Residential Buildings Integration Program
2013 BTO Program Peer Review - Residential Buildings Integration Program Overview
2013 BTO Program Peer Review↗
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2013 Building Technologies Office Program Peer Review Report
The 2013 Building Technologies Office Program Peer Review Report summarizes the results of the 2013 Building Technologies Office (BTO) peer review, which was held in Washington, D.C., on April 2–4, 2013. The review was attended by over 300 participants and included presentations on 59 BTO-funded projects: 29 from BTO’s Emerging Technologies Program, 20 from the Commercial Buildings Integration Program, 6 from the Residential Buildings Integration Program, and 4 from the Building Energy Codes Program. This report summarizes the scores and comments provided by the independent reviewers for each project.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Better Buildings Neighborhood Program
Building Technologies Office's residential buildings integration project
2013 BTO Program Peer Review↗
Challenge Home
Building Technologies Office's residential buildings integration project
2013 BTO Program Peer Review↗
Home Energy Score Program
Building Technologies Office's residential buildings integration project
2013 BTO Program Peer Review↗
Home Performance with Energy Star
Building Technologies Office's residential buildings integration project
2013 BTO Program Peer Review↗
Solar Decathlon
Building Technologies Office's residential buildings integration project
2013 BTO Program Peer Review↗
Building America System Research
Residential Buildings Integration Project for the 2013 Building Technologies Office's Program Peer Review
2013 BTO Program Peer Review↗
At the Core: Fundamental Building Science Education Matters More Than Building Type
As building technologies become more advanced, the need for highly skilled and qualified workers has increased. Both residential and commercial building industries struggle to capture the full benefit of these new technologies because of the limited building science knowledge base of the professionals researching, designing, building, and selling these structures. To help address this need, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Residential Building Integration (RBI) program initiated the Guidelines for Building Science Education (GBSEs). These guidelines provide guidance on the fundamental building science knowledge base that is helpful for a wide range of building industry jobs. This effort provides a mechanism for training organizations to align core curriculum that can be applied to any building type. At the same time, DOE’s Commercial Building Integration (CBI) program has been spearheading a full suite of impactful initiatives including the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines (BBWGs), which provide voluntary national guidelines from which select stakeholders can develop high-quality and nationally recognized training and certification programs. The BBWG framework helps to improve quality and scalability issues for five energy efficiency-related jobs: Building Energy Auditor, Building Commissioning Professional, Building Operations Professional, Building Operations Journey-Worker and Energy Manager. The residential and commercial building programs are both interested in helping to create better buildings through an improved workforce. The two program initiatives complement each other in many ways. The GBSEs pave the way for more specialized training and education offered by industry and academia, which lead to credentials that signify competency. The BBWGs cover credentialing for energy efficiency jobs—a critical area that DOE believed could benefit from incentives for credentialing bodies and building operators that would improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings. This paper summarizes the steps DOE programs have taken to work together and the outcome of this symbiotic relationship.
