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Post-model worksheetPHPP / energy-model result required

Annual Heating Demand
Result Comparison

Normalize a completed model's annual space-heating demand by its matching reference floor area and compare it with a verified project criterion.

Who it's for: energy consultants and architects checking a completed energy model at design development or post-occupancy operations against a verified heating-demand criterion.

Entered-result comparison
annual demand ÷ reference area

How to use this calculator

1
Complete the applicable energy model
Use PHPP for Passive House certification or the declared adopted energy method for the project.
2
Enter matching demand and area
Use annual space-heating demand and the exact reference floor-area definition from the same model.
3
Enter the verified criterion
Confirm the scheme, building category, certification path, version, and any alternative criterion before entry.
4
Read the bounded comparison
The worksheet reports intensity, ratio, and difference only; it does not certify the building or validate the model.

The formula

Specific annual heating demand = modeled annual space-heating demand ÷ matching reference floor area.
Difference = modeled intensity − verified maximum criterion.
No energy balance, PHPP worksheet, ISO 52016 procedure, or certification determination is performed.

Worked example

Example
A completed model reports 2,400 kWh/yr of annual space-heating demand using a matching reference floor area of 200 m². The normalized result is 12 kWh/m²·yr. Against a separately verified maximum criterion of 15 kWh/m²·yr, the arithmetic difference is −3 kWh/m²·yr.

When this estimate will be off

  • Does not calculate heating demand, heat loss, solar or internal gains, ventilation, infiltration, thermal bridges, schedules, climate effects, or system energy.
  • Does not determine the correct reference-floor-area definition or whether total delivered energy was mistaken for space-heating demand.
  • Does not select a Passive House, EnerPHit, PHI Low Energy Building, PHIUS, code, or local target.
  • A result no greater than an entered criterion is not certification; complete criteria and accredited review remain outside this worksheet.

Frequently asked questions

No. It normalizes and compares a result already produced by a complete declared energy method.

No. The user must verify the applicable PHI criterion and path, and certification evaluates the complete criteria and evidence through the prescribed process.

A common mistake: Does not calculate heating demand, heat loss, solar or internal gains, ventilation, infiltration, thermal bridges, schedules, climate effects, or system energy.

Not unless the selected method and criterion explicitly use that same quantity and boundary. Delivered energy is not automatically the same as modeled space-heating demand.

Sources

This free Annual Heating Demand Calculator is built and maintained by DataDrivenAEC, using the relevant codes and standards. It does not substitute for professional judgment.