


HVAC Duct Design - for new homes & renovations

Duct design is often an afterthought in construction planning, if it is even part of the construction documents. All too frequently, structural components are in the way of where the ducts have to go, so the installation does not perform optimally. The duct sizes should be calculated using software programs developed by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) (www.acca.org), taking into account all the relevant factors of the system including the duct lengths and type, the fittings, the capacity requirements specified by other programs, etc. In this way, the systems have proper pressures and flows to each room. Common rules of thumb should never be used in a HVAC system design, since using building science principles can produce systems that cost less to install and operate, and perform better.

Architectural plans or construction drawings and specifications are required for this process.