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Cooling Load Calculator

Estimate cooling loads for conditioned spaces.

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This is a preliminary, criteria-driven cooling load build-up for early budgeting and plant space planning: area load, people, lighting, equipment and fresh-air contributions are summed and a safety margin applied. Every density figure is your own design criterion — the tool contains no standard load table.

Method and assumptions

  • Area load (kW) = area × density ÷ 1000
  • People load (kW) = occupants × W/person ÷ 1000
  • Lighting load (kW) = area × lighting density ÷ 1000
  • Total = (area + people + equipment + lighting + fresh-air) × (1 + margin%)
  • TR = kW ÷ 3.5168
  • Load density and per-person heat gain are user-entered from the project's own design criteria.
  • A preliminary decision-support estimate: the result does not replace an approved design calculation or review by a competent authority.
  • All percentages and inputs are user-defined; the calculation is purely arithmetic and assumes no particular code or specification.

Frequently asked questions

Does it replace a detailed load calculation?
No. It is a preliminary decision-support estimate. It performs no hourly, envelope or psychrometric analysis and does not implement any published load-calculation procedure.
How is TR derived?
Tons of refrigeration = total kW ÷ 3.5168, a fixed unit conversion applied after the margin.
What comes after the load?
Airflow from the sensible portion, then duct sizing, velocity check and pump/pipe sizing — all available in the HVAC category and the HVAC Design Suite.

Next step and related links

Free calculators are open to everyone, and CSV export is free for everyone too. Project saving and PDF/Excel reports come with Professional, and integrated workflows with Premium.