Metzger, Cheryn E.↗
Modulating thermal load through lightweight residential building walls using thermal energy storage and controlled precooling strategy
Precooling is a recognized technique for reducing cooling energy in buildings during peak hours by shifting load to off-peak hours. This technique is particularly effective in buildings with high thermal mass, because of their large thermal energy storage capacity, and in commercial buildings due to their variable electricity pricing based on time-of-use rates. Precooling in residential buildings has been a matter of limited interest in the past because of their low thermal mass and typically uniform electricity pricing rate. While previous studies on precooling primarily focused on cost savings, an important aspect of precooling is the thermal load modulation, which could be very effective in managing peak demand in lightweight residential buildings integrated with thermal energy storage systems. In this study, we examine different precooling strategies to manage the heat gains in lightweight building walls integrated with phase-change materials. We create nine different precooling profiles by controlling the interior temperature, and then evaluate the influence of the precooling profiles on four key building energy performance parameters: total heat gain, peak heat gain, maximum heat gain during peak hours, and time at which peak occurs. To thoroughly understand the fundamental physics, we first consider hypothetical climates and obtain the optimal precooling strategy required to achieve maximum peak shedding and shifting while minimizing the total heat gains. We then extend the model to Baltimore, Maryland, and estimate the benefits of the optimized precooling strategy under real conditions. The optimal precooling strategy proposed in this study can shift the peak heat gain by up to 14 hours, thereby reducing the heat gain during peak period by up to 95%, at the expense of a 23% increase in the total heat gains.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Validation on Aggregate Flexibility from Residential Air Conditioning Systems for Building-to-Grid Integration
To facilitate the integration of buildings to the power grid, battery-equivalent models have been proposed to characterize and quantify aggregate flexibility from building loads. An analytical method has been proposed to construct such a flexibility model for thermostatically controlled loads. Since this analytical method is derived from a simplified representation of building thermal dynamics, it is necessary to evaluate the resulting flexibility model in a more realistic context. This paper focuses on the validation of this analytical method for estimating aggregate flexibility from residential air conditioning (ACs) systems. A high-fidelity model is first developed to mimic thermal behaviors of a residential AC system through a co-simulation between Modelica and EnergyPlus. A population of virtual residential AC systems is then generated by randomizing parameters of the high-fidelity model. Finally, an aggregate flexibility model is constructed for the residential AC population using the analytical method and validated using results from simulation of the high-fidelity model. It is found that the flexibility estimated using the analytical method is with reasonable accuracy, but can be improved by explicitly incorporating heat gains into the method.
Huang, Sen↗
Electrification of residential and commercial buildings integrated with hybrid renewable energy systems: A techno-economic analysis
Here, this study assesses the techno-economic viability of city-scale building electrification, comparing a base case scenario with conventional HVAC systems to an electrified scenario with heat pump systems. EnergyPlus simulations reveal a 28% increase in annual electricity consumption in the electrified scenario, shifting the peak consumption from summer to winter with a 49% surge. Hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs) are then evaluated using HOMER Pro, considering renewable penetration from 0% to 100%. The net present cost (NPC) of the base case and electrified scenarios range from $\$10.34$ to $\$24.38$ billion and $\$8.79$ to $\$50.31$ billion, respectively. Sensitivity analysis explores the impact of carbon tax, fuel price, and renewable subsidies on HRESs in the electrified scenario. Results indicate that applying a carbon tax up to $\$120$/tonne of CO 2 increases the optimum renewable fraction from 5% to 26%, while higher fuel prices and renewable subsidies further enhance the feasibility by shifting the optimum renewable fraction to 60% and 54%, respectively, demonstrating the interplay between economic factors and renewable integration in electrified urban contexts.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
PCM Selection for Heat Pump Integrated with Thermal Energy Storage for Demand Response in Residential Buildings
Phase Change Materials (PCM) based Thermal energy storage (TES) is a widespread solution to shift buildings’ peak energy demand and add stability to the grid. PCMs can be used for space heating and cooling applications in residential buildings by integrating into the heat pump equipment or building envelope via several possible configurations. The heat pump integrated active PCM storage can provide significant energy savings and reduce peak demand, but the benefits vary substantially depending on the system configuration, storage capacity, and the temperature range of the PCM used. It is critical to provide a review of the materials and their suitability in heat pump integrated PCM systems. This paper will present an analysis of the PCM material selection for heat pump integrated TES in various configurations. The comprehensive review will compare the phase change materials with different melting temperatures, and configurations, corresponding to the energy savings and demand impact reported in the literature. This work is significant to guide the design of high-performance heat pump integrated PCM systems.
