Energy Systems Commons^™

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.

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.

2011 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report, Fall 2011 Engr333

ENGR 333

Analysis of the Bunker Interpretive Center (BIC) began during the spring of 2011 with the Engineering 382 Instrumentation Lab. To determine the energy use at the BIC, sensing equipment was placed on 44 different energy consuming devices, ranging from pumps to lights to heating and ventilation (HVAC) equipment. These data were collected over the spring and summer and then analyzed by the Engineering 333 Thermal Systems Design class during the fall of 2011. The class was tasked with determining whether or not the BIC was eligible for Energy Star certification. While the building was built to be LEED Gold certified, …

2011 Fall Engr333 Student Seminar Presentation, 2011 Fall Engr333

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Fall 2010 class of ENGR333.

2011 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2011 ENGR333 project focused on the Bunker Interpretive Center (BIC) at Calvin University.

I asked the students “What would it take for Calvin College to obtain an Energy Star rating for the BIC? Or, if the BIC already qualifies for an Energy Star rating, what would it take to improve the energy efficiency of the BIC (as measured by Energy Star metrics) by 15%, thereby ensuring Energy Star performance of the building into the future?”

Customer

As I recall, the customer for this project was Biology faculty member Randy Van Dragt.

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 …

2010 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report, 2010 Fall Engr333

ENGR 333

Calvin College dorms have a chronic issue with wasting energy. The dorms have little insulation, high infiltration rates, and are heated by low efficiency boilers. These existing characteristics combine for a larger required heating load and increased energy usage. The excess heat, due to poor temperature control, is often vented out through the windows whenever students deem necessary. This project will attempt to reduce wasted energy and efficiently distribute heat as needed.

The Thermal Systems Design class of 2010 was challenged with retrofitting the Bolt-Heyns-Timmer (BHT) dorm to decrease energy consumption and improve efficiency. The class was presented with the …

Affiliate Steps Toward Building Energy Star Homes, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

To certify a home as an Energy Star, a builder works with a RESNET certified home energy rater to evaluate the home with respect to criteria required by the Energy Star program. The following steps will help Habitat affiliates navigate the path toward building Energy Star homes.

2010 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2010 ENGR333 project focused on heating and air-conditioning in campus dormitories, which are notoriously leaky and inefficient.

I asked the students “What would it take to retrofit the Bolt-Heyns-Timmer (BHT) dormitory heating and air-conditioning systems in a manner that achieves LEED certification?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Calvin’s VP for finance Henry DeVries.

Exploring Cost-Effective, High Performance Residential Retrofits For Affordable Housing In The Hot Humid Climate, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

In 2009, a Department of Energy Building America team led by the Florida Solar Energy Center began working with partners to find cost-effective paths for improving the energy performance of existing homes in the hot humid climate. A test-in energy audit and energy use modeling of the partner's proposed renovation package was performed for 41 affordable and middle income foreclosed homes in Florida and Alabama. HERS1 Indices ranged from 92 to 184 with modeled energy savings ranging from 3% to 50% (average of 26%). Analyses and recommendations were discussed with partners to encourage more efficient retrofits, highlight health and safety …

Evaluation Of Bias Issues Within Regression-Based Inverse Modeling Methods Against Climate And Building Characteristics Using Synthetic Data, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jamie Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Typically, a model of the energy use of a building is created using the building's characteristics and climate information for its location. However, models of existing homes can be created using monitored energy and climactic data in a process called inverse modeling. Such a technique has potential for those seeking to evaluate the savings a home before and after a retrofit (Meier, Busch, & Conner, 1988).Several programs use an inverse modeling technique to model a home's energy use based on total home energy use, heating and cooling energy use, and indoor/outdoor temperature data from a home (Kissock, Haberl, & Claridge, …

Final Report: Space Coast Clean Cities Coalition Programmatic Support, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This Final Report summarizes the work performed by the Florida Solar Energy Center for U.S. Department of Energy for the National Clean Cities Program to reduce emissions and energy consumption of transportation vehicles. This report describes the activities and events of Florida Space Coast Clean Cities Coalition encompassing a nine county area in east central Florida. FSEC administers the Coalition and support the Coalition Board of Directors with meetings, workshop, reports, mailing list, membership, activities, questionnaires, fuel pricing, alternative vehicle and infrastructure deployment.

