Energy Systems Commons^™

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.

Analysis Of Hers Index Scores For Recent Versions Of The International Energy Conservation Code (Iecc) [Revised], Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The EnergyGauge HERS software tool was used to examine the IECC Standard Reference Design (IECC SRD) configuration for one-story 2000 ft2 and two-story 2,400 ft2 single-family homes in sixteen representative U.S. cities. IECC SRD homes were configured for the 2006 IECC, the 2009 IECC and the 2012 IECC. Two additional set of analysis were conducted, both using the 2012 IECC SRD with enhanced equipment: 1) with equipment configured to meet the 2015 National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA) equipment requirements and 2) with equipment that is on the cusp of significant market penetration with efficiencies greater than the 2015 standard.HERS …

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 …

Measured Cooling Performance And Potential For Buried Duct Condensation In A 1991 Central Florida Retrofit Home, Florida Solar Energy Center, Dave Chasar

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) conducted energy performance monitoring of two existing residences in Central Florida that were undergoing various retrofits. These homes were occupied by FSEC researchers and were fully instrumented to yield detailed energy, temperature, and humidity measurements. The data gave feedback about the performance of two levels of retrofit in two types of homes in a hot-humid climate. This report covers a moderate-level retrofit and includes 2 years of pre-retrofit data to characterize the impact of improvements. The other home, covered in a separate report (Parker and Sherwin 2012), is a deep energy retrofit that has …

Cost Effectiveness Of Home Energy Retrofits In Pre-Code Vintage Homes In The United States, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This study investigates the cost effectiveness of a large number of potential home energy retrofit measures using pre-code home archetypes that can be considered typical in a range of climates throughout the United States.

Managing The Drivers Of Airflow And Water Vapor Transport In Existing Single-Family Homes (Revised), Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Air and water vapor are transported into and within single-family homes as a result of pathways and driving forces. Without pathways, no air or water vapor transport could occur. Likewise, without driving forces, little or no air or water vapor transport will occur. Homes always have pathways and driving forces. This report focuses on managing the driving forces that move air and water vapor across the building envelope.

A Comparison Of Homes Built To The 2009 And 1984 Florida Energy Codes, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Florida Solar Energy Center conducted research into the effectiveness of the Florida energy code to reduce energy use in residential buildings. FSEC examined two groups of homes: those built to the 1984 energy code (June 1,1984-1985) and those built to the 2007 with 2009 supplement energy code (March 1, 2009-2010). This report discusses data collection methods, analysis and results that focus on comparisons of measured energy use and house characteristics between both code periods.

Measured Performance Of Occupied, Side-By-Side, South Texas Homes, Florida Solar Energy Center, Dave Chasar

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The performance of three occupied homes built in 2009 in San Antonio, Texas with identical floor plans and orientation were evaluated through a partnership between the Florida Solar Energy Center, CPS Energy, and Woodside Homes of South Texas. Measurements included whole-house gas and electricity use as well as heating, cooling, hot water, major appliances, and indoor and outdoor conditions. One home built to the builder's standard practice served as the control; the other homes demonstrated high performance features.

The goals of this research were to: (1) learn how energy systems affect peak load profiles during the hottest weather conditions; (2) …

Accuracy Of The Home Energy Saver Energy Calculation Methodology, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Home Energy Saver (HES) suite offers popular online simulation tools that enable U.S. homeowners and energy professionals to rigorously evaluate home energy use and develop recommendations on how energy can be saved across all end uses. The underlying analytical system is also available as a web service to power third-party energy analysis tools. Given the system's diverse uses, it is important that the simulation is robust and intrinsically accurate. While the engineering methods and assumptions are extensively documented and subjected to peer review, it is useful to evaluate how well HES predicts energy use in occupied homes. In this …

Side-By-Side Testing Of Water Heating Systems: Results From The 2010-2011 Evaluation, Florida Solar Energy Center, Carlos Colon

FSEC Energy Research Center®

REVISED MARCH 2013 The Building America (BAPIRC) team at FSEC has released a report containing results from a second testing rotation (Phase II) on seven hot water systems evaluated side-by side. Results show the seasonal performance variation and compares solar systems against electric resistance and the Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH). Standard and tankless natural gas were also evaluated, where the latter demonstrated a 24% natural gas reduction. The lowest averaged electric power consumptions were demonstrated by the HPWH (2.75 kWh/day) and the PV-pumped solar water heater (3.03 kWh/day). Other testing performed on the HPWH under conditioned and restricted air …

Final Technical Report (2nd Revision) Arra: Florida Energy Code Compliance Train-The-Trainer Program, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jeffrey Sonne

FSEC Energy Research Center®

A multi-faceted Florida Energy Code compliance methods, tools and field verification training program was established that included development of two instructor-led and two web-based courses, instructor training and course development support, and training of building officials and contractors throughout the state.

