Measured and predicted energy consumption in entry level homes

Abstract

Energy efficiency of all forms is a major area of research; particularly in housing. Engineers, working along side of builders and architects, are designing homes to be more energy efficient than ever. Recent trends have shifted the energy savings focus to smaller, entry level housing.

Recent advances in computers have enabled powerful simulations to be used to predict energy savings in homes. The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is developing software, Energy Gauge USA, that talces advantage of today's powerful computer systems to run detailed hourly simulations.

Measured hourly data from three entry level homes in Apopka, FL, was compared to the simulated hourly output data of Energy Gauge USA to assess the validity of the simulation. These three homes were built with different building techniques. The monitoring period took place under unoccupied conditions during a summer month with varying internal thermostat settings. Outside weather data was recorded and used in the simulation run.

Overall, the simulation is very accurate in predicting energy consumption in entry level homes. Confidence intervals for the ratio of the variances and the difference of the means show very promising results. Additionally, the differences are centered around zero with no patterns or trends. These results will provide the developers of the software with a solid foundation of the accuracy of the software.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

1999

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Chandra, Subrato

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Engineering

Degree Program

Industrial Engineering

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Engineering;Engineering -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0022701

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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