First of all, let me make one thing perfectly clear.  The ACCA Manual J/S/D residential HVAC design methodology is the premier methodology available today, and has been for many years.  It is the most precise, accurate and refined process for designing residential HVAC systems in the world.  It has gone through the rigorous ANSI certification process and has been reviewed and scrutinized by many of the greatest experts in the field.  It’s not perfect, but it is the best, hands down.

That being said, there is a problem.  The ACCA Manual J/S/D methodologies and the software programs that are based on them (Wrightsoft and Elite) are very complicated and have a very steep learning curve.  I first started doing HVAC design back in 1988 using handwritten ACCA worksheets.  That was probably an advantage because it forced me to understand each and every calculation and to be very careful about every assumption made along the way.  If you made a mistake at the very beginning but did not discover it until the end, you spent a lot of time re-doing the worksheets.  It was very tedious, but very educational.

Computer software programs have made the calculations much easier and allow the user to do multiple “what if” scenarios instantaneously.  ~~ What if they added ceiling insulation? – CLICK – answer.  What if they used low-E windows? – CLICK – answer. ~~  The computer software also allows users to make very BIG mistakes very quickly.  There are many, many seemingly innocent little input fields scattered throughout the programs that have huge impacts on the final results.  There are also a large number of input fields that have absolutely no impact on the final result.  A large portion of the learning curve is figuring out which is which.

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This is a screen shot of a project in Wrightsoft’s Right-Suite Universal software. It makes me think of a control panel in a nuclear power plant. This is very intimidating, even to someone who is relatively computer literate. It takes years of experience and dozens of projects before someone can become comfortable with this level of complexity.

Both software packages cost over $1000 when you get most of the important features.  The software programs have also added a lot of really fancy features such as pull-down equipment libraries, estimating tools, and parts lists to name just a few.  In my opinion, these “features” sometimes clutter up the software and make it easier for people to make mistakes.

I truly, truly wish that every HVAC designer in the country used ACCA Manual J/S/D on every new home, addition, renovation and even most equipment replacements.  I honestly believe that 90%+ of existing homes would be well served to have their systems evaluated and re-designed based on ACCA Manual J/S/D.  Unfortunately, that will not happen.  Despite some really excellent training, much of it subsidized, Manual J/S/D is beyond the ability of the vast majority of HVAC contractors.  I don’t mean “ability” in terms of aptitude or intellect, but in terms of time and resources.  They don’t have the time to learn it or the time to perform it.  A good introductory J/S/D class is at least two full days long.  I personally have taught three-day classes that seemed like they only scratched the surface.

I forgot to mention that there are other manuals in addition to J, S, and D:

  • Manual H (Heat Pump Systems)
  • Manual P (Psychrometrics)
  • Manual T (Air Distribution Basics)
  • Manual 4 (Perimeter Heating & Cooling)
  • Manual TT-102 (Understanding the Friction Chart)

Again, don’t get me wrong.  I am a huge proponent for more ACCA J/S/D training.  It’s just that after teaching these classes multiple times and having performed about two thousand designs myself, I don’t think it is an appropriate level of precision for the vast majority of designs out there.

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 To do a full-blown Manual J/S/D design from start to finish on a typical home would take the average user 4-6 hours.  From the time you hand them a set of plans and they turn on their computer, to the time you get back a design detailed enough to install from, takes at least that long.  This is a very expensive investment in time and energy, especially if it is just for bidding purposes and does NOT include the time it takes to draft up a presentable, full size set of plans that could be turned in to a building department for review and approval.

I strongly believe that most designs could be accomplished using a methodology that takes about one-fifth of the time.  I’ll stick my neck out and say that 80% of the residential HVAC systems being installed today could be accomplished using a far more simplified approach and result in a system that is just as good as one designed using a full J/S/D approach.

When you step back and realize that residential HVAC equipment only comes in a few sizes and residential ducting only comes in a few sizes, it makes one wonder why we are being so precise in the calculations.  Think about it.  The difference between a 3-ton system and the next larger size, 3.5-ton system, is an increase of 25%!  The difference in airflow between a 7” duct and the next larger size,  8”, is about 40%!  Why are we spending so much time on calculations that only have small impacts on the total cooling load and even smaller impacts on room loads?

I have two sayings that I use a lot in training, and in daily life for that matter.  The first I heard a long time ago and I don’t know who to attribute it to:  “Don’t waste time splitting hairs when you need to be shaving heads.”  The other is attributed to John Maynard Keynes, a famous British economist from the early 20th century:  “It is better to be approximately right than exactly wrong.”

They both relate to the need to put an appropriate amount of time and effort into what you are doing and realizing how that will impact the final result.

I believe that the current approach to HVAC design results in far too much hair splitting and results in answers that are very precise, but often wrong.  Not because the methodology is wrong, but because it is being applied wrong.

I am a firm believer that if you want to change an industry you have to do it in baby steps.  You can’t expect even a portion of contractors to suddenly start using a process that requires such an investment in time, effort and money.  That is why we need something in between the horribly inadequate design process used by MOST contractors today: a combination of rules-of-thumb and trial-and-error, and the full-blown ACCA J/S/D process.

We desperately need a more simplified design methodology.  One that is not intended to replace ACCA J/S/D in any way, but is intended to be a stepping-stone to learning the full process.  I’ve referred to it as a “gateway drug”.  The goal is to get people used to following a formal design process, albeit a greatly simplified one.  Once they get “hooked”, then we lay the “heavy stuff” on them.

I think we all want the same thing: to have homes that are comfortable, efficient, and affordable to operate.  We need to be able to make a decent living designing and installing systems, and homeowners should get what they pay for.

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