Engineering Commons^™

Evaluating Moisture Control Of Variable-Capacity Heat Pumps In Mechanically Ventilated, Low-Load Homes In Climate Zone 2a, Florida Solar Energy Center, Eric Martin

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The well-sealed, highly insulated building enclosures constructed by today's home building industry coupled with efficient lighting and appliances are achieving significantly reduced heating and cooling loads. These low-load homes can present a challenge when selecting appropriate space-conditioning equipment. Conventional, fixed-capacity heating and cooling equipment is often oversized for small homes, causing increased first costs and operating costs. Even if fixed-capacity equipment can be properly specified for peak loads, it remains oversized for use during much of the year. During these part-load cooling hours, oversized equipment meets the target dry-bulb temperatures very quickly, often without sufficient opportunity for moisture control. The …

Comparative Performance Of Two Ventilation Strategies In A Hot-Humid Climate, Florida Solar Energy Center, Sarah Widder

FSEC Energy Research Center®

ASHRAE Standard 62.2, 'Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Buildings,' is the most commonly referenced residential ventilation standard in the United States. It is currently required by ENERGY STAR Version 3 (V3), the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code, the U.S. Department of Energy's Zero Energy Ready Home Program, many state weatherization programs, and many other home performance programs. The standard calls for ventilation levels that are perceived by some builders and contractors to cause indoor moisture issues in hot-humid climates unless mitigated by supplemental dehumidification systems, which increase overall energy consumption. Therefore, many high-performance home builders in a hot-humid …

Efficient Multifamily Homes In A Hot-Humid Climate By Atlantic Housing Partners, Florida Solar Energy Center, David Chasar

FSEC Energy Research Center®

With assistance from the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) and its Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction (BA-PIRC), Atlantic Housing Partners (AHP)has implemented a high performance, systems-engineered package of measures in the new construction multifamily housing sector in the hot-humid climate zone. This report demonstrates how the initiative achieves Building America (BA) goals of 30%-50% energy savings. In addition, the report discusses the role of utility allowance calculations, used as part of the low-income housing tax credit process, to value those energy savings.

Results of energy modeling are presented to demonstrate that the specification package achieves 40% energy savings …

Approaches To 30% Energy Savings At The Community Scale In The Hot-Humid Climate, Florida Solar Energy Center, Stephanie Thomas-Rees

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, formerly the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership, has worked with several community-scale builders within the hot-humid climate zone to improve performance of production-, or community-scale, housing. Tommy Williams Homes (Gainesville, Florida), LifeStyle Homes (Melbourne, Florida), and Habitat for Humanity (various locations, Florida) have all been continuous partners of the Building America Program. The activities of these partners, described in this report, achieved the Building America goal of 30% whole-house source energy savings using packages adopted at the community scale. For new homes, the reference case is the B10 Benchmark, aligned with 2009 …

Energy Retrofit Field Study And Best Practices In A Hot-Humid Climate, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

In the U.S. Census Bureau's Southern region, housing starts ranged from 4.6 to 5.9 million per decade from the 1970s through the 2000s, nearly twice as many as any other region across all decades. The potential for energy savings in these homes is vast, perhaps our most available untapped resource for reducing energy needs. This study was conducted in central Florida, which forms part of the Census Bureau's Southern region. It examines efficiency retrofit opportunities, typical renovation practices, and pathways for achieving U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) goals for existing homes in that region.

Short-Term Test Results: Transitional Housing Energy Efficiency Retrofit In The Hot-Humid Climate, Florida Solar Energy Center, Karen Sutherland

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This project evaluates the renovation of a 5,800-ft², multiuse facility located in St. Petersburg, on the west coast of central Florida, in the hot-humid climate. An optimal package of retrofit measures was designed to deliver 30%-40% annual energy cost savings for this building with annual utility bills exceeding $16,000 and high base load consumption. Researchers projected energy cost savings for potential retrofit measures based on pre-retrofit findings and disaggregated, weather-normalized utility data. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted for the seven retrofit measures implemented; adding attic insulation and sealing soffits, tinting windows, improving whole-building airtightness, upgrading heating and cooling …

Achieving Very High Efficiency And Net Zero Energy In An Existing Home In A Hot-Humid Climate: Long-Term Utility And Monitoring Data, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This study summarizes the first six months of detailed data collected about a single-family home that experienced a series of retrofits targeting reductions in energy use. The project was designed to develop data about how envelope modifications in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and domestic hot water and renewable measures can result in considerable energy reductions and potentially net zero energy for an existing home. Using utility billing records and recent detailed monitoring data, this study was also able to chronicle the progress of energy reduction over a 22-year period.

Top 10 Checklist - Energy-Efficient Buildings For The Southern United States, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The following Top Ten Checklist provides recommendations for creating energy efficient commercial buildings in areas with hot and humid summers. Commercial and institutional buildings vary greatly, from one to another, in size, use, and type of construction. For purposes of this Top Ten Checklist we are assuming a medium-sized (20,000 to 50,000 ft²) office building located in areas with hot and humid summers. The issues that are raised here may equally apply to schools, churches, theaters, and some retail buildings.

