Date
Inquiry

Table G3.1.1A lists two possible categories for the building heating source: (1) Fossil fuel, fossil/electric hybrid, & purchased heat; (2) Electric and other. In cases where the proposed building design includes both a natural gas heating source and an electric heating source, when should the heat source in Table G3.1.1A be identified as "Fossil/Electric Hybrid" versus "Electric"?

Ruling

Clarification is requested regarding when a building heat source in Table G3.1.1A should be identified as "Fossil/Electric Hybrid" versus "Electric". The ASHRAE 90.1-2007 User\'s Manual states that a fossil/electric hybrid source "refers to a system with any combination of fossil and electric heat, and the baseline system for this is a fossil fuel system". Therefore, the heating source for the proposed building would be considered "Fossil Fuel" or "Fossil/Electric Hybrid" if the building uses any fossil fuel source for space heating (including backup heating or preheating), and the baseline building heat source would be fossil fuel.Exception: ASHRAE 90.1 Section G3.1.1 Exception (a) stipulates additional system type(s) for non-predominant conditions (i.e. residential/non-residential or heating source) if those conditions apply to more than 20,000 square feet of conditioned floor area. EXAMPLES OF BASELINE HEATING SOURCE DETERMINATION: The Baseline heat source from Table G3.1.1A for the following Proposed Case system types would be fossil fuel since the proposed system design includes a combination of fossil and electric heat: 1. Variable air volume system with gas furnace preheat and electric reheat2. Packaged terminal heat pumps with outside air tempered by fossil fuel furnace3. Water source heat pumps with fossil fuel boiler4. Ground source heat pumps with backup fossil fuel boiler5. 90,000 square feet is conditioned by a variable air volume system with electric reheat, and 10,000 square feet is conditioned with fossil fuel furnacesThe following buildings would be modeled with an additional system type with a different Baseline heating source in accordance with Section G3.1.1 Exception (a):1. 90,000 square feet is conditioned by a variable air volume system with electric reheat, and 20,000 square feet is conditioned with Packaged DX systems with fossil fuel furnaces. In this case, the 90,000 square feet of area would be modeled with an electric heat source in the Baseline Case (System Type #6 - Packaged VAV with Electric PFP Boxes), and the 20,000 square feet of area would be modeled with a fossil fuel heat source in the Baseline Case (System Type #3 - Packaged Single Zone AC with fossil fuel furnace).2. 50,000 square feet is conditioned by water source heat pumps with a fossil fuel boiler, and 25,000 square feet is conditioned by electric heat pumps. In this case, the 50,000 square feet of area would be modeled with a fossil fuel heat source in the Baseline Case (System Type #5 - Packaged VAV with hot water reheat), and the 25,000 square feet of area would be modeled with an electric heat source in the Baseline Case (System Type #4 - Packaged Single Zone Heat Pump). Applicable internationally.

Internationally Applicable
On
Campus Applicable
Off
Credits