Calculating Energy Savings in High Performance Residential Buildings Programs: Preprint

Accurate and meaningful energy savings calculations are essential for the evaluation of residential energy efficiency programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), such as the Building America Program (a public-private partnership designed to achieve significant energy savings in the residential building sector). The authors investigated the feasibility of applying existingperformance analysis methodologies such as the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to the high performance houses constructed under Building America, which sometimes achieve whole-house energy savings in the 50-70% range. However, because Building America addresses all major end-use loads and because the technologies applied to Building Americahouses often exceed what is envisioned by energy codes and home-rating programs, the methodologies used in HERS and IECC have limited suitability, and a different approach was needed. The authors have researched these issues extensively over the past several years and developed a set of guidelines that draws upon work done by DOE's Energy Information Administration, the California EnergyCommission, the International Code Council, RESNET, and other organizations that have developed similar methodologies to meet their needs. However, the final guidelines are tailored to provide accurate techniques for quantifying energy savings achieved by Building America to help policymakers assess the effectiveness of the program.