Skip to main content

Publications

Showing results 1 - 25 of 28

ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2019 Performance Rating Method Reference Manual

Document Number: PNNL-29674
Document Type: Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

This document is intended to be a reference manual for the Appendix G Performance Rating Method (PRM) of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2019 (Standard 90.1-2019).

Enhancing Resilience in Buildings Through Energy Efficiency

Document Number: PNNL-32727 Rev. 1
Document Type: Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office (BTO) recognizes the need to better understand the relationship between energy efficiency and resilience, including the need for standardized metrics, establishment of evaluation methods, and impact assessment for residential and commercial buildings. To address these needs, BTO commissioned three national research laboratories to develop a standardized methodology to quantitatively assess how energy-efficiency measures affect building thermal resilience. The study builds on previous BTO efforts to identify resilience metrics and outstanding analytical needs. It was completed under the guidance of a technical advisory group comprised of industry experts and representatives experienced in building resilience. This report summarizes the research effort conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, reports initial findings resulting from the efficiency- resilience valuation effort, and identifies areas of need for continued research and analysis.

Building Performance Modeling Tools Physics and Sensitivity Testing in Support of Compliance Modeling

Document Number: PNNL-33183
Document Type: Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

NECC 2022: Energy Codes and Resilience - Polling Results

Document Type: Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

2022 NECC Presentation

Realizing Demand Flexibility with Commercial Building Energy Codes

Document Number: PNNL-29604
Document Type: Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

This report considers the role of commercial building energy codes in enabling grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs). Specifically, it highlights the status of demand flexibility (DF) measures in ASHRAE Standard 90.1. It examines the model code-development process and identifies components preventing the consideration and inclusion of DF measures, including code scope, characterization and analysis of proposed new prescriptive measures, and the time-of-day and geographic differences in their benefits.

Filling the Efficiency Gap to Achieve Zero-Energy Buildings with Energy Codes

Document Number: PNNL-30547
Document Type: Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

This study investigates the technical feasibility of achieving zero energy (ZE) new residential and commercial buildings with national model energy codes. The approach and analysis are intended to provide guidance, inform goal setting, and direct future code development.

Building Energy Codes and Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

Document Number: PNNL-28605
Document Type: Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) combine efficiency and demand flexibility with smart technologies and communication to provide occupant comfort and productivity while serving the grid as a distributed energy resource (DER). This report includes an overview of relevant BTO research efforts to inform and guide the addition of GEB considerations in the model energy code.

End-Use Opportunity Analysis Based on Standard 90.1-2016

Document Number: PNNL-28569
Document Type: Analysis, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

This report summarizes technical analysis conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), assessing expected end-use energy consumption in commercial buildings, based on recent editions of the model energy code for the commercial sector, ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. An accompanying spreadsheet is available containing detailed end use data results from the Progress Indicator analysis.

Energy Code Field Studies: Low-Rise Multifamily Air Leakage Testing

Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Described separately from the U.S. DOE Multifamily Residential Energy Efficiency Field Study, this report is a simultaneous study of building air tightness occurred using several of the main study buildings and additional sites that met the building type criteria. Overall, 26 sites were evaluated this way using semi-automated testing equipment (blower doors).
 

Residential Building Energy Efficiency Field Studies: Low-Rise Multifamily

Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Final report of the U.S. DOE Multifamily Residential Energy Efficiency Field Study to validate the impact of building energy codes in low-rise multifamily buildings and identify opportunities for increased energy that can be addressed through workforce education & training programs. Results include both characteristics summaries (by state) and an analysis of the opportunities associated with increased code compliance on building energy use in the different climate zones. As well, the process of collecting and processing building data so that these estimates can be prepared is described in detail, with the intent that others could employ this process in future studies. This report also includes a market research component that describes interviews with key actors in the multifamily sector (building designers, developers, and builders) that focuses on various aspects of the code, including specific code details relevant to code education and training, and overall energy performance.

