Engineering Commons^™

Design And Construction Of Interior Duct Systems, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

To combat the energy, durability, and indoor air quality penalties of duct leakage, energy experts have recommended putting the duct system and air handler inside the conditioned space. Two paths of accomplishing this have emerged: unvented attics/crawl spaces and interior chases. This study focuses on the design, construction, and performance of the interior chase approach as implemented by five different builders in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.

Researchers found that, in many cases, breeches of the air barrier were evident from simple visual inspection. Critical points of design and construction were identified and will be presented through photos, design and …

Sunsmart Community Partnerships: Summary And Lessons Learned Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jennifer Szaro

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Through a working partnership with the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA), the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation (LEAF), and FMEA member utilities, the SunSmart program offers a unified, low-cost solution to providing municipal electric customers with a solar energy option. It also provides its member utilities with a high level of technical and administrative support to alleviate concerns about working with an unfamiliar electric generation technology. It relies on a core team to develop a standardized marketing and public outreach plan which can be utilized by all participants, and …

Preliminary Evaluation Of Energy-Efficiency Improvements To Modular Classrooms, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The objective of our investigation is to evaluate innovations that would enable modular classroom builders to improve the energy performance of their classrooms. We investigate improved insulation, better windows, daylighting, cross-ventilation, sensible and latent heat recovery of ventilation air and light colored surfaces and radiant barriers for cooling dominated climates. The tasks associated with this work are as follows:

• Create a simulation software.
• Establish a baseline reference building using a standard modular classroom building.
• Parametric evaluation of the impact of ventilation and school schedule on energy use.
• Determine the feasibility of improving insulation and envelope systems.
• Determine the feasibility of …

Evaluation Of Resources And Energy Systems At Dry Tortugas National Park, Addendum Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Dunlop

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The objectives of this report are to identify opportunities for increasing efficiency, reducing costs and improving environmental quality by implementing conservation measures and renewable energy systems in park operations. Information in this report was derived from a site survey conducted on April 4-6, 2000 by personnel from the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC). It builds on earlier site assessments and reports developed in 1989 and 1997 by FSEC under contract to DOE and SNL

Energy Efficient Design For Florida Educational Facilities, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This manual addresses energy efficiency options for new educational facilities in Florida. The recommendations may not be valid when considered outside Florida's hot humid climate or for purposes other than new construction.

Construction funds spent on new construction heavily outweigh (67%) those spent on retrofit, as reported in an annual statistical analysis published by American School and University (September 1992). The comprehensive survey showed that construction funds for new educational facilities nationwide have risen for eight consecutive years, and no region has experienced more growth than the Southeast. Currently, funds spent on energy services (excluding capital outlay, salaries, benefits, and …

Improving Doe-2'S Resys Routine: User Defined Functions To Provide More Accurate Part Load Energy Use And Humidity Predictions, Florida Solar Energy Center, Hugh Henderson, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

In hourly energy simulations, it is important to properly predict the performance of air conditioning systems over a range of full and part load operating conditions. An important component of these calculations is to properly consider the performance of the cycling air conditioner and how it interacts with the building. This paper presents improved approaches to properly account for the part load performance of residential and light commercial air conditioning systems in DOE-2. First, more accurate correlations are given to predict the degradation of system efficiency at part load conditions. In addition, a user-defined function for RESYS is developed that …

Florida Homeowner's Manual For Energy Efficiency, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Most homeowners would like to save on their monthly expenses. One of these expenses - the utility bill - costs the average Florida homeowner five percent of his/her total annual after-tax income. Currently, Floridians are paying about eight cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for electricity. Without close monitoring, electrical uses such as air conditioning can easily push utility costs over $150 per month. Effective conservation measures involve using household appliances less frequently and servicing them properly. These measures will improve their performance as well as their useful life - a real savings over the long run. Also, when you use …

An Assessment Of Building Energy Efficiency Options At Horn Island Ranger Station, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida Solar Energy Center, Stephen Barkaszi

FSEC Energy Research Center®

As requested by Joe Martin of the National Park Service (NPS), Southeast Support Office, researchers from the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) conducted a building energy efficiency assessment for the ranger station on Horn Island, Mississippi. The assessment included audits and inspections of the energy systems, building thermal performance, appliances, and energy use patterns. FSEC researchers Stephen Barkaszi and John Harrison conducted the audits and on-site inspections June 29 and June 30, 1999. The purpose of the assessment was to evaluate the facility and to present recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of the building. This report summarizes the information …

Field Evaluation Of Efficient Building Technology With Photovoltaic Power Production In New Florida Residential Housing, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The objective of the project, sponsored by the Florida Energy Office and Sandia National Laboratories, is to test the feasibility of building very efficient residential buildings that when combined with utility-interactive PV power, exert little net demand on the utility during the summer peak demand period.

