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Results for “UTILITY PROGRAM DESIGN”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Driving Affordable Energy Through Utility Program Design

The presentation is aimed to teach participants about achieving affordable energy through utility program design. Learning objectives include: identify key utility program characteristics that support affordability and consumer choice; apply best practices in outreach, eligibility, and evaluation to improve program design; and evaluate strategies for aligning program design with customer needs and regulatory goals.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Driving Affordable Decarbonization: Inclusive Utility Program Designs for Disadvantaged Communities

Our research team worked with 17 utility partners from various U.S. regions to study current utility program practices. We identified the key characteristics of these programs and the challenges and opportunities in implementing them. Through our research, we provide a pragmatic, design-oriented, and customer-centered perspective for effective program design and implementation. We identify 13 successful characteristics of program design that may be considered by utility partners.

disadvantaged communities↗
DOE OSTI2024

An Atlas of Current Customer-Facing Utility Program Designs and Pricing

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Kevala conducted a targeted literature review and leveraged extensive expertise, including team members with four decades of experience in the utility sector, to characterize utility programs and rate designs. This analysis delves into the motivations behind these programs and the various hurdles they face. Through this in-depth study, the team provides critical insights into the operational dynamics of utility programs, identifying key drivers and barriers that influence their effectiveness and implementation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Customer enrollment and participation in building demand management programs: A review of key factors

Increasing the efficiency and flexibility of electricity demand is necessary for ensuring a cost-effective and reliable transition to zero-carbon electricity systems. Such demand-side management (DSM) resources have been procured by utilities for decades via energy efficiency and demand response programs; however, the key drivers of program enrollment and customer participation levels remain poorly understood — even as governments and grid planners seek to scale up the deployment of DSM assets to meet climate targets. Here we systematically review the evidence on multiple factors that may influence customer enrollment and participation in building DSM programs, focusing primarily on residential and commercial buildings. We examine the contexts in which relationships between DSM factors and outcomes are most often explored and with which methods; we also score the strength, direction, and internal consistency of each factor's reported impact on the enrollment and participation outcomes. We find that studies most commonly assess the effects of economic incentives for load flexibility on program participation levels, often using simulation-based methods in lieu of measured data. Few studies focus on program enrollment outcomes or regulatory drivers of either enrollment or participation, and gaps are also evident in the coverage of emerging DSM opportunities like load electrification. Removal of structural barriers (e.g., the lack of controls infrastructure) and the use of third party services (e.g., load aggregators) are the factors with the largest positive impacts on DSM outcomes, but no single factor emerges as clearly most impactful. For a given factor, the range of reported impacts typically varies widely across the relevant studies reviewed. Our findings provide a snapshot of the state of knowledge about building DSM and customer decision-making, and they expose key gaps in understanding that must be filled if building DSM is to expand as a critical resource for operating clean power grids.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2018

Best Practices in Promoting Utility-based Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: Policy Options for Ukraine

The report summarizes best practices in utility obligations and energy efficiency resource standards, drawing lessons that can be helpful for the Ukrainian government in its ongoing reform efforts. This report describes the experience of the United States and European Union member states with instruments such as energy efficiency obligations, energy efficiency resource standards, and renewable portfolio standards. This report consists of two parts. The first part covers the utility-based energy efficiency requirements (called energy efficiency obligations in Europe and energy efficiency resource standards in the U.S.). Structurally and conceptually, energy efficiency obligations and energy efficiency resource standards are similar even though they carry different names in different countries. These mechanisms place obligations on utilities to find energy savings equivalent to a certain percentage of their energy sales; depending on the program design, utilities can invest in end-use efficiency with their customers, or purchase energy savings from third parties. Some schemes also allow for trading of the energy savings. The report provides an overall description of these mechanisms, key elements as well as best practices in program design. The second part of the report provides a brief overview of U.S. renewable portfolio standards, which are structurally similar to utilities’ energy efficiency requirements, but for renewable energy. This part starts with a general overview of promotion of utility renewable energy requirements and proceeds with a description of the main components of the scheme.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2016

A High-Granularity Approach to Modeling Energy Consumption and Savings Potential in the U.S. Residential Building Stock

Building simulations are increasingly used in various applications related to energy efficient buildings. For individual buildings, applications include: design of new buildings, prediction of retrofit savings, ratings, performance path code compliance and qualification for incentives. Beyond individual building applications, larger scale applications (across the stock of buildings at various scales: national, regional and state) include: codes and standards development, utility program design, regional/state planning, and technology assessments. For these sorts of applications, a set of representative buildings are typically simulated to predict performance of the entire population of buildings. Focusing on the U.S. single-family residential building stock, this paper will describe how multiple data sources for building characteristics are combined into a highly-granular database that preserves the important interdependencies of the characteristics. We will present the sampling technique used to generate a representative set of thousands (up to hundreds of thousands) of building models. We will also present results of detailed calibrations against building stock consumption data.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

A High-Granularity Approach to Modeling Energy Consumption and Savings Potential in the U.S. Residential Building Stock: Preprint

