NREL, Sandia, and Johnson Controls See Significant Water Savings for HPC

Science.gov Websites

Cooling | Energy Systems Integration Facility | NREL NREL, Sandia and Johnson Controls save 1M Gallons of Water a Year for HPC Cooling NREL, Sandia, and Johnson Controls See Significant Water Savings for HPC Cooling NREL partnered with Sandia National Laboratories and Johnson Controls to install the

Energy savings potential from improved building controls for the US commercial building sector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fernandez, Nick; Katipamula, Srinivas; Wang, Weimin

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office (BTO) sponsored a study to determine the potential national savings achievable in the commercial building sector through widespread deployment of best practice controls, elimination of system and component faults, and use of better sensing. Detailed characterization of potential savings was one source of input to set research, development, and deployment (RD&D) goals in the field of building sensors and controls. DOE’s building energy simulation software, EnergyPlus, was employed to estimate the potential savings from 34 measures in 9 building types and across 16 climates representing almost 57% of commercial building sectormore » energy consumption. In addition to estimating savings from individual measures, three packages of measures were created to estimate savings from the packages. These packages represented an 1) efficient building, 2) typical building, and 3) inefficient building. To scale the results from individual measures or a package to the national scale, building weights by building type and climate locations from the Energy Information Administration’s 2012 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) were used. The results showed significant potential for energy savings across all building types and climates. The total site potential savings from individual measures by building type and climate location ranged between 0% and 25%. The total site potential savings by building type aggregated across all climates (using the CBECS building weights) for each measure varied between 0% and 16%. The total site potential savings aggregated across all building types and climates for each measure varied between 0% and 11%. Some individual measures had negative savings because correcting underlying operational problems (e.g., inadequate ventilation) resulted in increased energy consumption. When combined into packages, the overall national savings potential is estimated to be 29%; seven of the nine building types were in the range of 23 to 29% and two exceeded 40%. The total potential national site savings in for each building type ranged between 95x106 GJ (0.09 Quadrillion British thermal units [Quads]; Large Hotels) to 222x106 GJ (0.21 Quads; Large Office, Hospital Administrative areas, and College/University), resulting in total site savings of 1,393x106 GJ (1.32 Quads) when the three packages are applied to the U.S. commercial buildings stock. Using the source (or primary) energy conversion factors of 1.05 for natural gas and 3.14 for electricity resulted in an approximate potential primary energy savings of 2,912x106 GJ (2.76 Quads), which would be 15% of the sector’s 2015 use of approximately 18,991x106 GJ (18 Quads). Extrapolating the results for other building types not analyzed as part of this study, the primary energy savings could be in the range of 4,220x106 GJ to 5,275x106 GJ (4 to 5 Quads). If this savings potential is realized, it would be equivalent to not combusting 180 to 230 million tons of coal or reducing the energy impacts, at today’s energy intensities, of the per capita consumption of 12 to 15 million people in the U.S. To realize most of this potential savings, many gaps can be addressed through RD&D, as recommended in this paper.« less

The research of automatic speed control algorithm based on Green CBTC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Ying; Xiong, Hui; Wang, Xiaoliang; Wu, Youyou; Zhang, Chuanqi

2017-06-01

Automatic speed control algorithm is one of the core technologies of train operation control system. It’s a typical multi-objective optimization control algorithm, which achieve the train speed control for timing, comfort, energy-saving and precise parking. At present, the train speed automatic control technology is widely used in metro and inter-city railways. It has been found that the automatic speed control technology can effectively reduce the driver’s intensity, and improve the operation quality. However, the current used algorithm is poor at energy-saving, even not as good as manual driving. In order to solve the problem of energy-saving, this paper proposes an automatic speed control algorithm based on Green CBTC system. Based on the Green CBTC system, the algorithm can adjust the operation status of the train to improve the efficient using rate of regenerative braking feedback energy while ensuring the timing, comfort and precise parking targets. Due to the reason, the energy-using of Green CBTC system is lower than traditional CBTC system. The simulation results show that the algorithm based on Green CBTC system can effectively reduce the energy-using due to the improvement of the using rate of regenerative braking feedback energy.

Dynamic modeling of potentially conflicting energy reduction strategies for residential structures in semi-arid climates.

