CSA F280 Heat Loss Calculations For Okanagan Builders
CSA F280-12 heat loss and heat gain calculations for BC Part 9 builders, coordinated with drawings, HOT2000 inputs, TECA ventilation checklist inputs, and equipment selection.
Mechanical sizing falls apart when F280 is treated as a late formality. If window values, envelope assemblies, ventilation rates, and equipment assumptions are not coordinated early, the calculation can conflict with the drawings, the energy model, or the installed system.
Apollo prepares CSA F280-12 heat loss and heat gain calculations for Part 9 residential projects and coordinates the inputs with HOT2000 modelling, permit ventilation documentation, and the Step Code compliance report. The goal is a calculation package the builder and mechanical team can use before equipment selection is locked in.
Timing: Start during design or permit preparation, before heating, cooling, ducting, or hydronic equipment choices are finalized. Update the calculation if construction or mechanical selections change before the as-built closeout.
What to send: Send floor plans, elevations, sections, orientation, room names, window and door schedules, insulation assemblies, mechanical and ventilation notes, target equipment type if known, and any AHJ comments or permit-stage requirements already received.
Send the details that control heating and cooling loads.
- Floor plans with room names and ceiling heights
- Elevations, sections, foundation details, and orientation
- Window and exterior door schedules with sizes and performance values where available
- Wall, roof, floor, slab, and foundation insulation assemblies
- Mechanical notes for heating, cooling, ventilation, and domestic hot water
Use F280 before equipment choices are fixed.
- Confirm design assumptions before the mechanical contractor sizes equipment
- Coordinate room-by-room loads with planned distribution or zoning strategy
- Check that glazing, envelope, and ventilation inputs match the drawing set
- Flag missing values that would otherwise be guessed late in the permit process
- Update inputs when design changes affect the load calculation
Keep the calculation aligned with the energy file.
- Use consistent envelope and window assumptions between F280 and HOT2000 where they overlap
- Coordinate ventilation assumptions with the TECA checklist or selected mechanical strategy where that scope applies
- Connect the calculation to the pre-construction Step Code package when the AHJ expects it
- Carry important mechanical changes forward before final as-built reporting
- Keep the builder, designer, and mechanical team working from the same assumptions
Avoid preventable calculation delays.
- Window schedule is missing sizes or performance values
- Assemblies are described differently in drawings, model inputs, and site decisions
- Mechanical equipment is selected before loads are calculated
- Room names, ceiling heights, or conditioned floor areas are unclear
- Ventilation assumptions are unclear or conflict with the mechanical notes
What builders ask before booking.
What is CSA F280 used for?
CSA F280 is used to calculate residential heating and cooling loads so appliance sizing reflects the actual home design, climate assumptions, envelope, glazing, and ventilation inputs.
What does Apollo need to start an F280 calculation?
Send drawings, orientation, room names, window and door schedules, assemblies, ceiling heights, mechanical and ventilation notes, and any equipment choices already being considered.
Does F280 connect to Step Code work?
Yes. F280 should use assumptions that line up with HOT2000 modelling, permit ventilation documentation, and the pre-construction Step Code report where those scopes overlap.
When should builders order it?
Order it before HVAC equipment is selected so the calculation can inform the design instead of merely documenting a decision that has already been made.
Send the drawings and project basics.
Jesse Cummings reviews the file and returns a quote - base compliance package and applicable add-ons, priced by stage - within one business day after receiving the drawings and project basics.