An Overview Of Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (Baihp) Activities In Hot-Humid Climates, Florida Solar Energy Center, Subrato Chandra

FSEC Energy Research Center®

BAIHP (www.baihp.org ) conducts systems research and technical assistance activities for new housing. Hot-humid climate efforts described here include:

Systems research: NightCool – A hybrid cooling and dehumidification strategy employing radiative cooling and desiccant materials. Interior Duct Systems in Manufactured Houses – Tests are ongoing in an occupied prototype home in Alabama and the FSEC manufactured housing lab. Ventilation and Dehumidification – A new strategy has been developed to hook up a whole-house dehumidifier so that it only runs when the air conditioning compressor is off. Plug Load Reduction – Whole house feedback devices and security system based plug load …

Energy Performance Aspects Of A Florida Green Roof, Part 2, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jeffrey Sonne

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This monitored study is an evaluation of summer and winter energy performance aspects of a green roof on a 2-story central Florida university building addition that was completed in 2005. An earlier report on this study was published through the 2006 Symposium on Improving Building Systems in Hot and Humid Climates. This report reviews these earlier results and provides second-summer results which show significant performance improvements for the green roof compared with the first summer results.

Commissioning High Performance Residences In Hot, Humid Climates, Florida Solar Energy Center, Ken Fonorow

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Since 2001, the authors have engaged several builders in the Gainesville, FL area to build over 500 high performance new energy efficient homes in multiple sub divisions. The builders keep building to increased levels of energy efficiency. Each home is individually designed, inspected, rated and commissioned for optimum performance. This paper summarizes the experiences to date with two production builders who have cost shared with the Building America program to deliver these outstanding results. Keys to success are commitment from the final decision maker; scopes of work for subcontractors with specific performance criteria; clear communication with the trades often accompanied …

Measured Crawlspace Conditions In A Hud-Code Home, Florida Solar Energy Center, David Beal

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Florida Solar Energy Center conducted research utilizing two unconditioned, old, singlewide side-by-side manufactured homes, one with a ground cover and one with exposed dirt under it. Three different skirting options were tested, open or no skirting, perforated skirting, and solid skirting.

Ambient and crawlspace dewpoints were recorded. The data is summarized in the table below. The skirting configurations tested are in Column 1, Column 2 lists the average ambient dewpoint, 3 the ground cover crawlspace, 4 the exposed dirt crawlspace dewpoint.

Successfully sealing HUD code home crawlspaces is the last piece of the puzzle of floor failures plaguing homes …

Alleviating Moisture Problems Hot, Humid Climate Housing, Florida Solar Energy Center, Subrato Chandra

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Southeastern U.S. experiences hot, humid conditions throughout the summer months and in Florida, one of the high growth states with large number of homes, these conditions can prevail throughout most of the year. As a result it is not uncommon to find extensive mold, soft drywall, buckled floors, damaged ceilings and other moisture problems in new and existing site built and manufactured homes. Since 1999, as a result of participation in the U.S. DOE funded Building America program, the authors have developed first hand experience and conducted research in these areas. This paper provides a brief summary of the …

Research Highlights From A Large Scale Residential Monitoring Study In A Hot Climate, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This load research project by a large utility has monitored 204 residences in Central Florida, collecting detailed electricity end-use load data. In each home, 15-minute electric demand data is obtained on total electric power, space heating, cooling, water heating, dryers, cooking and pool energy use. Interior and exterior temperatures were also recorded. This is similar to other detailed end-use data monitored in the U.S. Pacific Northwest in the ELCAP project (Pratt et al., 1989) and the PG&E Appliance Metering Project (Brodsky and McNicoll, 1987). However these data are of a more recent vintage and from a cooling dominated climate.

The …

Controlling Ventilation And Space Depressurization Inrestaurants Inhot And Humid Climates, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Testing was performed in 9 restaurants to identify uncontrolled air flows and pressure imbalances, building and duct system airtightness, building air barrier location, pressure differentials, building air flow balance, and ventilation rates. All restaurants are depressurized under normal operating conditions, ranging from -1.0 to -43 pascals. Space depressurization is a function of exhaust fan flow rates, missing or undersized make-up air, intermittent outdoor air caused by the cycling of air handlers, dirty outdoor air and make-up air filters, and building airtightness. Ventilation rates were found to be high, generally exceeding ASHRAE 62-1989 minimum recommended levels. Pressure imbalances and excessive ventilation …

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.

Solar Photovoltaic Air Conditioning Of Residential Buildings, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The use of photovoltaics (PV) for residential air conditioning (AC) represents an attractive application due to the close match between the diurnal cooling load and the availability of solar radiation. Conventional wisdom suggests that air conditioning is a process too energy intensive to be addressed by PV. Previous investigations have concentrated on the feasibility of matching PV output to vapor-compression machines, and the cost effectiveness of other solar cooling options. Recently, Japanese manufacturers have introduced small (8,000 Btu/hr) grid-connected solar assisted AC systems. These small room-sized systems are inadequately sized to meet air conditioning peak demands in larger U.S. homes …

Fans To Reduce Cooling Costs In The Southeast, Florida Solar Energy Center, Subrato Chandra

FSEC Energy Research Center®

During the hot, humid summer months in the southeastern U. S., air conditioning costs are a substantial part of the average home's utility bill. In Florida, for example, air conditioning accounts for about 30 percent of the annual utility bill for an all electric house. Fans can help lower air conditioning costs.

There are three generic types of fans to reduce summer air conditioning costs: air circulating fans to create air motion which increases comfort, whole house fans to promote fresh air exchange, and attic vent fans to lower attic temperatures.