Are RCS energy audits valid
The major goal of the federal Residential Conservation Service (RCS) is to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes (US Department of Energy, 1982). Its main feature is an on-site home energy audit (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1983). Information collected during the audit is combined with engineering calculations to develop recommendations to the household on conservation practices and measures to reduce home energy use. A major premise of the RCS (and of other similar home energy audit programs) is that provision of accurate site-specific information concerning energy conservation potentials and their costs will motivate households to adopt at least some of the suggested actions. Unfortunately, little information is available concerning the accuracy of these energy audits or the energy savings actually achieved by households after adoption of practices and measures. Data collected during a recent evaluation of the Minnesota RCS program (Hirst et al., 1983) are sufficient to allow examination and analysis of actual energy savings and of the relationship between actual savings and audit predictions of savings. The program, operated by Northern States Power in the southern half of the state, is part of Minnesota's version of the federal Residential Conservation Service. NSP conducted almost 12,000 RCS audits between April 1981 (when the program began) and the end of 1982. The Minnesota effort is evaluated to estimate energy savings of the program and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Residential Conservation Service.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 5492971
- Journal Information:
- ASHRAE J.; (United States), Vol. 26:7
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Energy savings one and two years after participation in Minnesota home energy audit and retrofit loan programs
Evaluation of Minnesota utility home energy audit and retrofit loan programs