Simulation & Analysis of the Hydronic Shell Retrofit System as a Solution for Deep Energy Retrofits and Electrification of Large Multifamily Housing Communities in Cold Climate

Technical Report · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EDT 2024

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2530723· OSTI ID:2530723

Kunwar, Niraj ^[1]; Anand, Jyothis ^[1]; Im, Piljae ^[1]; Goldstein, David ^[2]

---

1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. Hydronic Shell Technologies, New York City, NY (United States)

According to the 2020 residential energy consumption survey, there are 32 million multi-family buildings in the United States, and approximately 42% of these have poor or no insulation (US EIA 2020). Electrification of buildings with heat pump is one of the key strategies to achieve the goal of 90% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in buildings by 2050 (U.S. Department of Energy 2024a). Building electrification will also enable greater penetration of variable renewable energy sources. However, replacing the natural gas dominated heating system by electrical appliance will increase the electrical load in heating dominated climate. It is crucial to well-insulate the building envelope to mitigate the stress in the grid from electrification. The hydronic shell (HS) system discussed next can achieve dual objective of envelope retrofit with space heating system electrification.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hydronic Shell Technologies, New York City, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 2530723
• Report Number(s): ORNL-TM--2024-3712; NFE2309771
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION