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EDWartens UK

Free course · Building automation

HVAC Design: Heat Load, Ducts and Chilled Water

HVAC design from first principles to drawings: the psychrometric chart, sensible and latent heat, the refrigeration cycle, choosing between split, VRF, packaged and chilled-water systems, heat load by hand and in Carrier HAP, ventilation to ASHRAE 62.1, duct sizing, chilled-water pipe sizing and pump head, AHUs, FCUs, chillers and cooling towers, the controls handoff and the schedules on the drawings.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
14
Video
13 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Read any state on the psychrometric chart and calculate sensible, latent and total heat; explain the refrigeration cycle and calculate COP and kW/TR; choose between split, VRF, packaged and chilled-water systems; calculate a space cooling load by hand with CLTD/CLF and explain the RTS method; set up and check a load model in Carrier HAP; calculate outdoor air to ASHRAE 62.1; size ducts by equal friction within velocity limits; size chilled-water pipes and calculate pump head and power; select AHU and FCU coils; size chillers and cooling towers; and hand a sequence of operations, a points list and consistent schedules to the controls contractor, working in both SI and IP units.

  • Read the psychrometric chart and calculate sensible, latent and total heat in SI and IP
  • Explain the refrigeration cycle and convert between COP, kW/TR and EER
  • Choose between split, VRF, packaged and chilled-water systems
  • Calculate a cooling load by hand with CLTD/CLF and explain the RTS method
  • Build and check a load model in Carrier HAP
  • Calculate outdoor air to ASHRAE 62.1 for single and multiple-zone systems
  • Size ducts by equal friction and chilled-water pipes by friction and velocity, and calculate fan and pump duty
  • Select AHUs, FCUs, chillers and cooling towers, and hand a testable sequence and points list to the controls contractor

Software

A spreadsheet and a psychrometric chart (printed or online). Carrier HAP is used in one module: Carrier offers a 60-day trial on request, and every exercise can also be done by hand.

Hardware

None.

Syllabus

14 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1How HVAC design works: the system, comfort and units2 lessons
  2. 2Psychrometrics: reading the chart2 lessons
  3. 3Psychrometric processes: sensible heat, latent heat and SHR2 lessons
  4. 4The refrigeration cycle3 lessons
  5. 5System types: split, VRF, packaged and chilled water4 lessons
  6. 6Heat load by hand: CLTD/CLF and the RTS method3 lessons
  7. 7Heat load with software: Carrier HAP3 lessons
  8. 8Ventilation to ASHRAE 62.13 lessons
  9. 9Duct design: equal friction and velocity limits3 lessons
  10. 10Chilled-water pipe sizing and pump head4 lessons
  11. 11Air handling units and fan coil units3 lessons
  12. 12Chillers, cooling towers and the central plant3 lessons
  13. 13Controls handoff, drawings and schedules4 lessons
  14. 14Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for HVAC Design: Heat Load, Ducts and Chilled Water

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • The Engineering Mindset

    the lessons on how a chiller, cooling tower and AHU work together, thermal comfort, the basic refrigeration cycle, thermostatic expansion valves, ductwork sizing with a full worked example, pump head, air handling units, fan coil units, chiller basics, cooling towers and reading chilled-water schematics

  • MEP Academy

    the lessons on reading a psychrometric chart, the refrigeration cycle, split systems, VRF heat pump and heat recovery, packaged rooftop units, air- and water-cooled chillers with AHUs, calculating ventilation air, static, velocity and total pressure, fan laws, GPM and TDH for coils, pump curves and selection, water coils, chilled-water pumping options, designing DDC controls and DDC points for an air handler

  • Trane Commercial HVAC North America

    the two lessons on the ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation rate procedure: zone calculations and system calculations

  • Carrier Commercial HVAC

    the overview of HAP v6 for load calculation and energy modelling

  • MEP BOOSTER

    the HAP lesson on entering internal loads, from its HAP heat load series

  • MEP Engineering Tutorials

    the worked heat load calculation in HAP

  • HVAC Easy Math

    the CLTD method with ASHRAE design temperatures

  • VRF Wizard

    the lesson on calculating cooling loads and room airflow

  • aircondlounge

    the simple cooling load procedure and the lesson on sizing chilled-water pipe

  • HVAC TV

    the tutorial on reading a psychrometric chart

  • HVAC On Air

    the lesson on the sensible heat ratio

  • Mechanical PE Exam Prep

    the worked psychrometric problems on SHR, apparatus dew point and reheat

  • Plan and Spec

    the lesson on reading mechanical (HVAC) drawings

Questions

About this course

Who is this course for?
Mechanical and MEP engineers, graduates and site engineers who want to design HVAC systems, including those working in hot and humid climates and on data-centre projects. Basic thermodynamics and a spreadsheet are enough to start.
Do I need Carrier HAP?
No. One module teaches HAP, and Carrier offers a free 60-day trial of its eDesign software on request. Every calculation in the course can also be done by hand or in a spreadsheet, and the notes check software results against hand calculations.
Are the calculations in SI or IP units?
Both, wherever engineers need them: kW and TR, L/s and CFM, Pa and in. wg, kPa and feet of water, with every conversion worked and checked.
Does it follow ASHRAE standards?
It teaches the ventilation rate procedure of ASHRAE 62.1, whose current edition is 62.1-2025, the radiant time series (RTS) method of the current ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals with the older CLTD/CLF method for hand checks, and AHRI chiller ratings. CIBSE and ISHRAE design data and EN and ISO standards are named as examples where they apply. Always use the editions your project adopts. EDWartens is not affiliated with ASHRAE, Carrier or Trane.
How is it different from the BMS and data centre courses?
This course designs the HVAC system and stops at the handoff to controls. The Building Management Systems course covers BMS architecture and protocols, and the Data Centre Cooling, BMS and DCIM course applies these skills to data halls.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not an ASHRAE certification or a professional engineering licence.
How long does the course take?
About 12.5 hours of video lessons, notes and practice questions, taken at your own pace. The optional project takes about 16 hours more.
What is the project?
You design the air conditioning for a typical floor of a six-storey office building on the Gulf coast: design basis, cooling load by hand and in software, outdoor air, duct and chilled-water sizing, the AHU datasheet, and the sequence of operations and points list. A complete sample pack shows each document.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module