ARLINGTON, Va. - The Standards Task Team of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Educational Institute has approved the release of a new standard for comment. "Manual N (Revised) - Load Calculation for Non-Residential Buildings, Three Stories and Less" has been offered to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for a 45-day public review process.

According to ACCA, the standard is designed for contractors, engineers, and design professionals in establishing heat gain/loss estimates for small/light commercial applications which typically utilize cooling equipment that has a nominal capacity of 25 tons (300,000 Btuh) or less.

"Commercial buildings of three stories and less differ considerably from the residential homes whose load calculations are determined by ACCA's Manual J, which is an ANSI standard," said Paul T. Stalknecht, ACCA's president and CEO. "At the same time, they also differ considerably from larger commercial building applications. This standard, an improvement on ACCA's industry-accepted Manual N, provides the accurate estimates required to ensure occupant comfort and safety."