Forum discussion
NC-2009 EAp2: Minimum Energy Performance
Is Table 10.8 mandatory for plug fans of new buildings? The fans are installed in Air Handling Units. If they are mandatory, are they mandatory both for supply fans and for return fans?
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Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5867 thumbs up
December 23, 2014 - 9:05 am
Yes the minimum efficiency applies to all HVAC motors 1 HP and up.
Francesco Passerini
engineer90 thumbs up
December 24, 2014 - 3:39 am
Thank you, Marcus. You wrote "motors". Shall we consider the efficiency of Table 10.8 only as the motor efficiency, i.e. the "mechanical power exiting from the motor" / "electric power absorbed by the motor" ratio? I mean, shall we not consider also the fan efficiency, i.e. the "air hydrodynamic power" / "mechanical power exiting from the motor" ratio, in order to verify the mandatory provision?
Other issue: when Table 10.8 writes "Motor kilowatts" shall we consider the mechanical power or the electric power?
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5867 thumbs up
December 24, 2014 - 10:52 am
Table 10.8 lists the motor efficiency and that is all you must comply with.
The electrical power I think.
Francesco Passerini
engineer90 thumbs up
January 9, 2015 - 6:42 am
Thank you Marcus, but... new year, old issue...
The note of Table 10.8 states: "Nominal efficiencies shall be established in accordance with NEMA Standard MG1". If the motors are not classified according to that standard, but according to IEC 60034-30, how could the mandatory be verified?
The motors are classified IE2 and have inverters. Can the increase of efficiency due to the inverters be considered?
The project is located in Italy. Could I find some alternative compliance paths for Europe for the mandatory provision for fan motors?
Best Regards
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5867 thumbs up
January 9, 2015 - 11:07 am
I have not attempted to compare the two standards. You have a couple of options - do the comparison yourself so that you can say that you definitively meet this mandatory provision or just assume that the standards are roughly equivalent and indicate that you meet this mandatory provision. One thought is are the motors in question ever exported to the US? If so then they would likely have to meet the NEMA Standard. Perhaps the motor manufacturer could be of assistance.
I can tell you that the motor efficiency mandatory provision is rarely even evaluated during the LEED review as there is no reporting associated with it.
The European LEED ACPs outline a process for trying to determine equivalency with 90.1. I think the intention was to determine equivalency at the whole building levels and not necessarily at the component level.
http://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-2009-bdc-supplemental-reference-guid...