Preliminary Report On Integration Of Florida's Code Energy Efficiencies Using The 2009 Iecc As The Foundation Code, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Florida Building Commission is in the initial phase of it triennial revision of the Florida Building Code. The Florida Building Code has included specific energy provisions since its inception in 2001. Those provisions are the Florida Energy Code (FEC), which was initiated in 1979. In 2008, the Florida legislature enacted HB 7135, requiring the 2010 FEC to provide 20% energy savings compared with the 2007 FEC. HB 7135 also requires that the energy provisions of the Florida Building Code use the 2009 IECC as the foundation and that the IECC shall be modified to maintain the efficiencies of the …

Analysis Of The Energy Star Reference Home Concept As Proposed For Epa's 2011 National Program Requirements, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Using EnergyGauge® USA v.2.8.02, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) has conducted an analysis of EPA’s proposed ENERGY STAR Reference Design Home specification. A single-story, 2344 ft², slab-on-grade, 3-bedroom, frame home is evaluated in each of the seven contiguous U.S. climate zones. The ENERGY STAR Reference Design Home was evaluated using three metrics: 1) EPS’s threshold qualifying HERS Index (including the Size Adjustment Factor – 0.984 for this home), 2) the 2006 IECC Standard Reference Design and 3) the 2009 IECC Standard Reference Design. Evaluations using the IECC Standard Reference Design were computed using source energy, where the source energy …

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.

Interim Report On Iso Tc163 Working Group 3, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report covers the initial year efforts of the International Standards Organization (ISO) to develop international standards for rating the energy performance of buildings. The author of this report is a participant in this effort. This report summarizes the activities of the ISO Working Group charged with development of these standards and makes recommendations to the sponsors for future U.S. involvement in this ISO effort.

Energy Efficiency Cost-Effectiveness Tests For Residential Energy Code Update Processes, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The 2008 Florida Energy Act directed the Florida Building Commission (FBC) to develop an administrative rule for determining the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency updates to the Florida Building Code. This report addresses the economics of building energy efficiency, standard economic cost-effectiveness indicators that could be used for code update purposes and makes specific recommendations on economic assessment standards to be included in the cost-effectiveness test administrative rule.

Gulf Coast High Performance Affordable Housing Demonstration Project, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

In 2007 and 2008, the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership worked with five partners in region of the Gulf Coast recovering from Hurricane Katrina. The High Performance Affordable Housing Demonstration Home was conceived to give builders in the region a cost-effective model of high performance to emulate. This report summarizes the status of work with the five partners, including the proposed energy efficiency package to reach the goal of 30% whole house energy source savings calculated under the 2008 Building America Benchmarking Procedure, standard construction practices, and implementation challenges. Four Demonstration houses were completed in 2008. Three met the 30% …

Preliminary Performance Evaluation Of A Near Zero Energy Home In Callaway, Florida, Florida Solar Energy Center, Eric Martin

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America (BA) program is working to increase the energy efficiency of new and existing homes while increasing comfort, and durability and reducing resource use. As part of this program we pursue opportunities to research highly efficient homes with the goal of understanding what works, what doesn't work, and the most economic ways to reach very high efficiency targets. The program aims to create cost neutral zero energy homes by 2020. In pursuit of this goal, this home and other research homes around the country designed to approach or achieve the zero energy goal are …

2008 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report, 2008 Fall Engr333

ENGR 333

The Calvin College Engineering 333 class of 2008 was challenged with the question, “What would it take to implement an energy efficiency fund at Calvin?” Before addressing this question, another had to be asked: “What is an energy efficiency fund?” An energy efficiency fund is a revolving fund which takes seed money from donations, tuition, or grants and invests it into projects that save energy. Energy cost savings from the projects are routed back to the fund to help it grow and enable it to finance future projects. In order to begin this, the senior engineering students began organizing and …

Green And High Performance Factory Crafted Housing, Florida Solar Energy Center, Stephanie Thomas-Rees