Low-Rise Multifamily Field Study Data

Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Field study data supporting the U.S. DOE Multifamily Residential Energy Efficiency Field Study to validate the impact of building energy codes in low-rise multifamily buildings and identify opportunities for increased energy that can be addressed through workforce education & training programs. This zip file contains individual documents listed below)

  • Data Dictionary
  • Entity Relationship Diagram
  • Generic Read Me
  • Illinois Summary Dataset
  • Minnesota Summary Dataset
  • Oregon Summary Dataset
  • Washington Summary Dataset

Single-family Residential Field Study: Phase III Data and Findings

Document Type: Field Study, Presentation Slides, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Presentation slides from the 2019 National Energy Codes Conference that provided an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy Building Energy Codes residential field study Phase III data collection and findings.

Development of Lost Energy Cost Savings for Energy Code Compliance in Commercial Buildings

Document Number: PNNL- 28503
Document Type: Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

This document attempts to answer the following questions: What is the potential value of increasing compliance with the energy code and which code requirements should be emphasized during these studies? Ultimately, these are the questions that policy makers, funders, and program implementers care about. To answer them, a far more sophisticated approach is needed, one that addresses not only the question of value, but also the resource requirements to determine that value.

End-Use Opportunity Analysis Based on Standard 90.1-2016

Document Number: PNNL-28569
Document Type: Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

This report summarizes technical analysis conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), assessing expected end-use energy consumption in commercial buildings, based on recent editions of the model energy code for the commercial sector, ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. 

Oregon Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-30006
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

A research project in the state of Oregon identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in November 2019; data collection began in November 2019 and continued through February 2020. Analysis of the data has led to a better understanding of the energy features present in homes and identified over $600,000 in potential annual savings to Oregon homeowners that could result from increased compliance with the 2017 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (2017 ORSC).

Virginia Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-29036
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

A research project in the Commonwealth of Virginia identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in August 2017 and continued through May 2018. During this period, research teams visited 138 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

Baseline Field Study Results Presentation

Document Type: Field Study, Presentation Slides, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Presentation slides from a 12/7/15 webinar that provided an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy Building Energy Codes residential field study, including methodology, sampling and current status. Data gathered across 10 states were reviewed, followed by a summary of initial findings that can inform future education & training activities. The potential savings associated with these activities were also be presented, which are of interest to government agencies, utilities and other entities.

Texas Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-26219
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

A research project in the state of Texas identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in October 2014; data collection began in March 2015, and continued through October 2015. During this period, research teams visited 133 homes in 30 counties in and around Houston during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

Pennsylvania Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-26450
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

A research project in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in October 2014 and continued through July 2015. During this period, research teams visited 171 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

North Carolina Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-26752
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

A research project in the State of North Carolina identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in January 2015 and continued through September 2015. During this period, research teams visited 249 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

Residential Compliance Evaluation Results for the State of Nebraska

Document Number: PNNL-SA-141366
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

In early 2017, the Nebraska Energy Office expressed interest in evaluating the construction of new single-family homes in Nebraska using the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) low-rise residential evaluation methodology.1 As part of that methodology, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was directed by DOE to analyze the data collected in Nebraska. This memorandum provides and discusses the results of PNNL’s analysis.

Montana Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-28472
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

A research project in the state of Montana identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in May 2018; data collection began in June 2018 and continued through September 2018. During this period, the project team visited 125 homes at various stages of construction, resulting in a data set based on observations made directly in the field.

Maryland Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-25970
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

A research project in the state of Maryland investigated energy code-related aspects of residential single-family new construction. The study was initiated in January 2015 and continued through July 2015. During this period, research teams visited 207 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

Kentucky Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-26727
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

A research project in the Commonwealth of Kentucky identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in April 2015 and continued through August 2015. During this period, research teams visited 140 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

Idaho Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-28380
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

A research project in the state of Idaho identified opportunities to reduce homeowner energy costs in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the current state energy code. The study was initiated in January 2018; data collection began in March 2018 and continued through June 2018. During this period, research teams visited 127 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a collection of data based on observations made directly in the field.