scholarly journals A measured energy use, solar production, and building air leakage dataset for a zero energy commercial building

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Agee ◽  
Leila Nikdel ◽  
Sydney Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Air Leakage ◽  
Commercial Building ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Measured Energy

AbstractThis paper provides an open dataset of measured energy use, solar energy production, and building air leakage data from a 328 m2 (3,531 ft2) all-electric, zero energy commercial building in Virginia, USA. Over two years of energy use data were collected at 1-hour intervals using circuit-level energy monitors. Over six years of solar energy production data were measured at 1-hour resolution by 56 microinverters (presented as daily and monthly data in this dataset). The building air leakage data was measured post-construction per ASTM-E779 Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate by Fan Pressurization and the United States Army Corps (USACE) Building Enclosure Testing procedure; both pressurization and depressurization results are provided. The architectural and engineering (AE) documents are provided to aid researchers and practitioners in reliable modeling of building performance. The paper describes the data collection methods, cleaning, and convergence with weather data. This dataset can be employed to predict, benchmark, and calibrate operational outcomes in zero energy commercial buildings.

scholarly journals A Measured Energy Use, Solar Production, and Building Air leakage Dataset for a Zero Energy Commercial Building

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Agee ◽  
Leila Nikdel ◽  
Sydney Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Air Leakage ◽  
Commercial Building ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Measured Energy

This paper provides an open dataset of measured energy use, solar energy production, and building air leakage data from a 328 m2 (3,531 ft2) all-electric, zero energy commercial building in Virginia, USA. Over two years of energy use data were collected at 1-hour intervals using circuit-level energy monitors. Over six years of solar energy production data were measured at 1-hour intervals by 56 microinverters. The building air leakage data was measured post-construction per ASTM-E779 Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate by Fan Pressurization and the United States Army Corps (USACE) Building Enclosure Testing procedure; both pressurization and depressurization results are provided. The architectural and engineering (AE) documents are provided to aid researchers and practitioners in reliable modelling of building performance. The paper describes the data collection methods, cleaning, and convergence with weather data. This dataset can be employed to predict, benchmark, and calibrate operational outcomes in zero energy commercial buildings.

scholarly journals A Simplified Methodology to Estimate Energy Savings in Commercial Buildings from Improvements in Airtightness

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahabir Bhandari ◽  
Diana Hun ◽  
Som Shrestha ◽  
Simon Pallin ◽  
Melissa Lapsa
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
The United States ◽  
Commercial Buildings ◽  
Air Leakage ◽  
Oak Ridge ◽  
Simple Regression Model ◽  
Online Calculator ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Us Cities

Air leakage through the envelope of commercial buildings in the United States accounts for approximately 6% of their energy use. Various simulation approaches have been proposed to estimate the impact of air leakage on building energy use. Although approaches that are based on detailed airflow modeling appear to be the most accurate to calculate infiltration heat transfer in simulation models, these approaches tend to require significant modeling expertise and effort. To make these energy savings estimates more readily available to building owners and designers, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Air Barrier Association of America, and the US Department of Energy (DOE) are developing a user-friendly online calculator that applies a detailed airflow modeling approach to examine energy savings due to airtightness in commercial buildings. The calculator, however, is limited to 52 US cities and a few cities in Canada and China. This paper describes the development of an alternative, simplified method to estimate energy savings from improved airtightness. The proposed method uses the same detailed approach for hourly infiltration calculations as the online calculator but it expands the ability to estimate energy savings to all US cities using hourly outdoor air temperature as the only input. The new simple regression model-based approach was developed and tested with DOE’s standalone retail prototype building model. Results from the new approach and the calculator show good agreement. Additionally, a simple approach to estimate percent energy savings for retrofitted buildings was also developed; results were within 5% of the energy saving estimates from the online calculator.

Greening Local Energy: Explaining the Geographic Distribution of Household Solar Energy Use in the United States

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sammy Zahran ◽  
Samuel D. Brody ◽  
Arnold Vedlitz ◽  
Michael G. Lacy ◽  
Chelsea Lynn Schelly
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Energy

ECOLOGICAL PAYBACK TIME OF AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT MODULAR BUILDING

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Faludi ◽  
Michael Lepech
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Commercial Building ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Payback Time ◽  
Rooftop Solar ◽  
Prefabricated Building

