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Residential Natural Gas Demand Response Potential during Extreme Cold Events in Electricity-Gas Coupled Energy Systems

Journal Article · · Energies
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195192· OSTI ID:1670499
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In regions where natural gas is used for both power generation and heating buildings, extreme cold weather events can place the electrical system under enormous stress and challenge the ability to meet residential heating and electric demands. Residential demand response has long been used in the power sector to curtail summer electric load, but these types of programs in general have not seen adoption in the natural gas sector during winter months. Natural gas demand response (NG-DR) has garnered interest given recent extreme cold weather events in the United States; however, the magnitude of savings and potential impacts—to occupants and energy markets—are not well understood. We present a case-study analysis of the technical potential for residential natural gas demand response in the northeast United States that utilizes diverse whole-building energy simulations and high-performance computing. Our results show that NG-DR applied to residential heating systems during extreme cold-weather conditions could reduce natural gas demand by 1–29% based on conservative and aggressive strategies, respectively. This indicates a potential to improve the resilience of gas and electric systems during stressful events, which we examine by estimating the impact on energy costs and electricity generation from natural gas. We also explore relationships between hourly indoor temperatures, demand response, and building envelope efficiency.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1670499
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1726076
Report Number(s):
NREL-JA--5500-75145; PII: en13195192
Journal Information:
Energies, Journal Name: Energies Journal Issue: 19 Vol. 13; ISSN 1996-1073; ISSN ENERGA
Publisher:
MDPI AGCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Switzerland
Language:
English

References (7)

Residential energy savings through modified control of space-conditioning equipment journal September 1976
Heating energy use management in residential buildings by temperature control journal February 1985
The values of market-based demand response on improving power system reliability under extreme circumstances journal May 2017
State-of-the-art review on power grid resilience to extreme weather events: Definitions, frameworks, quantitative assessment methodologies, and enhancement strategies journal April 2019
Thermostat strategies impact on energy consumption in residential buildings journal February 2011
Influence of extreme weather and climate change on the resilience of power systems: Impacts and possible mitigation strategies journal October 2015
Extreme weather effects on power systems conference July 2011

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Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
building stock modeling
demand response
extreme weather
natural gas