Sultan, Sara↗
Performance analysis of novel thermal storage integrated heat pump system in a residential building at the hot climate for demand flexibility
A novel thermal energy storage integrated heat pump system was proposed to reshape the electricity load profile of residential buildings while maintaining thermal comfort. High-fidelity computer simulations are needed for evaluating the feasibility of the proposed system. This study investigates the annual performance of the proposed system through Modelica-based system simulations. A rule-based control strategy was developed to shift the electric demand of a typical single-family house in Atlanta, GA from peak to off-peak hours to utilize the Time-of-Use electricity rate to lower the energy costs for conditioning the building. For comparison, a conventional air-source heat pump system serving the same building was also developed. Simulation results indicate that the proposed system is capable of shifting around 90% of the building's electricity consumption for meeting the thermal demand from peak to off-peak hours on a daily basis. In addition, the annual power consumption and operating cost for running the HVAC system can be reduced by 6% and 34%, respectively, compared with the conventional air-source heat pump.
Shi, Liang↗
Large-Scale Simulation of Regional Demand Flexibility Implementation and Customer Economic Impact
The Distribution System Operator with Transactive (DSO+T) study conducted a large-scale simulation of over 60,000 customers in a region the size of Texas to demonstrate the effective coordination of distributed energy resources (DERs) in commercial and residential buildings. The integrated simulation included both the bulk (wholesale generation and transmission) and distribution systems. The DERs (including batteries, electric vehicles, air conditioning, and water heaters) participated in a transactive energy retail market that was integrated into an existing competitive wholesale market. The engineering and economic performance of the resulting demand flexibility was evaluated over annual simulations for both moderate and high renewable generation scenarios. A detailed parametric cost model was developed to enable detailed economic analysis of key stakeholders. In addition, fixed and dynamic customer tariffs were designed and applied to the customer population. This allowed the impact on annual customer bills to be analyzed for various building types (residential versus commercial; single- versus multi-family). This paper presents results showing the relative flexibility of batteries, electric vehicles, and building loads throughout the year and under different renewable scenarios. This feeds a detailed breakdown of the impact this flexibility has on the operating costs of the grid and the resulting net economic benefit. Finally, the study showed that practically all customer classes (including non-participating customers) save money under the proposed demand flexibility scheme. The study found overall net annual economic savings of $3.3-5.0B for a region the size of Texas equating to average customer bill savings of 10-16%.
Reeve, Hayden M.↗
Building America Case Study: Evaluation of Residential Integrated Space/Water Heat Systems, Illinois and New York (Fact Sheet)
This multi-unit field demonstration of combined space and water heating (combi) systems was conducted to help document combi system installation and performance issues that needed to be addressed through research. The objective of the project was to put commercialized forced-air tankless combi units into the field through local contractors that were trained by manufacturers and GTI staff under the auspices of utility-implemented Emerging Technology Programs. With support from PARR, NYSERDA and other partners, the project documented system performance and installations in Chicago and New York. Combi systems were found to save nearly 200 therms in cold climates at efficiencies between about 80% and 94%. Combi systems using third-party air handler units specially designed for condensing combi system operation performed better than the packaged integrated combi systems available for the project. Moreover, combi systems tended to perform poorly when the tankless water heaters operating at high turn-down ratios. Field tests for this study exposed installation deficiencies due to contractor unfamiliarity with the products and the complexity of field engineering and system tweaking to achieve high efficiencies. Widespread contractor education must be a key component to market expansion of combi systems. Installed costs for combi systems need to come down about 5% to 10% to satisfy total resource calculations for utility-administered energy efficiency programs. Greater sales volumes and contractor familiarity can drive costs down. More research is needed to determine how well heating systems such as traditional furnace/water heater, combis, and heat pumps compare in similar as-installed scenarios, but under controlled conditions.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
An Assessment of Impacts on Electric End-Use Load Profile of a Typical Residential Building from a Ground Source Heat Pump Systems Integrated with Underground Thermal Energy Storage