Building simulations are increasingly used in various applications related to energy efficient buildings. For individual buildings, applications include: design of new buildings, prediction of retrofit savings, ratings, performance path code compliance and qualification for incentives. Beyond individual building applications, larger scale applications (across the stock of buildings at various scales: national, regional and state) include: codes and standards development, utility program design, regional/state planning, and technology assessments. For these sorts of applications, a set of representative buildings are typically simulated to predict performance of the entire population of buildings. Focusing on the U.S. single-family residential building stock, this paper will describe how multiple data sources for building characteristics are combined into a highly-granular database that preserves the important interdependencies of the characteristics. We will present the sampling technique used to generate a representative set of thousands (up to hundreds of thousands) of building models. We will also present results of detailed calibrations against building stock consumption data.

building stock↗
DOE OSTI2023

Factors Influencing Building Demand Flexibility

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Roadmap for Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB) acknowledged that building demand flexibility (DF) is both an important strategy to decarbonizing the buildings sector and an important resource for meeting the changing needs of the electrical grid such as improving grid reliability. However, understanding the complexity and uncertainties in real building field performance of DF strategies is a large gap hindering stakeholders on both grid and buildings side to make investments on deploying such strategies. The research work in this report intended to advance understanding of the variability and influential factors in building demand flexibility. Adding such knowledge based on lab testing results and measured performance data from real buildings is an important contribution. The report uses standardized metrics and methods to quantify DF performance from field-measured DF datasets of two significant building groups of big-box retail and medium office buildings to present the challenge of building DF variability in multiple dimensions. The report presents findings related to how several key factors influence building demand flexibility from implementing a common, cost-effective DF control strategy (i.e., adjusting zone temperatures). The findings are supported by full-scale lab testing, field data analysis and simulation research. The authors also provided application-oriented recommendations to stakeholders such as building aggregators, utility program design professionals, sophisticated building portfolio owners, and more.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2016

Phased Retrofits in Existing Homes In Florida Phase I: Shallow and Deep Retrofits

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building America program, in collaboration with Florida Power and Light (FPL), conducted a phased residential energy-efficiency retrofit program. This research sought to establish impacts on annual energy and peak energy reductions from the technologies applied at two levels of retrofit - shallow and deep, with savings levels approaching the Building America program goals of reducing whole-house energy use by 40%. Under the Phased Deep Retrofit (PDR) project, we have installed phased, energy-efficiency retrofits in a sample of 56 existing, all-electric homes. End-use savings and economic evaluation results from the phased measure packages and single measures are summarized in this report. Project results will be of interest to utility program designers, weatherization evaluators, and the housing remodel industry. Shallow retrofits were conducted in all homes from March to June 2013. The measures for this phase were chosen based on ease of installation, targeting lighting (CFLs and LED lamps), domestic hot water (wraps and showerheads), refrigeration (cleaning of coils), pool pump (reduction of operating hours), and the home entertainment center (smart plugs). Deep retrofits were conducted on a subset of ten PDR homes from May 2013 through March 2014. Measures included new air source heat pumps, duct repair, ceiling insulation, heat pump water heaters, variable speed pool pumps and learning thermostats. Major appliances such as refrigerators and dishwashers were replaced where they were old and inefficient.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Scalability and Effectiveness of Smart Charge Management

The rise in electric vehicle (EV) adoption presents growing challenges for power grids, particularly from simultaneous residential charging, which can cause voltage fluctuations and increase feeder peak loads. Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, initiated a pilot program to evaluate managed residential EV charging through Smart Charge Management (SCM). This study analyzes real-world charging behavior data from the pilot and feeder-level base loads from BGE to simulate residential charging scenarios through 2035 across the Washington, DC–Baltimore region. Grid impacts under unmanaged charging are compared to three SCM strategies: TOU-immediate, TOU-distributed, and Load Balancing. Results show that the magnitude of peak reduction is highly feeder-dependent. Some feeders achieve reductions of more than 40% at high enrollment levels, while others show improvements closer to 10–15%. This heterogeneity reflects differences in baseline feeder load shapes, EV penetration, and plug-in behavior across customers. Results also highlight trade-offs between shifting load away from peak periods and minimizing secondary demand peaks, offering practical insights for future utility program design.

Electric vehicle↗
NASA NTRS1974

Integral flange design program

An automated interactive flange design program utilizing an electronic desk top calculator is presented. The program calculates the operating and seating stresses for circular flanges of the integral or optional type subjected to internal pressure. The required input information is documented. The program provides an automated procedure for computing stresses in selected flange geometries for comparison to the allowable code values.

