Cooling load calculations in subtropical climate

Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is the major electricity consumer in an air-conditioned building; therefore, an accurate cooling load calculation method is indispensable. ASHRAE has developed a Radiant Time Series (RTS) method to improve the accuracy of cooling load calculation. However, outdoor design conditions and occupant load patterns vary with the buildings and cities. This study discusses the development of a new example weather year and a mathematical model to generate design occupant load profiles using Monte Carlo simulation for a subtropical climate. The results would be useful for determining the HVAC energy consumption in buildings in order to obtain more representative data for the prediction of annual energy consumption.