Abstract

Residential HVAC systems are selected and installed based on the goals of the customer. For spec homes, the most common types of systems are traditionally ducted with standard efficiency. However, for custom homes, the recent trend has included high-efficiency HVAC systems that are often accompanied by air-tight home envelopes with highly thermally resistant foam insulation in the walls. Several high-efficiency systems are available in the market with the performance of these systems varying between the different manufacturers and the types of systems. The systems available in the market can be compared and ranked based on their thermal performance and energy savings, but a methodical approach has to be devised and applied to compare different systems under similar conditions. Therefore, a methodology was developed to compare HAVC systems, as a tool for research conducted at the TRANE Residential Heating and Research Lab at the University of Texas at Tyler. For application and validation of the methodology, a study was conducted using a zoned ducted variable speed system and a ductless multi-split system, both operating in cooling mode. During the summer of 2021, indoor temperature, indoor relative humidity, energy consumption, and weather data from an onsite weather station were acquired and used to perform the comparison. The summer season results showed that the zoned ducted variable speed system provided better overall indoor temperature and humidity control capabilities, as well as better energy efficiency, compared to the multi-split system.

Date of publication

Spring 4-28-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Language

english

Persistent identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10950/3978

Committee members

Nelson Fumo, Nael Barakat, Mohammad Abu Rafe Biswas

Degree

MS in Mechanical Engineering

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