PubMed

Hester, Nathan; Li, Ke; Schramski, John R; Crittenden, John

2012-04-30

Globally, residential energy consumption continues to rise due to a variety of trends such as increasing access to modern appliances, overall population growth, and the overall increase of electricity distribution. Currently, residential energy consumption accounts for approximately one-fifth of total U.S. energy consumption. This research analyzes the effectiveness of a range of energy-saving measures for residential houses in semi-arid climates. These energy-saving measures include: structural insulated panels (SIP) for exterior wall construction, daylight control, increased window area, efficient window glass suitable for the local weather, and several combinations of these. Our model determined that energy consumption is reduced by up to 6.1% when multiple energy savings technologies are combined. In addition, pre-construction technologies (structural insulated panels (SIPs), daylight control, and increased window area) provide roughly 4 times the energy savings when compared to post-construction technologies (window blinds and efficient window glass). The model also illuminated the importance variations in local climate and building configuration; highlighting the site-specific nature of this type of energy consumption quantification for policy and building code considerations. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Nonprice incentives and energy conservation

PubMed Central

Asensio, Omar I.; Delmas, Magali A.

2015-01-01

In the electricity sector, energy conservation through technological and behavioral change is estimated to have a savings potential of 123 million metric tons of carbon per year, which represents 20% of US household direct emissions in the United States. In this article, we investigate the effectiveness of nonprice information strategies to motivate conservation behavior. We introduce environment and health-based messaging as a behavioral strategy to reduce energy use in the home and promote energy conservation. In a randomized controlled trial with real-time appliance-level energy metering, we find that environment and health-based information strategies, which communicate the environmental and public health externalities of electricity production, such as pounds of pollutants, childhood asthma, and cancer, outperform monetary savings information to drive behavioral change in the home. Environment and health-based information treatments motivated 8% energy savings versus control and were particularly effective on families with children, who achieved up to 19% energy savings. Our results are based on a panel of 3.4 million hourly appliance-level kilowatt–hour observations for 118 residences over 8 mo. We discuss the relative impacts of both cost-savings information and environmental health messaging strategies with residential consumers. PMID:25583494

Nonprice incentives and energy conservation.

PubMed

Asensio, Omar I; Delmas, Magali A

2015-02-10

In the electricity sector, energy conservation through technological and behavioral change is estimated to have a savings potential of 123 million metric tons of carbon per year, which represents 20% of US household direct emissions in the United States. In this article, we investigate the effectiveness of nonprice information strategies to motivate conservation behavior. We introduce environment and health-based messaging as a behavioral strategy to reduce energy use in the home and promote energy conservation. In a randomized controlled trial with real-time appliance-level energy metering, we find that environment and health-based information strategies, which communicate the environmental and public health externalities of electricity production, such as pounds of pollutants, childhood asthma, and cancer, outperform monetary savings information to drive behavioral change in the home. Environment and health-based information treatments motivated 8% energy savings versus control and were particularly effective on families with children, who achieved up to 19% energy savings. Our results are based on a panel of 3.4 million hourly appliance-level kilowatt-hour observations for 118 residences over 8 mo. We discuss the relative impacts of both cost-savings information and environmental health messaging strategies with residential consumers.

Field Test of Boiler Primary Loop Temperature Controller

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Glanville, P.; Rowley, P.; Schroeder, D.

Beyond these initial system efficiency upgrades are an emerging class of Advanced Load Monitoring (ALM) aftermarket controllers that dynamically respond to the boiler load, with claims of 10% to 30% of fuel savings over a heating season. For hydronic boilers specifically, these devices perform load monitoring, with continuous measurement of supply and in some cases return water temperatures. Energy savings from these ALM controllers are derived from dynamic management of the boiler differential, where a microprocessor with memory of past boiler cycles prevents the boiler from firing for a period of time, to limit cycling losses and inefficient operation duringmore » perceived low load conditions. These differ from OTR controllers, which vary boiler setpoint temperatures with ambient conditions while maintaining a fixed differential. PARR installed and monitored the performance of one type of ALM controller, the M2G from Greffen Systems, at multifamily sites in the city of Chicago and its suburb Cary, IL, both with existing OTR control. Results show that energy savings depend on the degree to which boilers are over-sized for their load, represented by cycling rates. Also savings vary over the heating season with cycling rates, with greater savings observed in shoulder months. Over the monitoring period, over-sized boilers at one site showed reductions in cycling and energy consumption in line with prior laboratory studies, while less over-sized boilers at another site showed muted savings.« less

When energy saving advice leads to more, rather than less, consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Revell, Kirsten M. A.; Stanton, Neville A.