Ecological payback time was calculated for demolishing an existing commercial building with average energy performance and replacing it with an energy-efficient, prefabricated building. A life-cycle assessment was performed for a 5,000 ft2commercial building designed by Project Frog and prefabricated in San Francisco, California, and compared to the impacts of annual energy consumption and continued status quo operation of a comparable average commercial building. Scenarios were run both with and without rooftop solar panels intended to make the prefabricated building net zero energy. The analysis considers the materials and manufacturing, transportation, annual energy use of the new building, and disposal of the existing building, compared to continued annual energy use of the existing building. The carbon payback of a new building with no solar against operation of an existing commercial building was found to be roughly eleven years, and a building with enough rooftop solar to be net zero energy was roughly 6.5 years. The full EcoIndicator99 environmental impact payback for a new efficient building with no solar was found to be twenty years, and a solar net-zero building was roughly eleven years against operation of an existing commercial building.

scholarly journals E-City Web Platform: A Tool for Energy Efficiency at Urban Level

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Amado ◽  
Francesca Poggi ◽  
António Ribeiro Amado ◽  
Sílvia Breu
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Urban Level ◽  
The City ◽  
Web Platform

Cities, as main energy consumers, play a crucial role in achieving a more sustainable energy future. This means that there is an urgent need to transform the way of planning urban areas, focusing on more efficient and self-reliant energy production and consumption modes overall. In this framework, the aim of this study is to explore the Net-Zero energy balance between two spatial scales: the whole city with its diversified energy consumption patterns, and those urban blocks, neighborhoods, or industrial areas that can produce energy and supply it to other areas. This approach leads to the development of an energy zoning for the city, based on the geographical urban delimitation of solar energy exporters cells and the energy consuming ones. On the production side, cells are delimited according to their solar energy production potential. On the demand side, cells are delimited according to four specific criteria: construction timeline, population density, urban morphologies, and land-use patterns that permit the definition of a classification of urban areas, based on the different energy consumption levels. In this paper, the web platform “E-City”, a tool for planning energy balance at urban level is presented, by describing its practical application in the city of Oeiras, Portugal. The platform integrates itself with the existing municipal Geographic Information System, exploring both spatial and statistical dimensions associated with zoning and the overall energy network system. Results from the use of this tool are relevant for urban planning practices, formulation of policies, and management of public investment that can be guided to more energy efficient solutions and supporting the transition towards nearly zero-energy cities.

scholarly journals Net Zero Energy Homes: An Evaluation of Two Homes in the Northeastern United States

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simi Hoque
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Residential Design ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Net Zero Energy Buildings ◽  
Zero Energy Buildings

This paper will discuss two Net Zero Energy homes in the United States. The aim is to discuss the differences and similarities in the construction type, energy use, active and renewable systems of the two homes. While each of the homes is designed to achieve net zero site energy use, the design and systems are very different. Furthermore, the measure that is used to qualify a home as net zero energy does not account for the full scope of work on each home. It is suggested that a new set of metrics be developed to allow for a more robust understanding of net zero energy buildings, one that integrates passive design strategies, occupant health and comfort, and durability. The objective is to facilitate a broader understanding of efficient and sustainable residential design. This understanding is critical to bringing Net Zero Energy Buildings to the public.

Patriarchy and (electric) power? A feminist political ecology of solar energy use in Mexico and the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 101743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Buechler ◽  
Verónica Vázquez-García ◽  
Karina Guadalupe Martínez-Molina ◽  
Dulce María Sosa-Capistrán
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Electric Power ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Feminist Political Ecology

scholarly journals Feasibility of Zero Energy Multi-Family Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Developments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armin Jeddi Yeganeh ◽  
Philip R. Agee ◽  
Xinghua Gao ◽  
Andrew P. McCoy
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
The United States ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Tax Credit ◽  
Statistical Regression ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Residential Units ◽  
Low Income Housing

The residential sector in the United States is in need of comprehensive policy-making reforms that concurrently address housing affordability and environmental sustainability. This study investigates the feasibility of state-wide zero-energy affordable housing by analyzing historical data on climate, energy use, and solar system costs in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The hypothesis examined is that the net present cost of implementation of rooftop residential solar systems to achieve zero-energy Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) buildings is lower than the discounted present cost of energy of otherwise identical conventional buildings that run without renewable energy generation systems. The authors propose a generalizable framework for analyzing the feasibility of achieving region- or state-wide zero-energy LIHTC developments. To validate the framework, the authors employ a longitudinal sample of monthly energy use data from 2013-2016 obtained from 310 residential units of 15 LIHTC developments across the state. Based on statistical regression analysis, energy simulation, and simulation-based risk analysis, the authors find that the net present value of zero-energy LIHTC investments can be positive with a low risk. The investment value varies often depending on the zero-energy building definition, weather characteristics, retail price of electricity, and incentive rate. This study can help housing policymakers and industry professionals analyze and benchmark the feasibility of innovative zero-energy housing policies and projects.

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