Benefits of Monitoring Energy Use and Production Using Enhanced Smart Meters for California Houses

Author(s):  
Sergio Escobar Vargas ◽  
Jorge E. Gonzalez ◽  
Mark Aschheim

Methodologies have been developed to allow real-time determination of energy production and use as well as sizing of HVAC equipment based on thermal loads at the residential level. The data obtained reflect actual properties of the thermal envelope and appliance efficiencies, as well as actual renewable power production. The use of properly sized HVAC equipment introduces further energy savings. Recovery of energy savings expressed in terms of carbon offsets provides an incentive to improve the occupant’s energy footprint. When monetized, the energy cost savings and carbon offsets have financial benefits. These benefits are evaluated for model homes in various climatic zones within the state of California.

Environments ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessia Arteconi ◽  
Luca Del Zotto ◽  
Roberto Tascioni ◽  
Khamid Mahkamov ◽  
Chris Underwood ◽  
...  

In this paper, the smart management of buildings energy use by means of an innovative renewable micro-cogeneration system is investigated. The system consists of a concentrated linear Fresnel reflectors solar field coupled with a phase change material thermal energy storage tank and a 2 kWe/18 kWth organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system. The microsolar ORC was designed to supply both electricity and thermal energy demand to residential dwellings to reduce their primary energy use. In this analysis, the achievable energy and operational cost savings through the proposed plant with respect to traditional technologies (i.e., condensing boilers and electricity grid) were assessed by means of simulations. The influence of the climate and latitude of the installation was taken into account to assess the performance and the potential of such system across Europe and specifically in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, U.K., and Sweden. Results show that the proposed plant can satisfy about 80% of the overall energy demand of a 100 m2 dwelling in southern Europe, while the energy demand coverage drops to 34% in the worst scenario in northern Europe. The corresponding operational cost savings amount to 87% for a dwelling in the south and at 33% for one in the north.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Georgia Alexander

<p>For decades, studies have been suggesting the idea of occupancy sensors in intermittent use spaces for energy savings. This work investigates the potential energy savings of occupancy sensors in hallways, stairwells, seminar rooms and lavatories of an education building. Lighting is one of the largest consumers of energy in the building industry and these space types are often fully illuminated for long periods of vacancy. Lighting is for the user, not the building. Discussions centre around light use habits, energy saving behaviours and sensor technology such as time delay and daylight sensors. The experiment uses wireless light sensors and PIR sensors to measure light energy use and occupant use of 20 intermittent use spaces. A user survey was planned to run alongside the experiment to investigate user perceptions of changes in lighting but was discontinued due to unresolved software issues. Results of the experiment encouraged the use of occupancy sensors in intermittent use spaces. Lavatories attained highest energy saving potential 54%, seminar rooms highest annual cost savings per fitting $15.47 and highest annual energy savings 482kWh and hallways calculated the quickest payback of 8.6 years. Hallways, stairwells, seminar rooms and lavatories all offer potential for energy savings, supporting the theoretical ideas and success of occupancy sensors in intermittent use spaces.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Georgia Alexander

<p>For decades, studies have been suggesting the idea of occupancy sensors in intermittent use spaces for energy savings. This work investigates the potential energy savings of occupancy sensors in hallways, stairwells, seminar rooms and lavatories of an education building. Lighting is one of the largest consumers of energy in the building industry and these space types are often fully illuminated for long periods of vacancy. Lighting is for the user, not the building. Discussions centre around light use habits, energy saving behaviours and sensor technology such as time delay and daylight sensors. The experiment uses wireless light sensors and PIR sensors to measure light energy use and occupant use of 20 intermittent use spaces. A user survey was planned to run alongside the experiment to investigate user perceptions of changes in lighting but was discontinued due to unresolved software issues. Results of the experiment encouraged the use of occupancy sensors in intermittent use spaces. Lavatories attained highest energy saving potential 54%, seminar rooms highest annual cost savings per fitting $15.47 and highest annual energy savings 482kWh and hallways calculated the quickest payback of 8.6 years. Hallways, stairwells, seminar rooms and lavatories all offer potential for energy savings, supporting the theoretical ideas and success of occupancy sensors in intermittent use spaces.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 119-125
Author(s):  
Davor Jovanović ◽  
◽  
Dušan Gordić ◽  
Jelena Nikolić ◽  
Nebojša Jurišević ◽  
...  

