Analysis of end-use electricity consumption during two Pacific Northwest cold snaps
The Pacific Northwest has experienced unusually cold weather during two recent heating seasons. Hourly end-use load data was collected from a sample of residential and commercial buildings during both cold snaps. Earlier work documented the changes in end-use load shapes as outdoor temperature became colder. This paper extends analysis of cold snap load shapes by comparing results from both cold snaps, exploring the variability of electricity consumption between sites, and describing the use of load shapes in simulating system load. Load shapes from the first cold snap showed that hot water use shifted to later in the morning during extremely cold weather. This shift in load also occurred during the second cold snap and is similar to the shift observed on a typical weekend. Electricity consumption averaged across many sites can mask widely varying behavior at individual sites. For example, electricity consumption for space heat varies greatly between homes, especially when many homes are able to burn wood. Electricity consumption for space heat is compared between a group of energy-efficient homes and a group of older homes.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 10180467
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-21019; CONF-920828-12; ON: DE92041337
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) summer study on energy efficiency in buildings,Pacific Grove, CA (United States),30 Aug - 5 Sep 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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