Equipment and Lighting Loads

Lighting, HVAC equipment, water heaters, and appliances all

consume energy in
the form of either
electricity or fuel.
All of these things
are important to
understand and
optimize for high
performance
building design,
and are important
inputs for whole
building energy
analysis
simulation.
Incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs
emit similar output of visible light, but the
The equipment,
incandescent emits far more heat (infrared
lighting, and plug loads
light), causing higher lighting loads and
described below are
cooling loads. (From Pacific Energy Center)
determined by the
buildings intended use, its occupancy, and its scheduling. In short:
its program.

Lighting Loads
Lighting loads are the energy used to power electric lights; they make up
nearly a third of US commercial building energy use, but for residential
buildings they are generally only 10 - 15%. Lighting loads in a building are
often referred to in terms of a Lighting Power Density that is measured in
watts per square foot or square meter.
When deciding which lighting products to use, look at the efficiency (or
luminous efficacyof the products. More efficient light sources and fixtures not

only reduce lighting loads, but also reduce cooling loads for the same visible
brightness.

Plug loads
Plug loads are the electricity used for other equipment, like computers and
appliances; they make up 20 - 30% of energy loads in US commercial
buildings, and 15 - 20% of home energy, though these numbers are growing
as electronics become more pervasive.
Plug loads are sometimes included in Equipment Power Density (EPD) and
sometimes they are separated. When doing building analysis, its important
to know which value youre inputting.
Equipment

Rated Power (watts)

Desktop computer

120

Notebook computer

45

17 LCD Display

75

Desktop laser printer

120

Office laser printer

250

Office copier

750

Refrigerator

750

Dishwasher

1,200

Television

100

Commercial refrigerator

1,000

Commercial fryer

10,000

Clothes washer

350

Clothes dryer

2,000

Plug loads for specific items

(Source: USGBC and EnergyStar)

Equipment Loads

Equipment, like HVAC systems and water heaters, is the other main internal
load. This is typically separated from plug loads and is given in terms of an
Equipment Power Density, which is measured in watts per square foot or
square meter .
When deciding which equipment to use, look at third-party quantitative
reviews, or read the maximum power use listed on product specification
sheets (average power use data is usually not available because it can vary
greatly by usage.)

Example Internal Loads for Different Space Types

Lighting Power Density
W/m

W/ft2

Assembly

17

1.6

Classroom

13

1.2

Food Service

15

1.4

Office

11-30

1.0-2.8

Retail

16

1.5

Residential (single family)

0.5

Residential (multi family)

0.7

Warehouse

0.8

- See more at:

http://sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/buildings/equipment-andlighting-loads#sthash.A2ETbzD0.dpuf