This paper shows the thermal energy audit of the kindergarten "Zeka", located in the territory of the city of Kragujevac, Serbia. Data of the analyzed building, with an emphasis on the heating system, as well as the climate conditions of the location are shown. Analysis of the thermal energy use, done by implementing a software package "URSA-građevinska fizika 2", shows that the analyzed building belongs to the "G" energy efficiency level, which indicates that the heat transfer coefficients are not in the range defined by the Rule book of energy efficiency for buildings. Consequently, the energy conservation measures for increasing the efficiency of thermal energy use are proposed. Besides, for each measure, the techno- economic analysis was done, which includes determination of the investment costs, as well as the payback period. By implementing the appropriate measures in the analyzed building, it was concluded that thermal energy savings of almost 79% can be achieved.


Impact ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (6) ◽  
pp. 52-54
Author(s):  
Tomonari Yashiro

IoT technology has great potential to transform the built environment and, in doing so, create energy savings. With operational energy use in buildings causing around 30 per cent of CO2 gas emissions, and demand for energy use in buildings on the rise, it is necessary to develop measures to reduce consumption, and IoT could hold the key to this. Just a few examples of ways that this can be achieved are: real-time energy monitoring, with IoT smart sensors measuring the power consumption of a building to show how and where energy is used; smart lighting, whereby unnecessary lighting is switched off and energy saved; and smart metering systems, leading to higher energy efficiency, cost savings and new data sources. Indeed, IoT devices in buildings can collect important data, which has a number of important applications, and the long-term value of IoT devices in buildings comes from mining the data collected by sensors and devices as this can be used to enhance building performance and efficiency. Professor Tomonari Yashiro, based at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, is exploring how ICT and the IoT could help improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. A. Reddy ◽  
J. K. Kissock ◽  
D. K. Ruch

The objective of this paper is to discuss the various sources of uncertainty inherent in the estimation of actual measured energy savings from baseline regression models, and to present pertinent statistical concepts and formulae to determine this uncertainty. Regression models of energy use in commercial buildings are not of the “standard” type addressed in textbooks because of the changepoint behavior of the models and the effect of patterned and non-constant variance residuals (largely as a result of changes in operating modes of the building and the HVAC system). This paper also addresses such issues as how model prediction is impacted by both improper model residuals and models identified from data periods which do not encompass the entire range of variation of both climatic conditions and the different building operating modes.


Author(s):  
Vasileios Ntouros ◽  
Nikolaos Kampelis ◽  
Martina Senzacqua ◽  
Theoni Karlessi ◽  
Margarita-Niki Assimakopoulos ◽  
...  

AbstractSmart meters, one of the crucial enablers of the smart-grid concept and cornerstones in smart planning for cities, offer the opportunity for consumers to address their energy consumption effectively through timely and accurate data on their energy usage. However, previous studies have shown that smart meters may not lead to the desired energy savings unless actively used by households. To this end, the research presented in this paper investigates the penetration of smart meters at community level and explores how such a metering system can help people to understand and manage their energy use better. It examines the awareness about smart meters, looks into their presence in current accommodation and focuses on the views people have about smart meters. For this purpose, a questionnaire was prepared and distributed to a group of individuals residing in the wide area of Ancona province in Italy. Although the deployment of modern second-generation smart meters started in 2017 replacing the outdated smart meters massively installed in the 2000s, the results show low-to-moderate levels of awareness of modern smart meters among the respondents and a low presence of second-generation metering devices in their current accommodation. However, the general view expressed by the participants about smart meters is positive. The findings demonstrate that respondents are in need not only of a gauge that measures energy consumption but also of a tool that assists them to manage effectively their energy use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-109
Author(s):  
E. S. Dremicheva

This paper presents a method of sorption using peat for elimination of emergency spills of crude oil and petroleum products and the possibility of energy use of oil-saturated peat. The results of assessment of the sorbent capacity of peat are presented, with waste motor oil and diesel fuel chosen as petroleum products. Natural peat has been found to possess sorption properties in relation to petroleum products. The sorbent capacity of peat can be observed from the first minutes of contact with motor oil and diesel fuel, and significantly depends on their viscosity. For the evaluation of thermal properties of peat saturated with petroleum products, experimental studies have been conducted on determination of moisture and ash content of as-fired fuel. It is shown that adsorbed oil increases the moisture and ash content of peat in comparison with the initial sample. Therefore, when intended for energy use, peat saturated with petroleum products is to be subjected to additional drying. Simulation of net calorific value has been performed based on the calorific values of peat and petroleum products with different ratios of petroleum product content in peat and for a saturated peat sample. The obtained results are compared with those of experiments conducted in a calorimetric bomb and recalculated for net calorific value. A satisfactory discrepancy is obtained, which amounts to about 12%. Options have been considered providing for combustion of saturated peat as fuel (burnt per se and combined with a solid fuel) and processing it to produce liquid, gaseous and solid fuels. Peat can be used to solve environmental problems of elimination of emergency spills of crude oil and petroleum products and as an additional resource in solving the problem of finding affordable energy.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document