Spotlight Article:
State-Level Energy Efficiency Potential in the U.S. Single-Family Housing Stock
A homeowner needs to replace an HVAC system. What replacement equipment best meets the multiple goals of affordability, energy efficiency, and comfort? Is the upfront cost of a highly efficient variable-speed heat pump in the ...
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State-Level Energy Efficiency Potential in the U.S. Single-Family Housing Stock
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A homeowner needs to replace an HVAC system. What replacement equipment best meets the multiple goals of affordability, energy efficiency, and comfort? Is the upfront cost of a highly efficient variable-speed heat pump in the ... [continue reading]
Get Started Using BEopt
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Download BEopt and EnergyPlus or DOE-2. Once they are installed, start BEopt and select either New Construction or Retrofit mode. Geometry screen. Click and drag to draw your building floor plan. Options screen. Select building ... [continue reading]
Using BEopt to Optimize Home Energy Performance
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The story of BEopt starts in October 2000, when a seminal two-day workshop was held at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to explore the then-novel concept of zero net energy (ZNE) buildings. Representatives from the ... [continue reading]
Multifamily Blower Door Testing
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With the recent increase in multifamily housing construction, combined with some builders’ desire to seek green certifications, establishing a user-friendly blower door test protocol that achieves repeatable results would allow multifamily buildings to achieve ... [continue reading]
Calibrating Measurement Tools
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To quote the wise Yogi Berra, “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.” In terms of ... [continue reading]
Virtual Combustion Testing
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As any BPI Building Analyst will tell you, it’s hard to become adept at combustion testing. It takes lots of practice, in real houses, with real mechanical equipment. No amount of classroom training ... [continue reading]
HomeGauge
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As a longtime writer about software for Home Energy, I get asked one question more often than any other: What software do you recommend for companies involved in energy auditing, weatherization, or residential retrofitting? The ... [continue reading]
Energy Modeling Versus Reality
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Modeling software can be very useful for helping you understand how a building works. As I’ve described in previous articles, you can calculate heating and cooling loads, HVAC air delivery requirements, and duct ... [continue reading]
Olga Zheliabina
Manufactured Housing Equals Green Housing
Concerns about the environment and climate change have everyday Americans more determined than ever to do their part to reduce ...
Frank Rapley
Tennessee’s WAP Teams Up with TVA to Reduce Operational Friction, Serve More
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), where I work as a senior manager, is a corporate agency of the United States ...
