Thursday, August 31, 2017

Total Facility Electrical Load Estimate in Revit

Overall Building Load:

In Autodesk Revit, if everything is setup and connected correctly - electrically, the utility transformer will list the entire electrical load for a building (or project). However, presenting this information in a proper tabular (i.e. schedule) view is not straightforward.
Challenge: Transformer’s cannot generate a panel schedule… which is a limitation of the family’s sub classification “Part Type”.
Is there a way to have only the larger of the AC or HEAT loads to show up on the load estimate schedule?
No, this setting is a Demand Factor project setting for Load Classifications in Revit.  It’s a feature of Revit, not a bug!  The user needs to set AC to 100% and Heat to 0.01% (or as low as it can go); or the reverse.  Demand factors cannot be zero.

The challenge is that if the AC loads are connected at the main service equipment, and electrical heating branch circuits (i.e. unit heaters) are connected to downstream panels, then:
  • Main service will indicate 100% demand for AC, near zero for Heat.
  • Downstream panel will also indicate 100% demand for AC and near zero for Heat, even if there is no AC connected.
The total facility electrical load estimate will be correct for the way the user sets up the Demand Factors for the project.

The image below shows the result of a custom workflow we developed for the MEP Productivity Pack (MEPPP) sold by CTC Express Tools. I recommend you give them a call for a demo if you want to learn more about how this works.


Tomorrow, I plan to continue this discussion while tying in Revit's System Browser. Stay tuned...