scholarly journals flEECe, an energy use and occupant behavior dataset for net-zero energy affordable senior residential buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick Paige ◽  
Philip Agee ◽  
Farrokh Jazizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Occupant Behavior ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Building Energy Use

AbstractThe behaviors of building occupants have continued to perplex scholars for years in our attempts to develop models for energy efficient housing. Building simulations, project delivery approaches, policies, and more have fell short of their optimistic goals due to the complexity of human behavior. As a part of a multiphase longitudinal affordable housing study, this dataset represents energy and occupant behavior attributes for 6 affordable housing units over nine months in Virginia, USA which are not performing to the net-zero energy standard they were designed for. This dataset provides researchers the ability to analyze the following variables: energy performance, occupant behaviors, energy literacy, and ecological perceptions. Energy data is provided at a 1 Hz sampling rate for four circuits: main, hot water heater, dryer, and HVAC. Building specifications, occupancy, weather data, and neighboring building energy use data are provided to add depth to the dataset. This dataset can be used to update building energy use models, predictive maintenance, policy frameworks, construction risk models, economic models, and more.

Cost Optimization of Net-Zero Energy House

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Mertz ◽  
Gregory S. Raffio ◽  
Kelly Kissock
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Cost Optimization ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Resource Limitations ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Building Energy Use ◽  
The Cost

Environmental and resource limitations provide increased motivation for design of net-zero energy or net-zero CO2 buildings. The optimum building design will have the lowest lifecycle cost. This paper describes a method of performing and comparing lifecycle costs for standard, CO2-neutral and net-zero energy buildings. Costs of source energy are calculated based on the cost of photovoltaic systems, tradable renewable certificates, CO2 credits and conventional energy. Building energy simulation is used to determine building energy use. A case study is conducted on a proposed net-zero energy house. The paper identifies the least-cost net-zero energy house, the least-cost CO2 neutral house, and the overall least-cost house. The methodology can be generalized to different climates and buildings. The method and results may be of interest to builders, developers, city planners, or organizations managing multiple buildings.

scholarly journals Spatial and Behavioral Thermal Adaptation in Net Zero Energy Buildings: An Exploratory Investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 7961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shady Attia
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Adaptation ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Building Energy Efficiency ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Energy Efficiency Standards

Climate responsive design can amplify the positive environmental effects necessary for human habitation and constructively engage and reduce the energy use of existing buildings. This paper aims to assess the role of the thermal adaptation design strategy on thermal comfort perception, occupant behavior, and building energy use in twelve high-performance Belgian households. Thermal adaptation involves thermal zoning and behavioral adaptation to achieve thermal comfort and reduce energy use in homes. Based on quantitative and qualitative fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted in Brussels, the paper provides insights on the impact of using mechanical systems in twelve newly renovated nearly- and net-zero energy households. The article calls for embracing thermal adaptation as a crucial design principle in future energy efficiency standards and codes. Results confirm the rebound effect in nearly zero energy buildings and the limitation of the current building energy efficiency standards. The paper offers a fresh perspective to the field of building energy efficiency that will appeal to researchers and architects, as well as policymakers.

Conceptual Design of Net Zero Energy Campus Residence

Solar Energy ◽  
2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Mertz ◽  
Gregory S. Raffio ◽  
Kelly Kissock ◽  
Kevin P. Hallinan
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Cost Optimization ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Inside Out

In response to both global and local challenges, the University of Dayton is committed to building a net-zero energy student residence, called the Eco-house. A unique aspect of the Eco-house is the degree of student involvement; in accordance with UD’s mission, interdisciplinary student teams from mechanical engineering, civil engineering and the humanities are leading the design effort. This paper discusses the conceptual design of a net-zero energy use campus residence, and the analysis completed thus far. Energy use of current student houses is analyzed to provide a baseline and to identify energy saving opportunities. The use of the whole-system inside-out approach to guide the overall design is described. Using the inside-out method as a guide, the energy impacts of occupant behavior, appliances and lights, building envelope, energy distribution systems and primary energy conversion equipment are discussed. The design of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic systems to meet the hot water and electricity requirements of the house is described. Eco-house energy use is simulated and compared to the energy use of the existing houses. The analysis shows the total source energy requirements of the Eco-house could be reduced by about 340 mmBtu per year over older baseline houses, resulting in CO2 emission reductions of about 54,000 lb per year and utility cost savings of about $3,000 per year. Detailed cost analysis and cost optimization have not been performed but are critical aspects of the UD Eco-house project, which will be performed in the future.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Net Zero Energy Campus Residence

Solar Energy ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Raffio ◽  
George Mertz ◽  
Kelly Kissock
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Inside Out

In response to both global and local challenges, the University of Dayton is committed to building a net-zero energy student residence, called the Eco-house. A unique aspect of the Ecohouse is its cost effectiveness. This paper discusses both the design and cost-benefit analysis of a net-zero energy campus residence. Energy use of current student houses is presented to provide a baseline for determining energy savings. The use of the whole-system inside-out approach to guide the overall design is described. Using the inside-out method, the energy impacts of occupant behavior, appliances and lights, building envelope, energy distribution systems and primary energy conversion equipment are discussed. The designs of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic systems to meet the hot water and electricity requirements of the house are described. Ecohouse energy use is compared to the energy use of the existing houses. Cost-benefit analysis is first performed on house components and then on the whole house. At a 5% discount rate, 5% borrowing rate for a 20 year mortgage, a 35 year lifetime, and an annual fuel escalation rate of 4%, the Ecohouse can be constructed for no additional lifetime cost.

