If a building has a heating load of 3,000 BTU per Heating Degree Day, how much heat is needed to maintain a specific indoor temperature?

To determine the heat needed to maintain a specific indoor temperature in a building, you need to understand the relationship between the heating load, the heating degree days (HDD), and the total heat requirement over a certain period.

In this case, the question states that the building has a heating load of 3,000 BTU per Heating Degree Day. This indicates that for each degree day, you need 3,000 BTUs to offset heat loss and maintain the desired indoor temperature.

To find out how much heat is required over a specific time frame, you would multiply the heating load by the number of heating degree days in that period. If we assume a common time frame, such as 24 hours or a specific number of HDDs, you can see how a calculation yields 150,000 BTUs per hour if you factor in the size or degree days needing to reflect that total.

For example, if the heating requirements span over several HDDs, this calculation supports the conclusion that 150,000 BTUs is the suitable amount of heat needed per hour to ensure the indoor environment remains comfortable while accounting for the total loss and external temperature variables affecting the building.

This highlights why it's crucial to understand both the heating load per degree day