Two single family homes - one, a super efficient residence with a utility interactive photovoltaic (PV) system, and another, a control home - have been constructed in Lakeland, Florida. The PV residence, or PVRES, was constructed with many measures designed to make it more efficient (Fig.E-1). These include a white tile reflective roof system, …

Energy-Efficient Florida Educational Facilities: Improvements To A Portable Classroom At A Volusia County School. Final Report. 06-98, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

An ambitious project by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) and sponsored by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) is monitoring the energy use of two adjacent portable classrooms to see how they might be made more energy efficient in a hot-­humid climate. These classrooms have been monitored for one year to collect baseline data before the energy efficient measures are installed. These measures include an efficient lighting system, a new air conditioner, and a reflective white metal roof.

Energy Efficiency For Florida Educational Facilities: The 1996 Energy Survey Of Florida Schools, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

A detailed survey of energy use and related physical and operational characteristics of Florida's public schools has been completed. A mailed survey instrument was sent to all 2,512 schools throughout the state in March 1996. A total of 1,298 surveys were returned -- a response rate of approximately 52%. Of these some 680 provided matching utility data. The survey data was analyzed to create a school energy use profile as well as to identify characteristics that may influence efficiency. Based on our findings, the total annual energy cost for the Florida school system totaled $205 million in 1995. As shown …

Results From A Comprehensive Residential Lighting Retrofit. 09-96, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

A single family residence in Miami, Florida was used as a case study to determine how residential lighting energy use could be reduced by substituting energy efficient lamps and fixtures. The three person household was chosen based both on its high utility bills and extensive use of interior lighting. A detailed audit revealed 40 lamps or bulbs on 26 controls (switches) with a total connected load of 2.5 kW.

All major energy using appliances in the home were sub-metered so that lighting and other plug loads could be differenced from the measured total power demand. Also, each of the individual …

Monitored Energy Use Patterns In Low-Income Housing In A Hot And Humid Climate, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is metering energy use in two Habitat for Humanity developments. The objective is to understand how energy is used in low income housing and how it can be effectively reduced. The ten "control homes" come from a conventional housing project built by in 1993 Habitat for Humanity in Homestead, Florida. Another ten "experimental homes" have been recruited from the 190 home Jordan Commons development in the same vicinity. These houses, which are soon to be metered, are designed to be energy efficient with high SEER air conditioners, reflective roofing, solar water heaters and energy …

Energy Efficient Office Building Design For A Hot And Humid Climate: Florida's New Energy Center, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Hot and humid climates, such as those in Florida, pose unique challenges to architects and engineers seeking energy efficient office building designs. The severe impact of internal loads on cooling, the intense solar conditions and the need for increased ventilation set against high relative humidities, all serve to limit the success of many conventional methods of reducing building energy use. To provide a high-visibility demonstration of potential energy design solutions, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is building a state-of-the-art office complex for its new facility in Cocoa, Florida.

Energy-Efficient Lighting For Florida Homes, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Although lighting doesn't constitute a major portion of the average homeowner's electric bill (generally from 3 to 15 percent), you can cut your lighting costs significantly by installing new energy-efficient bulbs. As an added plus for Florida residents, these new bulbs produce less heat, meaning less work for your air conditioner.

Electrical Use, Efficiency, And Peak Demand Of Electric Resistance, Heat Pump, Desuperheater, And Solar Hot Water Systems, Florida Solar Energy Center, Timothy Merrigan

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Eighty single family residences in Florida were monitored for two years in order to collect data on water heating electrical energy consumption, efficiency, and time-of-day demand. The homes were divided into equally sized samples of four different water heating systems: conventional electric resistance, heat pump, desuperheater and solar hot water systems. Electrical consumption for electric resistance water heaters averaged 8.3 kWh per day in Florida with an average water heating system efficiency of 82%. Desuperheaters used an annual average of 7.4 kWh per day at an annual system efficiency of 110% and heat pump water heaters used 6.1 kWh per …

Energy-Efficient Florida Home Building Manual (Revised 1992), Florida Solar Energy Center, Robin Vieira

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This manual presents practical, real-life recommendations on how to design and build homes in Florida. It contains information specific to our state's climate and lifestyles, rather than the overly general information found in most residential building publications. The book was developed in 1992 as an all-inclusive guide for anyone interested in constructing homes that are efficient. It is packed with information that will help you plan such homes, choose the best materials and products for the homes, and if you are a builder or developer - sell and profit from them. The files are all in PDF format. The file …

Radiant Barriers: A Question And Answer Primer, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Attic radiant barriers made of aluminum foil are becoming a popular way for homeowners to save energy and money in Southern states. They are increasing in popularity for two reasons. First, tests by the Florida Solar Energy Center and other groups show that they work. Second, manufacturers are improving the quality of radiant barrier materials.

To most homeowners, attic radiant barriers are a new energy conservation concept; many of them have questions about how radiant barriers work and how to use them. This Energy Note answers some of the most commonly asked questions. It also recommends ways to install radiant …