FSEC Energy Research Center®

In the U.S., factory-built housing greater than 400 square feet is built either to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) code for mobile homes or site-built codes for modular housing. During the last few years, as the production of HUD code housing has dwindled, many leading edge factory builders have started building modular homes to compete with site-built housing and stay in business. As part of the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP) we have assisted in the design and construction of several 'green' and high performance modular homes that Palm Harbor Homes, Florida Division (PHH) has …

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 …

Drilling, Alternative Fuels And Efficiency: Can The United States Wean Itself From Imported Oil?, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Perhaps the most daunting challenge the next generation of Americans will face is what President Bush called our "addiction to oil." The challenge is to find the means to provide for our transportation needs in the face of declining world oil production. Perhaps the central question is whether we will export the great wealth of America to foreign countries in payment for oil before we tackle the grand challenge of creating a new transportation future that does not rely completely on oil.

This article presents the historical facts relative to America's oil demand and domestic and world oil production resources. …

Overview And Summary Of Design Ideas From The High Performance Green Relocatable Classroom Charrette, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Past research has shown that energy use can be reduced by 81% in improved new portable classrooms in Florida. On June 2-3, 2008 a design charrette was held in Palm Beach Gardens with the goal of developing qualities that should be considered for a High-Performance Green Relocatable Classroom (HPGRC) standard for Florida or other regions in hot and humid climates. This charrette is just one of many steps that would be involved in development and acceptance of a HPGRC standard. It is hoped that the results of this can be shared with others and used to build on the development …

2008 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2008 semester ENGR333 project assessed the feasibility of a Green Revolving Fund for Calvin College. I asked the students “What would it take to implement a Calvin Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF)?”

The project emerged from the work of the previous year’s students who uncovered the concept of green revolving funds.

Immediately after the Fall 2008 semester, I went on sabbatical to South Africa for all of 2009. While I was away, the Calvin administration established the Calvin Energy Recovery Fund (CERF). Over the next decade, CERF saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs and was …

How Energy Efficient Are Modern Dishwashers?, Florida Solar Energy Center, David Hoak

FSEC Energy Research Center®

We present measurements of three recent vintage dishwashers of very different efficiencies showing that while they are substantially more efficient than older dishwashers, those tested will still use electric resistance elements for supplemental heat, even when supplied by solar water heating systems producing very hot water. We did find the DOE test results provide a reasonable guide to comparative performance, but suggest improvements that will make them more representative. We also identify a variety of influences on efficiency and performance to reduce dishwasher energy use.

Pilot Evaluation Of Energy Savings From Residential Energy Demand Feedback Devices, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Providing instantaneous feedback on household electrical demand has shown the promise to reduce energy consumption by 5-15%. This paper briefly reviews past research and describes a two year pilot evaluation of a low cost residential energy feedback system installed in twenty case study homes in Florida. Although not a statistical sample (the participants were self-selected), the study showed an average 7% reduction in energy use from feedback homes in the second year of monitoring after controlling for weather-related influences. A large identified advantage of the technology is that it provides better guidance on profitable areas to reduce household electrical demand--many …

Ucf Recommissioning Project Final Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

A research project was carried out to examine the energy savings which occurred from recommissioning three University of Central Florida buildings. Recommissioning activities completed in two of the three buildings yielded chilled water and whole building electricity savings on the order of 15% to 30%. Recommissioning implementation is pending in the third building, where savings are projected to be in the range of 40% to 50% of total building energy use. Additionally, cooling energy savings were monitored (and calculated) for a green roof installation at one of these three buildings. Calculated savings were found to be 1.05 kWh/day for a …

Priorities For Energy Efficiency For Home Construction In Florida, Florida Solar Energy Center, Robin Vieira

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Below we provide the priorities for obtaining an energy efficient building in Florida.

Field Monitoring And Hourly Simulation Modeling Of The Melink Intellihood Exhaust Control System At Two Supermarkets, One Restaurant, And One Fast Food Restaurant; Final Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, Lixing Gu

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Monitoring of variable speed control of exhaust and make-up air on four Florida buildings is performed. Computer modeling is used to determine energy and demand savings on a yearly basis.