Separate instructor-led commercial and residential 2010 Florida Energy Code compliance courses were developed for train-the-trainer class use, and existing instructor-led blueprints data collection and energy code software courses were redeveloped as web-based courses.

Through partnerships with Florida colleges, building departments and industry organizations, a total of 42 instructors were trained to provide commercial energy code compliance training and 42 …

Final Report Of Task Eight: Arra Energy Code Compliance Project, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report summarizes the Florida energy code compliance project for both residential and commercial activities and shows results in accomplishing the Florida Energy Code compliance objectives to develop and conduct an energy code enforcement study. Work is discussed regarding efforts to find and conduct Florida Energy Code enforcement practice evaluations in residential and commercial buildings built after the March 1, 2009 code period.

Partnership For High Performance Housing Final Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report describes research conducted by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) under funding from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This work falls under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program. High performance goals were set for renovation of existing housing and construction of new affordable housing. Both efforts included monitoring the energy use of several homes.

Creating Performance Curves For Variable Refrigerant Flow Heat Pumps In Energyplus, Florida Solar Energy Center, Richard Raustad

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This document describes methods to generate performance curve coefficients for variable refrigerant flow heat pumps in DOE's EnergyPlus building energy simulation program. Manufactures performance data for capacity and power are used to create full-load and part-load performance curves for cooling and heating operating modes. When performance variations for full-load capacity or power cannot be modeled using a single performance curve, the data set is divided into lower and upper temperature regions and dual performance curves are used. Table objects may also be created to substitute when performance curves do not provide the required accuracy. These performance curves or tables are …

Flexible Residential Test Facility Instrumentation Plan, Florida Solar Energy Center, Robin Vieira

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report provides the status of the instrumentation and a test plan for the facility. As this is the first Building America (BA) report on the facility, a description of the design and construction is included as well.

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.

Energy Savings And Peak Demand Reduction Of A Seer 21 Heat Pump Vs. A Seer 13 Heat Pump With Attic And Indoor Duct Systems - December 2011, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Experiments were run in an unoccupied 1600 ft2 house, the Manufactured Housing (MH Lab) at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), to evaluate the delivered performance as well as the relative performance of a SEER 21 variable capacity heat pump versus a SEER 13 heat pump. The performance was evaluated with two different duct systems: a standard attic duct system and an indoor duct system located in a dropped-ceiling space.

Florida Solar Atlas, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Cromer

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The direct beam and direct global solar resource values for any geographical location in Florida were found by using actual data taken at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) for 2010 and correlating those values against clearness values derived from NOAA geostationary satellite data. Using the correlations developed, eleven years of satellite data (2000 - 2010) were used to provide expected monthly average solar resource values for any location in Florida. These values as provided in watts per meter square per day, were matched to colors with the lowest values of the full range of average values representing the deepest …

New Construction Builders Challenge: Sealed Attic And High Efficiency Hvac In Central Florida: A Year In Review Monitored Prototypes - Springwater Homes, Florida Solar Energy Center, Carlos Colon

FSEC Energy Research Center®

In 2010 the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), with funding from the Building America program, was involved with a new Builders Challenge builder located in Rockledge, Florida -- Springwater Homes (see figure 1). The newly constructed home in March 2010, features a sealed attic with R-27 roof deck insulation (shown in figure 2). Selection of the HVAC system, an important aspect to achieve high efficiency levels in buildings, ended with one of the highest residential equipment systems available in the U.S., the Nutone IQ Drive (SEER 21). The house was confirmed with a HERS index of 53 using the EnergyGauge …

Arra Advanced Weatherization Training Center - Quarterly Report (January 2011-March 2011), Florida Solar Energy Center, Neil Moyer

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The 1st quarter of 2011 was the beginning of procurement for the training center. Two pieces of equipment, the insulation blowing machine and infrared cameras, were put out for quotes. Both have been selected and purchase orders created.

Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (Baihp Ii) Final Report Budget Periods 1-5, April 1, 2006 - November 30, 2010, Florida Solar Energy Center, Robert Abernethy

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report summarizes the work conducted by the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP - www.baihp.org) during the final budget period (BP5) of our contract, January 1, 2010 to November 30, 2010. Highlights from the four previous budget periods are included for context.

BAIHP is led by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) of the University of Central Florida. With over 50 Industry Partners including factory and site builders, work in BP5 was performed in six tasks areas:

• Task 1: Building America System Research Management, Documentation and Technical Support
• Task 2A: Stage G1A: Integrated Solutions for Specific Climate Regions
• Task …

Short-Term Curtailment Of Hvac Loads - Executive Summary, Florida Solar Energy Center, Lixing Gu

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Rapidly increasing requirements placed on utilities to reduce peak loads has led to utility customer incentives to shift peak demand to non-peak times or reduce peak loads when notified by the utility that the grid is close to capacity. This study investigates methods used to reduce building demand during a fixed time window near a utilities on-peak period. The window was chosen to be 5-9 A.M. in winter and 2-5 P.M. in summer. The most common methods for reducing building peak demand were reviewed and categorized by their usefulness and wide-spread availability. These strategies were reductions in lighting power density, …

Arra Advanced Weatherization Training Center - Quarterly Report (September 2010-December 2010), Florida Solar Energy Center, Neil Moyer

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The 4th quarter of 2010 was the initialization of the contract with DOE. During this time period, there were two major events that occurred. First, representatives from UCF-FSEC attended the three day Atlanta Weatherization Training Center Grantee Training Workshop with DOE representatives and the various organizations that were awarded funding. Secondly, the project management plan (PMP) was finalized and submitted to the Project Manager.

Performance Of Four Near Zero Energy Homes: Lessons Learned, Florida Solar Energy Center, Carlos Colon

FSEC Energy Research Center®

While the idea of a zero or near zero energy home is well understood, the actual performance of the structure can be different than expected. High performance homes necessitate increasingly complex envelope, HVAC, water heating, and appliance systems, and successful designs rely on proper function and feedback from those systems to achieve low-energy goals. This paper presents measured data on four near zero energy homes located in Florida that are a part of the U.S. DOE Building America program. The monitored data are compared to both a benchmark model and the prototype computer simulations. By examining the submetered energy data, …

Florida Weatherization Training - Quarterly Report (October 2010-December 2010), Florida Solar Energy Center, Neil Moyer

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The weatherization training for the State of Florida Dept of Community Affairs continues at the Florida Solar Energy Center's Training Facility. Progress for the sixth three months of the contract included a five day classroom training on October 18-22 (17 students) and in-field evaluations (16 students).

Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership Case Studies - 2010, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This document is a compilation of 14 separate case studies of home builders who have adopted Building America principles of high performance as standard construction. This work was compiled by the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (www.baihp.org ) for the U.S. Department of Energy to serve as a model for other housing providers. BAIHP is led by the Florida Solar Energy Center of the University of Central Florida.

Florida Weatherization Training - Quarterly Report (July 2010 - September 2010), Florida Solar Energy Center, Neil Moyer

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The weatherization training for the State of Florida Dept of Community Affairs continues at the Florida Solar Energy Center's Training Facility. Progress for the fifth three months of the contract included minor course refinement of presentation materials and handouts as the result of the June 2010 updates to the P & G . Four 1-day IR classes were completed (45 students).

Opportunities For Energy Conservation And Improved Comfort From Wind Washing Retrofits In Two-Story Homes - Part Ii, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Wind washing is a general term referring to diminished thermal control caused by air movement partially or completely bypassing the thermal barrier. The primary focus of this paper relates to a specific type of wind washing where wind can push attic air into the floor cavity between first and second stories of the home through ineffective (or missing) air barriers separating attic space from the floor cavity. A second type of wind washing studied in this project involves insulation batts on knee walls where space between the batts and the wall board allow air movement against the gypsum wall board. …

Opportunities For Energy Conservation And Improved Comfort From Wind Washing Retrofits In Two-Story Homes - Part I, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Wind washing is a general term referring to diminished thermal control caused by air movement over or through a thermal barrier. The primary focus of this paper is towards a specific type of wind washing where wind can push attic air into the floor cavity between first and second stories of the home through ineffective (or missing) air barriers separating attic space from the floor cavity. A second type of wind washing studied in this project involved insulation batts on knee walls where space between the batts and the wall board allowed air movement against the gypsum wall board. During …