Hoop House / Greenhouse Heat Loss Calculator
Construction & Home ImprovementEstimate the heat loss and required heater capacity for a hoop house or greenhouse, from its surface area, covering material, and temperature difference.
Required Heater Capacity
Required heater input capacity, in BTU per hour, accounting for heater efficiency.
Covering Surface Area
1,209.5
Approximate curved surface area of a half-round hoop house, arched roof plus two half-round end walls.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How is the curved surface area estimated?
A standard hoop house is modeled as a half cylinder: the curved roof area is half the cylinder's side surface, pi times radius times length, plus the two semicircular end walls. This is a simplification of the true shape but a reasonable working estimate for most hoop houses.
Where do the covering material heat loss coefficients come from?
These are commonly cited approximate figures in Btu per hour per square foot per degree Fahrenheit: single-layer poly film about 1.17, double-layer poly film about 0.75, glass about 1.1. Real values vary somewhat by specific product and reporting source, so treat these as reasonable planning estimates.
Why does heater efficiency increase the required capacity?
A heater rated at less than 100 percent efficiency wastes some of its fuel input as unused heat, so it needs a higher rated input capacity to deliver the actual heat output the greenhouse needs, the same relationship used in this site's furnace sizing calculator.
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