ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has announced the publication ofBob's House, a step-by-step case study in the proper design of a residential HVACR system. Written in plain English, the book follows the ACCA residential design system, an industry standard method used nationwide by contractors and recognized by national building codes.

The full ACCA residential design system incorporates Manual J (load calculation), Manual S (equipment selection), and Manual D (duct design).Bob's Houseexplains how the system comes together in the real world.

Bob's Houseis intended to be a resource for building code officials, homeowners, technicians, and anyone else who wants a better understanding of the HVACR design process. It proceeds from the delivery of building plans to a contractor, until he or she produces documents that could be used for permit applications, homeowner proposals, or a plan for HVAC technicians to follow as they install the new system.

This general guide does not teach the reader the laws of thermodynamics, or how to calculate a home's heating and cooling requirements, and does not examine all equipment or duct system types or provide load calculation tabular data. However, it does explain how the information from these calculations is used to properly design a home's heating and cooling system. 

The guide also includes several appendices that explore what would happen if Bob's house were located in a different city, or if his builder had used different building materials, and other possible variations. Other appendices discuss different equipment types and duct challenges, and provide an illustrative example of how information might be presented for a permit application.

Bob's Houseis available for purchase, along with all other ACCA design manuals, online at www.acca.org/store/ (look in "New Products") or by calling 888-290-2220.

Publication date:06/11/2007