Full Description

The past few years have seen a great growth in the area of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems of occupied buildings and the manner in which the operation of these systems affects the energy consumption of the buildings they serve. The recent "energy crisis" which has 'been experienced with regard to the supply of fuel for these systems has only emphasized the fact that some building/ system designs consume more energy than others. In some cases, selective design criteria have dictated the selection of HVAC system types with inherently high energy consumptions. Other systems have been selected on the basis of minimum installation costs or ease of operation, with no consideration given to the cost of maintenance and operation.

The "energy crisis" has simply made us aware of the physical limitations of our natural resources and forced us to realize that in order to have a continuous supply of energy we are going to have to conserve these resources. It is entirely possible that the ultimate solution will lie in the development of alternative sources of energy, but such a solution would be years in the future. Thus, conservation of existing energy supplies is an important facet of our energy program for the immediate future.