Comparison of actual electricity savings with audit predictions in the BPA residential weatherization pilot program

Technical Report · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5561091

Hirst, E; White, D; Goeltz, R

The BPA program offered free home enrgy audits to identify cost-effective conservation measures to reduce space and water heating electricity use. The program also offered zero-interest, deferred-payment loans for installation of measures recommended during the audit. The data analyzed here, available for about 250 homes that received both an audit and a loan between April 1 and October 1, 1981, include actual electricity consumption records for a heating season before retrofit (1980/81) and a heating season after retrofit (1981/82). In addition, daily temperature data for relevant weather stations, energy audit reports, weatherization completion forms, and information from a telephone survey on household demographic and structure characteristics are also available. Thus, the data set encompasses information related to actual electricity savings, audit predictions of that saving, actual retrofit costs for the measures installed, and information on several factors related to household electricity use and savings. The actual reduction in annual electricity use averages 4130 kWh across the participant households. The cost of the retrofits that yielded this saving averaged $2100. The median ratio of actual-to-estimated saving is 0.66. Thus, on average, two-thirds of the expected saving is actually realized. However, there is substantial variation in this ratio. Actual electricity use increases in the second year for more than 10% of these homes. On the other hand, actual savings are more than double the audit estimates in more than 10% of the homes.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5561091
• Report Number(s): ORNL/CON-142; ON: DE84002991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
AUDITS
BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION
BUILDINGS
COST
DEMOGRAPHY
ENERGY AUDITS
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
FINANCING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
POWER DEMAND
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RETROFITTING
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WEATHERIZATION