A Review Of Design Processes For Low Energy Solar Homes

2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-16
Author(s):  
Rémi Charron
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Current Design

In recent years, there have been a growing number of projects and initiatives to promote the development and market introduction of low and net-zero energy solar homes and communities. These projects integrate active solar technologies to highly efficient houses to achieve very low levels of net-energy consumption. Although a reduction in the energy use of residential buildings can be achieved by relatively simple individual measures, to achieve very high levels of energy savings on a cost effective basis requires the coherent application of several measures, which together optimise the performance of the complete building system. This article examines the design process used to achieve high levels of energy performance in residential buildings. It examines the current design processes for houses used in a number of international initiatives. The research explores how building designs are optimised within the current design processes and discusses how the application of computerised optimisation techniques would provide architects, home-builders, and engineers with a powerful design tool for low and net-zero energy solar buildings.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Urban-Scale Building Energy-Use Models and Tools—Application for the City of Fribourg, Switzerland

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1595
Author(s):  
Valeria Todeschi ◽  
Roberto Boghetti ◽  
Jérôme H. Kämpf ◽  
Guglielmina Mutani
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Space Heating ◽  
Engineering Model ◽  
Building Energy Use ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Building energy-use models and tools can simulate and represent the distribution of energy consumption of buildings located in an urban area. The aim of these models is to simulate the energy performance of buildings at multiple temporal and spatial scales, taking into account both the building shape and the surrounding urban context. This paper investigates existing models by simulating the hourly space heating consumption of residential buildings in an urban environment. Existing bottom-up urban-energy models were applied to the city of Fribourg in order to evaluate the accuracy and flexibility of energy simulations. Two common energy-use models—a machine learning model and a GIS-based engineering model—were compared and evaluated against anonymized monitoring data. The study shows that the simulations were quite precise with an annual mean absolute percentage error of 12.8 and 19.3% for the machine learning and the GIS-based engineering model, respectively, on residential buildings built in different periods of construction. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis using the Morris method was carried out on the GIS-based engineering model in order to assess the impact of input variables on space heating consumption and to identify possible optimization opportunities of the existing model.

scholarly journals A Rapid Review on Community Connected Microgrids

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6753
Author(s):  
Moiz Masood Syed ◽  
Gregory M. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Electricity Cost ◽  
Building Energy Use

As the population of urban areas continues to grow, and construction of multi-unit developments surges in response, building energy use demand has increased accordingly and solutions are needed to offset electricity used from the grid. Renewable energy systems in the form of microgrids, and grid-connected solar PV-storage are considered primary solutions for powering residential developments. The primary objectives for commissioning such systems include significant electricity cost reductions and carbon emissions abatement. Despite the proliferation of renewables, the uptake of solar and battery storage systems in communities and multi-residential buildings are less researched in the literature, and many uncertainties remain in terms of providing an optimal solution. This literature review uses the rapid review technique, an industry and societal issue-based version of the systematic literature review, to identify the case for microgrids for multi-residential buildings and communities. The study describes the rapid review methodology in detail and discusses and examines the configurations and methodologies for microgrids.

scholarly journals Performance Data from the NIST Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
William M Healy ◽  
A Hunter Fanney ◽  
Brian P Dougherty ◽  
Lisa Ng ◽  
Vance Payne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hot Water ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Operational Strategies ◽  
Photovoltaic Array ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Second Year ◽  
One Year

Data were collected over two separate year-long test periods at the Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, alaboratory designed to evaluate a variety of technologies and operational strategies that lead to energy efficient houses with comfortable and healthful indoor environments. In a net-zero energy building, all energy consumption over the course of a year is offset by on-site renewable energy production; this facility attempts to meet that goal through use of a photovoltaic array installed on the roof. Data are presented for one-year test periods over which the research team examined whether the facility would reach net-zero status. In both years, the house was operated in an all-electric configuration, with slight modifications made in the second year related to control schemes and equipment selection. A virtual family of four was simulated to carry out the operations that would typically occur in a home (e.g., appliance usage, lighting usage, hot water usage). Data are being released for the second year of operation at the time of publication of this document, with an expectation that data from the first year will be released at a later date.

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