Buildings are the primary users of electricity, and a considerable amount of electric energy consumed in residential and commercial buildings is for meeting thermal demands (e.g., space heating/cooling, water heating, etc.). Therefore, integrating thermal energy storage with a building’s energy system has the potential to reshape the electric load profile of the building and mitigate the mismatch between the renewable power supply and the thermal demands of buildings. A novel ground-source heat pump system (GSHP) integrated with underground thermal energy storage (UTES) has been developed to enable flexible electric demand at buildings while meeting their thermal demands with an energy-efficient GSHP system. This paper assessed the potential impacts of the proposed system on the peak electrical demand and annual electricity consumption in a typical residential building at various climate zones in the United States. The results show that by replacing the conventional HVAC system (air conditioner and natural gas furnace) with the UTES integrated GSHP system, summer peak electric demand can be reduced by 27% to 50% depending on the weather. Although the winter peak electrical demand could be increased by up to 70% if the proposed system replaces natural gas furnace, the existing electricity supply system for single-family homes in most regions of the United States have adequate capacity for the replacement. While eliminating the natural gas consumption for space heating, the proposed system consumes more electricity on an annual basis in heating-dominated regions. However, it consumes less electricity in cooling dominated regions. The resulting variance in annual electricity consumption in various climate zones is within 15% compared with the baseline system.
Shi, Liang↗
Observations and Lessons Learned From Installing Residential Roofing-Integrated Photovoltaics
Building-sited solar photovoltaics (PV) could play a key role in decarbonizing the building sector either through racked and mounted PV or through Building-integrated PV (BIPV). BIPV is installed into the building envelope itself, with solar cells and/or modules forming the outer layer of a building structure, thus transforming a single-purpose structure into one that serves the dual purposes of the building envelope and electricity. BIPV can be applied to building roofs, facades, awnings, pergolas, windows, skylights, balustrades, and other external surfaces. Given BIPV products vary widely, the focus of this research is residential roofing integrated PV (RIPV), where solar is incorporated into or otherwise replaces the roofing material. Previous research suggests that residential RIPV could reduce customer acquisition, labor, supply chain, and equipment costs. These products have yet to realize these cost savings and deployment remains significantly less than conventional rooftop PV as a relative share of the addressable market in the US. One potential barrier to broader residential roofing integrated PV deployment may be higher costs relative to conventional rooftop PV, primarily because the design and installation of these products is still evolving. Here, we explore residential RIPV cost-reduction opportunities by analyzing installation processes. Our study documents residential RIPV installations at 2 reroofing sites and the equivalent of 9 new construction sites in California through a methodology known as time and motion study. We also conducted interviews with subject-matter experts to identify barriers and solutions to maximize these products' market penetration. Our time and motion study breaks the RIPV installation process into four steps: 1) staging, unloading, and roof preparation; 2) fire resistant underlayment(s) (synthetic material laid between roof shingles and roof deck); 3) flashings and PV installation; and 4) wiring and monitoring. We measure the time required for each step in terms of worker-hours, representing an hour of labor from a single worker. We further normalize process time by dividing worker-hours by kilowatt (kW) of system capacity. The most time-intensive step was flashings and PV installation, taking around 2.4 worker-hours per kW on average and accounting for around 60% of the process time for an average installation. The total installation process took on average about 6.4 and 3.5 worker-hours per kW at the reroofing sites and new construction sites, respectively. For comparison, a previous time and motion study documented a time of 6.9 worker-hours per kW for conventional rooftop PV. The shorter RIPV installation times are consistent with previous studies suggesting that RIPV could be installed faster than conventional rooftop PV. The time and motion results and feedback from interviewees provide insights into potential residential RIPV cost reduction opportunities. Several interviewees suggested that these products would be more efficient if PV installation was more fully integrated into the roofing/construction industries, which currently use separate supply chains and skillsets. Further integration could reduce supply chain delays and labor force redundancies. Future research could explore specific ways to integrate these industries to help realize the cost savings potential of RIPV.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