Whole House Heat Loss Calculations

Even though the heat loss calculation form in HE2 is set up on a room-by-room basis, it is very easy to to perform a whole house heat loss calculation. To do so, data for the entire house is entered as a single room.

First, create a new job and enter the appropriate values on the job data screen. Then enter "Whole House" on the New Room screen, and then enter the data as follows -

• Room Height - Enter the height of the outside walls. For single story homes with 8-foot ceilings, enter 8 feet. For two story buildings with 8-foot ceilings, enter 17 feet. If cathedral ceilings are involved, you will need to determine an average outside wall height.
• Room Length - Enter the length of of the house.
• Room Width - Enter the width of the house.
• Doors and Glass - Enter the total square footage of all exterior windows and doors.
• Door and Glass factor - Enter an appropriate value.
• Exposed Wall Length - Enter the total length of all outside walls. This is the same as the perimeter of the house.
• Exposed Wall factor - Enter an appropriate value.
• Cold Partition Length - N/A
• Cold Partition Factor - N/A
• Ceiling Factor - Enter an appropriate value.
• Floor Factor - Enter an appropriate value.
• Infiltration Factor - We suggest the following as "whole house" factors -
  • .009 for new construction with extra heavy insulation
  • .011 for tight homes with heavy insulation
  • .018 for average homes with moderate insulation
  • .027 for older homes in good condition with minimal insulation
  • .036 for loose construction and older homes with no insulation and weather stripping

The result from this calculation can be used to properly size a replacement boiler for a hot-water heating system.

Questions?

If you have any questions or need any further assistance, please contact us at he2@slantfin.com.