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A new method of test for residential thermal distribution efficiency is currently being developed under the auspices of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). This test method will have three main approaches, or "pathways," designated Design, Diagnostic, and Research. The Design Pathway uses builder's information to predict thermal distribution efficiency in new construction.

Detailed field measurement of air leakage and electric forced-air heating system efficiency in nine Pacific Northwest manufactured homes built to adapted Model Conservation Standards were conducted during the 1994 and 1995 heating seasons. The research measured directly both heat delivery efficiency and system efficiency (as defined by ASHRAE in its HVAC Systems and Equipment Handbook) with a short-term alternating coheat test. For this test, a home is alternately heated with the furnace and then with an array of small electric heaters placed in each room which has a supply register.

Occupancy sensors have the potential to significantly reduce energy use by switching off electrical loads when a normally occupied area is vacated. While occupancy sensors can be used to control a variety of load types, their most popular use has been to control lighting in commercial buildings. Manufacturers claim savings of 15% to 85%, although there is little published research to support the magnitude or timing of reductions.

Since the combustion of fossil fuels is the leading causative factor in global climate change, the "Westernmodel'' of adopting energy-using technologies and using ever-greater amounts of energy will have important consequences for the future of human life on the planet if it is transferred on a wholesale basis to the developing world. It is thus important to Uy to understand, in the context of global development.

Procedures were developed and tested to conduct a quick and reliable evaluation of weatherization program energy savings using heating system nm-time loggers. This project performed: (1) a statistical analysis to determine the measurements and assessment constraints on short-term nm-time monitoring, and (2) a field test of the data collection procedures with three weatherization providers.

Residential new construction and renovation programs, home energy rating systems programs and energy efficient mortgage instruments are some of the many ways that local energy utilities and other state or federal agencies attempt to increase the supply and demand of energy efficient housing.

A detailed evaluation methodology, originally developed for PG&E's Act2 Project, was used to design cost-effective packages of energy efficiency measures (EEM's) for two residential sites in the Coachella Valley desert region of Southern California Design of the packages was based on "mature market" cost assumptions, which assume that the EEM has achieved volume production and widespread application in the marketplace. EEM packages were installed at the two sites (one new construction and one retrofit) and monitored for nine months during 1995.

As required by the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA), minimum energy efficiency standards ranging from 8.0 to 9.0 EER went into effect for window-type room air conditioners on January 1, 1990. But by incorporating commonly used technologies such as high-efficiency rotary compressors, grooved refrigerant tubing, slit-type fins, subcoolers, and permanent split capacitor fan motors, 10.0 EER efficiency levels can be achieved for the most popular classes of room air conditioners without having to increase chassis size.

During the cooling season, heat transfer from the attic into the conditioned space of a residence can represent a significant portion of the total envelope heat transfer. Radiant barriers are one method used to reduce this heat transfer. A quasi-steady-state model was developed or predicting attic heat transfer in residences with radiant barrier systems. The model was used to estimate the reduction in cooling load that would occur with a radiant barrier and to identify important construction and environmental parameters that influence this cooling load reduction.

Real-time ventilation and infiltration measurements were made on ten single-family homes. Seven of these had crawlspaces and were in the Pacific Northwest Two had daylight basements and were also in the Pacific Northwest. The other is an energy efficient demonstration "smart" house built in Rocklin, CA, and was built on a crawlspace. All of the homes were tested under heating season conditions. The home in Rocklin was also tested under cooling conditions. Each house was divided into multiple zones, including buffer spaces, and each test period lasted about a week.