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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Review of Test Procedure for Determining HSPFs of Residential Variable-Speed Heat Pumps

This report reviews the suitability of the existing Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) ratings and testing requirements for the current generation of variable-speed (VS) air-source heat pumps. Recent field test results indicate larger discrepancies between rated HSPF and field-observed HSPF for VS models than for single-speed models in the same houses. These findings suggest that the heating season test and ratings procedure should be revisited for VS heat pumps. The ratings and testing procedures are described in ANSI/AHRI 210/240 (2008) for single-speed, two-capacity, and variable-speed units. Analysis of manufacturer and independent test performance data on VS units reveals why the current VS testing/ratings procedure results in overly optimistic HSPF ratings for some VS units relative to other types of heat pumps. This is due to a combination of extrapolation of low speed test data beyond the originally anticipated ambient temperature operating range and the constraints of unit controls, which prevent low speed operation over the range of ambient temperatures assumed in the procedure for low speed. As a result, the HSPFs of such units are being overpredicted relative to those for single- and two-capacity designs. This overprediction has been found to be significantly reduced by use in the HSPF ratings procedure of an alternative higher-load heating load line, described in a companion report (Rice et al., 2015).

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2015

Selecting Solar: Insights into Residential Photovoltaic (PV) Quote Variation

Before investing in a system, a prospective PV customer must not only have initial concept 'buy in,' but also be able to evaluate the tradeoffs associated with different system parameters. Prospective customers might need to evaluate disparate costs for each system attribute by comparing multiple bids. The difficulty of making such an evaluation with limited information can create a cognitive barrier to proceeding with the investment. This analysis leverages recently available data from EnergySage, an online solar marketplace, to offer the first data-driven characterization of quote variation faced by prospective PV customers, lending early insight into the decisions customers face once they have initial buy-in.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Comparing Photovoltaic (PV) Costs and Deployment Drivers in the Japanese and U.S. Residential and Commercial Markets

Japan has re-emerged in 2013 as one of the world's fastest-growing and largest photovoltaic (PV) markets (Renewable Energy World 2013). Year-over-year growth in Japanese installed capacity in the first half of 2013 was about 270%. Japan's PV market was on pace to triple in 2013 compared with 2012, with approximately 2.7 GW installed during the first half of 2013 (compared to about 1.6 GW in the United States). This places Japan's market among the world's largest PV markets, along with China, Germany, and the United States. This report explores details of the rapidly changing Japanese market, and similarities and differences between the Japanese and U.S. markets. We collected data from a diverse group of Japanese PV installers, and we gathered additional Japanese and U.S. data from published sources as well as internal analyses.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Residential Indoor Temperature Study

In this study, we are adding to the body of knowledge around answering the question: What are good assumptions for HVAC set points in U.S. homes? We collected and analyzed indoor temperature data from US homes using funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America (BA) program, due to the program's reliance on accurate energy simulation of homes. Simulations are used to set Building America goals, predict the impact of new building techniques and technologies, inform research objectives, evaluate home performance, optimize efficiency packages to meet savings goals, customize savings approaches to specific climate zones, and myriad other uses.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2017

Chapter 4: Small Commercial and Residential Unitary and Split System HVAC Heating and Cooling Equipment-Efficiency Upgrade Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

The specific measure described here involves improving the overall efficiency in air-conditioning systems as a whole (compressor, evaporator, condenser, and supply fan). The efficiency rating is expressed as the energy efficiency ratio (EER), seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER), and integrated energy efficiency ratio (IEER). The higher the EER, SEER or IEER, the more efficient the unit is.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2015

Best Practices Utilized by The EV Project for Non-Residential Alternating Current Level 2 ?Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Infrastructure Planning

The lack of public charging infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) has been identified as a barrier to their widespread adoption. Federal and state grants have been awarded to promote public charging and encourage retail businesses to install charging infrastructure. A common question for charger installations is, “Where should the chargers be placed?” One of the objectives of the EV Project was to study the interaction of PEV drivers with the public infrastructure, so The EV Project attempted to develop a method to determine where EVSE should be placed. In the early stages of PEV sales in local markets, the options for siting publicly accessible EVSE were: • Plan locations associated with key attraction sites where PEV parking is anticipated • Directly solicit retail and public charging hosts for widespread placement • Ask the PEV drivers who were early adopters where they want public infrastructure • Identify sites near known high traffic areas

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Chippewa Cree Residential Solar Deployment Project

