This report is the second volume of a three-volume set of reports on energy consumption
in commercial building HVAC systems in the U.S. The first volume, in process but not
yet complete, focuses on energy use for generation of heating and cooling, i.e. in
equipment such as boilers and furnaces for heating and chillers and packaged airconditioning
units for cooling. This second volume focuses on parasitic energy use, the
energy required to distribute heating and cooling within a building, reject to the
environment the heat discharged by cooling systems, and move air for ventilation
purposes. Parasitic energy use in commercial building HVAC systems accounts for
about 1.5 quads of primary energy1
use annually, about 10% of commercial sector
energy use. The third volume in the set will address opportunities for energy savings in
commercial building HVAC systems.
The energy use estimates presented in this report have been d