Wilson, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Applications of aerospace technology in biology and medicine

Results of the medically related activities of the NASA Application Team Program at the Research Triangle Institute are reported. A survey of more than 300 major medical device manufacturers has been initiated for the purpose of determining their interest and opinions in regard to participating in the NASA Technology Utilization Program. Design and construction has been commissioned of a permanent exhibit of NASA Biomedical Application Team accomplishments for the aerospace building of the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science at Durham, North Carolina. The team has also initiated an expansion of its activities into the Northeastern United States.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2016

EMRECORD v. 1.0

Program EMRECORD is a utility program designed to facilitate introduction of a 3D electromagnetic (EM) data acquisition configuration (or a “source-receiver recording geometry”) into EM forward modeling algorithms EMHOLE and FDEM. A precise description of the locations (in 3D space), orientations, types, and amplitudes/sensitivities, of all sources and receivers is an essential ingredient for forward modeling of EM wavefields.

Aldridge, David F.↗
NASA NTRS1964

MSFC computer programs utilized in the thermal design and analysis of satellites

Three IBM 7094 computer. program used in the thermal design of spacecraft will be discussed. The first program is one used for integrating spectral reflectance or emittance. The second program calculates the percent time a satellite spends in the earth's shadow during a revolution about the earth. And the third program is called our General Space Thermal Program and is used to calculate satellite temperatures throughout a revolution about the earth.

THERMAL ENVIRONMENT↗
DOE OSTI2017

Community Solar Value Project

The Community Solar Value Project (CSVP) is designed to assist electric utilities in designing better community solar programs. Better programs seek new sources of value to promote “win-win” solutions between utilities and their customers. The CSVP focused on five “challenge areas” in identifying new sources of value: - Strategic solar design for community solar projects (including technology choices, siting, orientation, and related issues) - Market research and targeted marketing approaches (for program design and for customer recruitment) - Procurement and financing (for establishing best practices that can bring economies of scale and economies of expertise) - Integration of “companion measures” (such as storage and demand-response options that can benefit customer and utility net load shapes) - Pricing in program design (including best practices for integration of identified value in program prices or credits) The CSVP directly engaged the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), and more than a dozen other utilities to develop improved community solar program designs. The outcomes include a plan at SMUD for over 100 MW or more of community and shared solar and support for new or expanded programs at 15 other utilities so far. Resulting best-practice solutions have not only informed program applications, but also have generated discussion among experts and industry associations about the new opportunities and challenges CSVP has brought forth. In these ways, the CSVP has impacted community solar programs and DER plans, competitive innovations and policies nationwide. The CSVP team has been led by Extensible Energy under John Powers, President and CEO. Jill Cliburn, of Santa Fe, NM-based Cliburn and Associates, has served as Principal Investigator. The team also benefitted from expertise from Navigant, Olivine Inc. and Millennium Energy, LLC, in addition to the collaborative and cost-sharing contributions of its utility partners. The CSVP team participated fully in the Solar Market Pathways Program, which was initiated under the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot program and reports to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. This report summarizes a multi-disciplinary project that took place over 33 months from January, 2015 through September, 2017.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Community Solar Program and Subscription Design

This slide deck provides an overview of community solar program design and subscription models. It introduces and explains the different elements of community solar program and subscription design, and proves proven practices and considerations when designing a community solar program. This slide deck was developed for a continuing education course hosted by the American Public Power Association (APPA).

community solar↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utility Programs Supporting Customer-Sited Battery Storage: Program Design to Ensure Mutual Benefits

Behind-the-meter (BTM) battery storage, when paired with solar, can benefit customers, utilities, and the electric grid. Some utility-sponsored programs have been implemented offset the cost of customer-owned batteries and recognize the value of batteries to the utility and the grid. This factsheet summarizes existing utility-sponsored battery programs and the value to the stakeholders. It then highlights Wattsmart, the customer-owned battery program offered by Rocky Mountain Power in Utah, and provides lessons-learned from a close look at the impact of the program design on commercial customer participation.

battery↗
DOE OSTI2016

Final Report: Towards an Emergent Model of Technology Adoption for Accelerating the Diffusion of Residential Solar PV

This project sought to enable electric utilities in Texas to accelerate diffusion of residential solar photovoltaic (PV) by systematically identifying and targeting existing barriers to PV adoption. A core goal of the project was to develop an integrated research framework that combines survey research, econometric modeling, financial modeling, and implementation and evaluation of pilot projects to study the PV diffusion system. This project considered PV diffusion as an emergent system, with attention to the interactions between the constituent parts of the PV socio-technical system including: economics of individual decision-making; peer and social influences; behavioral responses; and information and transaction costs. We also conducted two pilot projects, which have yielded new insights into behavioral and informational aspects of PV adoption. Finally, this project has produced robust and generalizable results that will provide deeper insights into the technology-diffusion process that will be applicable for the design of utility programs for other technologies such as home-energy management systems and plug-in electric vehicles. When we started this project in 2013 there was little systematic research on characterizing the decision-making process of households interested in adopting PV. This project was designed to fill that research gap by analyzing the PV adoption process from the consumers' decision-making perspective and with the objective to systematically identifying and addressing the barriers that consumers face in the adoption of PV. The two key components of that decision-making process are consumers' evaluation of: (i) uncertainties and non-monetary costs associated with the technology and (ii) the direct monetary cost-benefit. This project used an integrated approach to study both the non-monetary and the monetary components of the consumer decision-making process.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