Byggmeister Test Home: Analysis and Initial Results of Cold Climate Wood-Framed Home Retrofit

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1067913· OSTI ID:1067913

Gates, C. ^[1]

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1. Building Science Corporation, Somerville, MA (United States)

The Building Science Corporation seeks to further the energy efficiency market for retrofit projects in the New England area by supporting projects that are based on solid building science fundamentals and verified implementation. The Building Science Corporation has been working with Byggmeister, a partner on its Building America Program team, on retrofit projects. Byggmeister is a Boston-area design-build firm that specializes in energy efficient retrofits and new construction. The DEAP (Duclos, Eldrenkamp and Panish) Energy Group, which is associated with Byggmeister, conducts energy analysis for projects during design and performs monitoring after completion. With the high exposure of energy efficiency and retrofit terminology currently being used in the general media, it is important to have evidence that measures being proposed will in fact benefit the homeowner through a combination of energy savings, improved durability, and occupant comfort. Concrete data from specific projects can close the gap between “hype” and reality. This technical report describes a deep energy retrofit project for a two-family wood framed home located in Belmont, Massachusetts. Built in the 1920s, this home is referred to in this report as the “Belmont Two-Family.” The report examines the retrofit measures for the enclosure and mechanical systems and the decision making that took place during project planning. Because the retrofit project is complete, projected and actual energy use data are compared for the 5 months immediately following the retrofit. Occupant reactions and experiences are also described. The retrofit measures implemented for the Belmont Two-Family resulted in a home with airtightness of 0.93 air changes per hour at 50 pascal test pressure, a Home Energy Rating System index of 44 (excluding photovoltaics), and initial energy use significantly less than the energy models projected. The home is on track to meet the Thousand Home Challenge. In these ways, the project meets or exceeds the energy goals established for the retrofit. Energy modeling tools were found to be useful during the planning stage for investigating the relative cost effectiveness of retrofit measures. They were less effective, however, in projecting actual energy use. Discrepancies between the results of different tools need to be better understood, and interactions among retrofit measures are not effectively handled by the energy modeling tools at this time. During the first few months after the retrofit, the homeowner had questions about the effective operation of the mechanical equipment. With the increased airtightness and R-values, the equipment needs to be operated differently to realize the potential energy savings. This information needs to be better understood and disseminated by everyone involved with retrofit projects. This technical report contributes to several basic areas of research. These include the combination of measures that is feasible, affordable, and acceptable to homeowners as well as expectations versus results.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1067913
• Report Number(s): NREL/SR-5500--56250; DOE/GO--102013-3759; KNDJ-0-4033-00
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
Building America
Building Science Corporation (BSC)
air barrier systems
brick freeze/thaw
deep energy enclosure retrofits (DER)
enclosure systems
moisture control
residential
residential buildings
retrofit