HVAC: Packaged Air Handling Units Setup

This 40-minute course provides a comprehensive introduction to Packaged Air Handling Units, covering both EnergyPlus HVAC templates and detailed system configurations for energy modelling. Through practical demonstrations, participants will master configuring air handling systems, understanding component interactions, and interpreting design day simulation outputs to validate sizing decisions and diagnose performance issues.

Key Course Content

This course walks you through packaged air handling unit modelling, focusing on how these self-contained HVAC systems deliver heating and cooling through integrated components including supply and return fans, heating and cooling coils, filters, dampers, and controls. You'll gain hands-on experience configuring multi-zone models and learn practical techniques to specify system components through systematic workflows.

You'll start by understanding the differences between EnergyPlus HVAC templates and detailed configurations, learning when simplified templates become insufficient for compliance pathways such as LEED, Green Star, or NABERS. The course covers essential model parameters including space types, occupancy and lighting loads, infiltration settings, thermostat controls, and HVAC availability schedules.

From there, you'll dive into detailed system configuration, learning to specify air handling unit settings (sizing based on ventilation, sensible, or total load; set point manager options; flow strategies), fan parameters (motor efficiency, design power sizing methods), outside air system components (flat plate or rotary heat exchangers, economiser control, demand controlled ventilation), and heating and cooling coils (hot water, electrical resistance, or gas heating; chilled water or direct expansion cooling). You'll also configure air terminal units with variable or constant control options and supplementary heating coils.

The course provides extensive coverage of design day simulation outputs, including zone sizing results, summer and winter scenario analysis (temperature profiles, humidity trends, carbon dioxide concentrations, zone load breakdowns), HVAC node analysis, component load summary reports, air terminal and fan system performance, and coil metrics. The analysis section teaches you to interpret unmet hours, identify zones failing to maintain setpoints, and diagnose root causes such as over-ventilation or insufficient heating capacity.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be proficient in configuring packaged air handling units for energy simulation, interpreting design day outputs to validate sizing assumptions, and diagnosing system performance issues through systematic analysis.

Course Completion

A Certificate of Competency will be awarded upon achieving an 80% pass mark on the final assessment, demonstrating practical understanding of packaged air handling unit configuration and troubleshooting techniques.

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