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Saving energy in occupied buildings: results from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory residential data bases

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5657902
This paper summarizes results to date from the residential portion of the Building Energy Use Compilation and Analysis (BECA) project, comprising findings from several hundred studies of new and retrofitted buildings. The following are discussed for both new and retrofitted homes: (1) energy savings and the range of savings for given types of measures; (2) cost and cost-effectiveness of various measures; and (3) methodology. In existing residences, data compiled from roughly 70 retrofit projects, with sample sizes that range from 1 to 33,000 homes, strongly indicate that retrofits often significantly reduce annual space heating energy consumption. But, results are highly variable. The maximum energy savings from individual measures installed in different households are 3 to 7 times greater than the median value. Nineteen conservation programs sponsored by utilities achieved annual space heat savings of 38.5 million Btu at an average investment level of $1050. Twenty-nine of 215 new homes in our BECA-A database have detailed sub-metered data that permits normalization of space heat loads for both indoor temperature and internal gains. In these homes, the standardized heating energy requirement ranges from 10 to 25 kBtu/ft/sup 2/ over various climatic regions, a value that is roughly 50% less than current building practice.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00098
OSTI ID:
5657902
Report Number(s):
LBL-16669; CONF-8310110-3; ON: DE84002912
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English