Is Every kWh the Same? How Do Energy Efficiency Measures Stack Up Across Regions?

Conference · 17 August 2018

OSTI ID:1524757

Podkaminer, Kara ^[1]; Nubbe, Valerie ^[1]; King, Ben ^[1]; Ma, Ookie ^[1]; Langevin, Jared ^[2]; Mayernik, John R ^[3]; Harris, Chioke ^[3]; Wilson, Eric J ^[3]

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1. U.S. Department of Energy
2. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
3. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

The U.S. residential building sector is responsible for thirty-eight percent of electricity use, as well as for 49%, 8%, 19% and 2% of U.S. SO2, NOx, CO2 and PM2.5 emissions, respectively. The residential building sector is also a key target of customer funded energy efficiency programs, which have typically been designed to reduce energy consumption (kWh). Today, energy efficiency is also being used to meet air emissions goals. However, not every kWh saved has the same mitigation potential. The goal of this work is to evaluate energy efficiency potential in the U.S. residential building sector and determine how energy conservation measures (ECMs) that reduce electricity consumption correlate to air emissions reductions. To assess energy efficiency potential, this analysis uses Scout, a software program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy that estimates the energy and CO2 impact potential of various ECMs on the U.S. residential and commercial building sectors. Here, Scout is first used to assess the total long term national energy (electricity, gas, and oil), CO2, and cost savings of deploying residential ECM portfolios. Then, electricity savings results from Scout in 2021 are used to assess the regional differences in emissions reductions with the Avoided Emissions and geneRation Tool (AVERT) model from different end uses. Better understanding the relationship between ECMs and cost-effective emission reductions will enable states, municipalities and other interested parties to meet multiple policy objectives through energy efficiency.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Building Technologies Office (EE-5B)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1524757
• Report Number(s): NREL/CP-5500-72080
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AVERT
AVoided Emissions and geneRation Tool
Scout
U.S. Department of Energy
air emission reductions
carbon dioxide
commercial buildings
cost savings
electricity savings
energy conservation measures
energy consumption
energy efficiency
residential buildings