The overall project goal was to install clean energy systems in order to achieve the Chippewa Cree Tribe’s long-term goal of energy self-sufficiency, environmental protection, and better lives for our tribal members and community. This would be the first solar deployment project on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation. With 50% of the funding provided by the Office of Indian Energy, the Chippewa Cree Tribe teamed up with GRID Alternatives to install six grid-tied, solar electric systems for low-income single-family homes. The systems installed were estimated to provide 4,400 kWh annually with an estimated $451 dollar savings per household. After monitoring the systems for a year, we were almost able to obtain our goal with an average of 3,971 kWh and a $419 dollar average savings per household. We would have exceeded our goal but one of the units was without power for the majority of the year bringing down the average significantly. Another major component to the grant was workforce development. GRID Alternatives supplied training for students from Stone Child College on the installation process. With the collaboration and planning efforts from all of the departments, the installations were completed in October of 2016. Throughout the report you will see the six installations are diverse, and each needs to be considered in the context of the individual family structure, size, and energy consumption habits.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Advancing Energy Efficiency in Developing Countries: Lessons Learned from Low-Income Residential Experiences in Industrialized Countries

Energy efficiency has great potential to address economic development, energy security, and environmental protection around the world and in developing countries in particular. Low-income residents of developing countries stand to gain significantly from energy efficiency investments. This report presents lessons learned in delivering energy-efficiency programs for low-income households that are taken from experiences in the United States and other member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Lessons learned in delivering energy-efficiency programs to low-income households of industrial countries are summarized from the perspectives of program design, program delivery, and institutions in order to provide best practices that are applicable to countries in different development stages. This report discusses who to target, how to reduce energy burden, coordinating institutional stakeholders, which efficiency tools to use, how to fund low-income energy efficiency programs, screening tools to prioritize projects, outreach strategies, and evaluation methods. The report concludes with a framework for understanding different levels of energy-efficiency interventions based on institutional capacity, political willpower, and resources.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Chapter 17: Residential Behavior Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures, September 2011 - August 2020

This document has been updated in August 2020. This document was developed for the U.S. Department of Energy Uniform Methods Project (UMP). The UMP provides model protocols for determining energy and demand savings that result from specific energy-efficiency measures implemented through state and utility programs. In most cases, the measure protocols are based on a particular option identified by the International Performance Verification and Measurement Protocol; however, this work provides a more detailed approach to implementing that option. Each chapter is written by technical experts in collaboration with their peers, reviewed by industry experts, and subject to public review and comment. The protocols are updated on an as-needed basis. The UMP protocols can be used by utilities, program administrators, public utility commissions,evaluators, and other stakeholders for both program planning and evaluation. To learn more about the UMP, visit the website, https://energy.gov/eere/about-us/ump-home, or download the UMP introduction document at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/68557.pdf.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multizone Residential HVAC Modeling

This report will evaluate several building physics modeling tools to determine which are best suited for developing next-generation zoning technology. These modeling tools will be evaluated for their ability to predict room-level thermal loads, HVAC system operation, temperature and comfort predictions, and scalability. Any gaps in the existing tools will be identified and a path forward will be discussed.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2015

Capturing Energy Efficiency in Residential Real Estate Transactions

This report provides examples of programs across the U.S. that are successfully engaging the real estate community and overcoming barriers to valuing energy efficiency in the home resale process. The paper recommends actions that efficiency real estate professionals can take to facilitate the availability and use of reliable energy information at point of sale.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Heating and Cooling Energy Modeling of 3D-Printed Concrete Construction of Residential Buildings [Slides]

3D printed concrete construction (C3DP) is an emerging technology that comes with the associated benefits of high thermal mass walls. We investigated using BEopt software the heating and cooling energy use of a single story C3DP-constructed house. We then compared the heating/cooling energy use of the C3DP house against the corresponding energy use in a traditional timber (wood) frame construction (WFC), as well as a concrete masonry unit (CMU) construction. Both peak energy use for heating and cooling (Btu), as well as base energy use for both heating and cooling (MMBtu/yr) of the C3DP design were compared against the WFC and CMU baseline construction of identical geometries and orientations across all eight climate zones defined in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The BEopt models for all three constructions (C3DP, WFC, and CMU) were built to comply with the 2018 IECC code. Results indicate that C3DP construction has significant heating and cooling energy benefits in certain climate zones, with the highest peak cooling energy savings (9% compared to WFC, and 5% compared to CMU) in the IECC Climate Zone 1 in the month of July. The peak heating and cooling energy demand reduction of C3DP were found to be more significant than the base heating and cooling energy demand in all IECC climate zones. The 2018 IECC compliance-related U-Factor adjustments of all models also resulted in more peak energy savings of the C3DP design in the cooling-dominated climate zones (climate zones 1 and 2), moderate energy savings in moderate climate zones (climate zones 3, 4, and 6), and little to no change in energy savings in very cold climates (climate zones 7 and 8).

