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Energy calculations are only as useful as the project information behind them. Before requesting a quote, gather the available drawings and identify which building features and systems have been selected. Clearly mark anything still undecided so the engineering team can explain how it affects the scope.
This checklist focuses on residential energy calculations. The required information depends on whether the work involves a new home, addition, renovation or other residential project.
Describe the project first
Provide the address, building use and a short explanation of the work. Include the permitting jurisdiction, any comments already received and the date you hope to submit. A drawing package without a scope description can leave questions about which areas are new, existing or being modified.
Identify the person coordinating the architectural plans and the person responsible for system selections. Having a clear contact for each can help resolve missing information without circulating conflicting answers.
Energy compliance and HVAC load calculations answer different questions
An energy compliance calculation evaluates the proposed building’s modeled energy use against the applicable compliance method. A heating and cooling load calculation estimates the heating or cooling a space requires under winter and summer design conditions, accounting for the overall building design. The results are used to size the HVAC system. These tasks can share inputs, but their outputs are not interchangeable.
Florida Engineering’s standard residential energy-calculation service includes energy compliance calculations and HVAC load calculations with equipment selection.
For residential work, Manual J addresses heating and cooling loads, while Manual S addresses equipment selection. Confirm the appropriate method and deliverables for your project. Florida’s official energy forms provide the applicable compliance documentation.
Calculations and blower-door testing are different
Calculations evaluate specified project information. A blower-door test measures building air leakage under controlled test conditions. The U.S. Department of Energy’s guide to home energy assessments describes blower-door testing as one tool used in evaluating a home.
Florida Engineering performs blower-door testing as a separate service, charged separately from its standard residential energy-calculation package. Ask whether testing is applicable to your project and confirm the testing scope. Having calculation documents does not mean a physical test has already been performed.
Gather building and envelope information
Useful documents include floor plans, elevations, sections and information about the proposed walls, roof, windows and doors. Send available insulation specifications and window and door schedules, including available performance data, rather than relying only on marketing descriptions.
Make sure the drawings identify the areas being conditioned and how the project is oriented. If a product has not been chosen, flag it as pending. A later change in a modeled feature may require the calculation documents to be reviewed again.
Understand the envelope information you are providing
The building envelope separates conditioned spaces from exterior or unconditioned conditions. Plans should make that boundary understandable: for example, an attic or garage should not be silently treated as part of the conditioned floor area. Identify ceiling heights, construction assemblies and relevant adjoining spaces.
For insulation, an R-value describes resistance to heat flow for the specified material or assembly context. Window U-factor and solar heat gain coefficient describe different thermal properties; they should not be confused with a wind-pressure rating. The engineer needs the appropriate product data rather than a statement that the window is simply “energy efficient” or “impact rated.”
Include proposed system information
Share available heating, cooling and water-heating selections, together with relevant schedules or design documents. If the project also needs MEP engineering, discuss that scope at the same time so related documents can be coordinated.
Energy compliance calculations and HVAC load calculations with equipment selection are included in Florida Engineering’s standard residential energy-calculation service. Additional system-design services should be identified separately in the project proposal.
Explain what is fixed and what is still a design choice
Some projects arrive with equipment already selected; others need design assistance before selections can be finalized. Tell the team which situation applies. A preliminary model based on assumptions should not be represented as final documentation of equipment that has not been chosen.
If an addition connects to an existing building, identify the boundaries of the work and available information about the existing systems. A new room does not automatically mean the previous equipment is adequate, and the scope of evaluation should be explicit. Conversely, do not assume that every small alteration requires a complete redesign of all existing systems.
Example: a late window substitution
Consider a hypothetical house whose energy documents were prepared with a defined window schedule. The owner later chooses a different product and enlarges several openings. The changes can affect both the area represented in the calculations and the product-performance inputs. Sending only the new manufacturer’s name leaves the revision incomplete.
A useful change request identifies each changed opening, its dimensions, orientation where relevant and the new product data. The responsible professional can then determine whether the compliance calculations, loads or other documents need revision. This is a coordination example, not a prediction that a particular product will pass or fail.
Common questions
Can the same calculations be used for a similar house on another lot?
That requires review. Orientation, geometry, assemblies and system selections may differ. The matching floor-plan name alone does not establish that the modeled inputs are the same.
Does passing a blower-door test prove the entire building complies?
No. The test documents a specific measurement. Other applicable requirements and design documents still need to be addressed. Agree on test timing, access and reporting as part of the actual testing scope.
What should we do when a permit reviewer asks for revised calculations?
Send the complete comment, current plans and a list of changes since the previous calculation package. Identify the referenced report date so the team updates the correct version.
Before you send the files
- Use one current drawing set and identify its revision date.
- Separate confirmed specifications from selections still pending.
- Include the full permit comment letter, if there is one.
- Note changes to windows, insulation, area or equipment since earlier calculations.
- Identify the project contact and requested submission date.
You can request an initial scope review even if some selections remain open. Listing those gaps is more useful than filling them with guesses.
Visit our energy calculation services page or send the available documents. Scope, required inputs, deliverables and timing will be confirmed in your proposal.
