[Bldg-sim] Length of cooling (and heating) season

[Joe Huang]

Degree Days shouldn't be used to define the length of the heating or cooling season, since 
they measure not only when heating/cooling is needed but also the severity of the 
heating/cooling need.  I suppose it's possible to count the number of days when there are 
non-zero heating/cooling degree days, but then you'd have to go back to the original 
weather data, but then it would be much better to simply do a simulation and record the 
number of days when there is a heating/cooling load.   In the final analysis, the length 
of the heating/cooling season is dependent on both the climate as well as the building 
itself.  In the same climate, a super-insulated building will have a much shorter heating 
season than a building with no insulation.

As others have already posted, there are many places around the world where the heating 
season is specified.  In China, for example, the heating season was originally defined in 
the 1960's to begin when the average temperature over 5 consecutive days is below 10 C.  
However, once defined by law, tradition and politics come into play, so that heating 
seasons are rarely ever changed.

Joe

Joe Huang
White Box Technologies, Inc.
346 Rheem Blvd., Suite 108D
Moraga CA 94556
yjhuang at whiteboxtechnologies.com
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On 7/3/2014 7:44 AM, Max D wrote:
> Hi Alan, just a thought - have you looked at Degree Day methods..?
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heating_degree_day
>
> Best,
> Max
>
>> "Abela, Alan 2010 (PGR)"<alan.abela2010 at my.ntu.ac.uk>  hat am 3. Juli 2014 um
>> 16:32 geschrieben:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi everybody
>>
>> This seems a really basic question to me, but  I have been unable to trace
>> much information on it.
>>
>> What methods exist for the definition of the length of the heating and cooling
>> seasons prior to the performance of an energy simulation.
>>
>> I am aware that the European Standard EN13790 provides a method for doing
>> this, but are there are any other methods?
>>
>> Alternatively is there any record of established national practice, eg heating
>> on from Dec to Mar in a particular country and cooling on from Jun to Sept?
>>
>> Sometimes simulation can generate cooling loads on a year round basis at
>> certain times of day, although the cooling system is not normally on for 12
>> months of the year.
>>
>> I am looking for a justifiable way to filter out these loads.
>>
>> Alan Abela
>>
>> Doctoral Research Student
>> School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
>> Nottingham Trent University
>>
>>
>>
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