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Residential Facade Retrofits Modeling: Results and Documentation

Utilizing NREL's ResStock analysis tool and datasets, we performed an economic analysis for various facade upgrade combinations and strategies. This analysis considers the combined life-cycle cost of re-siding and window and insulation upgrades including both home value impacts and recurring bill savings estimates from a ResStock analysis, for varying years of home ownership.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electric Vehicle Charging for Residential and Commercial Energy Codes: Technical Brief

Numerous studies show that sales of electric vehicles (EVs) have grown consistently over recent years in the U.S. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated 3 million EVs were on the road in 2022, and the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) forecasts a total of 26.4 million EVs on the road by 2030. Based on this forecast, EEI projects the need for an additional 12.9 million EV charge ports by 2030. If EV charging infrastructure fails to keep pace with sales of EVs it could result in consumers stranded without options to power their vehicles. EVs are capable of providing substantial benefits to the consumers. EVs are less expensive to operate than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, have lower maintenance costs, and have the convenience of fueling (charging) at home or work. Studies conducted in California show that costs associated with installing EV charging infrastructure can be substantially more expensive for retrofit scenarios compared to new construction, making inclusion of EV infrastructure in new construction codes a cost-effective policy option to increase infrastructure to meet growing demands. PNNL tracks adoption of mandatory EV provisions across the U.S. As of December 20, 2024, 12 states (California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont) and 53 local governments have added EV provisions to their building codes, local ordinances and zoning requirements. Originally published in 2022, this tech brief has been revised to align with recent model energy code committee discussions and published EV infrastructure code language. This technical brief summarizes market trends, costs and benefits, and provides sample code language for EV charging infrastructure for consideration to be included in model codes, such as the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, as well as directly by states and local governments in their building codes. The technical brief summarizes related efforts undertaken by states and local governments, and builds upon language considered during the 2021 and 2024 IECC development cycles.

2021 IECC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Connected Residential Communities with Enhanced Resiliency and both Customer and Utility Attributes (Final Technical Report)

This report is a compilation of information from Quarter Progress Reports submitted to the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency Building Technologies Office (BTO) by SunPower Corporation. The report has been uploaded to OSTI by DOE as a substitute for the required Final Technical Report which was never received from the project recipient.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of Advanced Smart Ventilation Controls for Residential Applications

This study examined the use of zoned ventilation systems using a coupled CONTAM/EnergyPlus model for new California dwellings. Several smart control strategies were developed with a target of halving ventilation-related energy use, largely through reducing dwelling ventilation rates based on zone occupancy. The controls were evaluated based on the annual energy consumption relative to continuously operating non-zoned, code-compliant mechanical ventilation systems. The systems were also evaluated from an indoor air quality perspective using the equivalency approach, where the annual personal concentration of a contaminant for a control strategy is compared to the personal concentration that would have occurred using a continuously operating, non-zoned system. Individual occupant personal concentrations were calculated for the following contaminants of concern: moisture, CO2, particles, and a generic contaminant. Zonal controls that saved energy by reducing outside airflow achieved typical reductions in ventilation-related energy of 10% to 30%, compared to the 7% savings from the unzoned control. However, this was at the expense of increased personal concentrations for some contaminants in most cases. In addition, care is required in the design and evaluation of zonal controls, because control strategies may reduce exposure to some contaminants, while increasing exposure to others.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Information Searching in the Residential Solar PV Market

This paper examines the consumer information search behavior of households in San Diego County with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. We focus on whether solar PV households financing the technology through third-party ownership (TPO) versus host-ownership (HO), which is equivalent to leasing or buying goods in other markets, have heterogeneous preferences as reflected by information search. Conditional on adoption, we find that TPO households tend to seek more information on home modifications required for solar installation whereas HO households seek more information on the financial returns of solar investments. These preferences may be correlated with the consumption of other goods and services, and thus, if used to inform marketing strategies, our results could help reduce solar PV customer acquisition costs and accelerate technology diffusion. They also have indirect implications for marketing goods and services in other contexts where consumers exhibit similar preferences.

California↗