HVAC Components and Systems - Introduction to HVAC Systems

Oct 25, 2026

HVAC Components and Systems module explains HVAC systems within the Vital Signs curriculum, defining HVAC as heating, ventilating and air-conditioning and describing its role in achieving thermal control for occupied buildings. The material connects historical survival needs to modern expectations of thermal comfort, air quality, health, satisfaction and productivity. It distinguishes heating, ventilating and air-related functions, including heating’s purpose to add thermal energy, and ventilation’s purpose to move air without changing its temperature for comfort and indoor air quality improvement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time3 h 1 min

AccessFree to download

Acknowledgments

Introduction

HVAC Components

Background

Source Components

Distribution Components

Delivery Components

HVAC Systems

Local Systems

Central Systems

All-Air Systems

All-Water Systems

Air-Water Systems

Water-Source Heat Pumps

Application Examples

Single-Family Residence

Branch Bank

Church

Government Office Building

Field Exercises

Summary Listing

Level One

Level Two

Level Three

Glossary

Bibliography

V I T A L S I G N S C U R R I C U L U M M A T E R I A L S P R O J E C T HVAC COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS WALTER GRONDZIK ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, FLORIDA A & M UNIVERSITY RICHARD FURST UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT V I T A L S I G N S C U R R I C U L U M M A T E R I A L S P R O J E C T The Vital Signs Curriculum Materials Project is administered by the Center for Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley. Funding and support for the Project have been provided by the Energy Foundation and the PG&E Energy Center. Cris Benton is Principal Investigator for the Vital Signs Project. Coinvestigators include Gail Brager and Bill Burke. 2 HVAC COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The HVAC Components and Systems module of the Vital Signs Project was developed at the School of Architecture, Florida A & M University (FAMU), Tallahassee, FL. The assistance of the Institute for Building Sciences, School of Architecture, and Division of Sponsored Research at Florida A & M is acknowledged. Walter Grondzik was Principal Investigator (and author) for the HVAC Components and Systems module. Richard Furst, a FAMU undergraduate student, was responsible for materials review and final document layout and also assisted with all phases of module development. Serge Rodrigue, a FAMU undergraduate student, prepared many of the original freehand sketches in the module. The case studies were researched and assembled by Bob Rice, a FAMU graduate student. Input from the developers of other Vital Signs modules is gratefully acknowledged. The review comments of Jack Kremers, Tang Lee, Russ Leslie, Ardeshir Mahdavi, and Werner Osterhaus (coordinated through the efforts of Charlie Brown) are appreciated. Special thanks go to Charlie Huizenga for his thorough review of the final draft. The cheerful and long-term assistance of Vital Signs graduate assistants Alison Kwok and Robert Marcial is especially noted; as is the perserverance of the Project Investigators--Cris Benton, Gail Brager and Bill Burke. The information and opinions presented herein are solely the responsibility of the module authors, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Project sponsors or managers. Comments and suggestions from those who use this module are solicited. V I T A L S I G N S C U R R I C U L U M M A T E R I A L S P R O J E C T 3 HVAC COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ..................................................................... 2 Introduction .............................................................................. 4 HVAC Components .................................................................... 7 Background ................................................................. 7 Source Components ..................................................... 8 Distribution Components ............................................. 19 Delivery Components ................................................... 23 HVAC Systems .......................................................................... 26 Local Systems ............................................................. 26 Central Systems .......................................................... 29 All-Air Systems ...................................................... 30 All-Water Systems ................................................. 32 Air-Water Systems ................................................. 32 Water-Source Heat Pumps ...................................... 33 Application Examples ................................................................ 34 Single-Family Residence .............................................. 35 Branch Bank ................................................................ 38 Church ........................................................................ 42 Government Office Building ......................................... 47 Field Exercise

FAQs

What does HVAC stand for in this module?

HVAC stands for “heating, ventilating and air-conditioning,” with HVAC pronounced as four separate letters.

Why is thermal environment control important for buildings?

Control of the thermal environment is a key objective for virtually all occupied buildings and influences health, satisfaction, and productivity.

What is the difference between heating and ventilating in HVAC?

A heating system adds thermal energy to maintain selected air temperature, while a ventilating system introduces or removes air to move air without changing its temperature.

Oct 25, 2026

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