Variable Air Volume (VAV) terminal units control the zone temperature, ensure the minimum ventilation air is delivered to the zone, and significantly impact fan energy consumption
As our industry continues to adopt more advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) techniques, manufacturers are beginning to produce cloud-based selection software which can be driven by an Application Programming Interface (API). The BIM model can now be directly linked to manufacturers’ selection software, allowing HVAC designers to automatically get size and performance data for HVAC equipment inside Revit.
Combining these technologies is a force multiplier for the HVAC designer’s productivity. Now, not only can an HVAC designer automate heating and cooling load calculations, but those load calculations can be fed directly into a manufacturer’s selection software to automate the selection and layout and diffusers and VAVs. All these automated functions (load calculations, diffuser layout, and VAV selection) are combined in the Ripple HVAC Toolkit, which can be downloaded for free at the Autodesk Revit App Store1 or at www.RippleEngineeringSoftware.com.