2017-01-01

Energy saving technology that relies on behaviour change fails to deliver on its promise. Energy saving advice also has limited effect. This paper examines and reveals how technology and energy saving advice interacts with householders' thought processes to influence energy consumption. A case study of three households that held a 'Feedback' mental model of the home heating thermostat, as defined by Kempton [1986. 'Two Theories of Home Heat Control'. Cognitive Science 10 (1): 75-90], was undertaken to understand the driver behind differences in their home heating strategies, and the effect on energy consumption. Analysis was undertaken from five different data sources comprising: (1) boiler on durations, (2) thermostat set point adjustments, (3) self-reported strategies with home heating controls, (4) user mental model descriptions of the home heating system, and (5) Interview transcripts. The authors found that differences in user mental models of home heating at the system level explained differences in the strategies chosen at the control device level. Differences in boiler on periods were found to relate to limitations of the 'Feedback' mental model; that is, the model fails to consider the effect of the movement of warm air within the home and the impact of internal/external temperature differentials on heat loss rates. The authors argue that technology and advice should be tailored to the thought processes adopted by householders in order to promote behaviour that would realise intended energy savings.

Development of energy saving automatic air conditioner

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Okada, T.; Iijima, T.; Kakinuma, A.

1986-01-01

This paper discusses an automatic air conditioner which adopts a new energy saving control method for controlling heat exchange at the heater and the cooler instead of the conventional reheat air-mix one. In this new air conditioner, the cooler does not work when the passenger room is heated and similarly the heater does not work when the passenger room is cooled, minimizing the use rate of the cooler which accounts for the most of the air conditioner's power consumption. Nonetheless, the heat released from the air conditioner to the room can be adjusted smoothly from maximum cooling to maximum heatingmore » just the same as in the conventional type. The results of on-vehicle comparison tests of the above two methods have shown that the energy saving control method saves nearly half of the energy which is consumed in a year with the conventional one, with the room being kept around 25/sup 0/C (77/sup 0/F).« less

Power-Factor Controllers: How Safe?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Long, K.; Christian, W.; Kovacik, J.; Grazyk, T.

1985-01-01

Potential safety problems with power-factor controllers (PFC's) evaluated. Based on study of PFCs in use with appliances, report recommends measures to prevent consumers from misapplying these energy saving devices. Device used on such appliances as refrigerators, sewing machines, pumps, hair dryers, and food processors. When misused, they fail to save energy and may cause damage.

RTU Comparison Calculator Enhancement Plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, James D.; Wang, Weimin; Katipamula, Srinivas

Over the past two years, Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) has been investigating ways to increase the operating efficiency of the packaged rooftop units (RTUs) in the field. First, by issuing a challenge to the RTU manufactures to increase the integrated energy efficiency ratio (IEER) by 60% over the existing ASHRAE 90.1-2010 standard. Second, by evaluating the performance of an advanced RTU controller that reduces the energy consumption by over 40%. BTO has previously also funded development of a RTU comparison calculator (RTUCC). RTUCC is a web-based tool that provides the user a way to compare energy andmore » cost savings for two units with different efficiencies. However, the RTUCC currently cannot compare savings associated with either the RTU Challenge unit or the advanced RTU controls retrofit. Therefore, BTO has asked PNNL to enhance the tool so building owners can compare energy and savings associated with this new class of products. This document provides the details of the enhancements that are required to support estimating energy savings from use of RTU challenge units or advanced controls on existing RTUs.« less

A SIEPON based transmitter sleep mode energy-efficient mechanism in EPON

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikoukar, AliAkbar; Hwang, I.-Shyan; Wang, Chien-Jung; Ab-Rahman, Mohammad Syuhaimi; Liem, Andrew Tanny

2015-06-01

The main energy consumption in computer networks is the access networks. The passive optical network (PON) has the least energy consumption among access network technologies. In addition, the time division multiplexing (TDM) Ethernet PON (EPON) is one of the best candidates to improve energy consumption by time utilization. The optical network unit (ONU) can utilize the time and save the energy in the EPON by turning off its transmitter/receiver when there is no upstream/downstream traffic. The ITU-T and IEEE organizations are published standards for energy-saving in the TDM-PON. Although their standards provide the framework to accomplish the energy-saving, the algorithms/criteria to generate events to accommodate various operational policies, time to wake up, parameter values for timers are out of scope of the standards. Many studies have proposed schemes for energy-saving in TDM-PON to achieve maximum energy saving. Even so, these schemes increase the mean packet delay and consequently, reduce the quality of service (QoS). In this paper, first we take a look to the state of the art for PON energy-saving. Additionally, a mechanism based on SIEPON standard in EPON with new components in the ONUs and optical line terminal (OLT) is proposed to save the transmitter energy and guarantee QoS. The proposed mechanism follows the SIEPON standard, considers the QoS first, and then saves the energy as far as possible. The ONU sleep controller unit (OSC) and green dynamic bandwidth allocation (GDBA) are used to calculate the ONU transmitter sleep (Tx) duration and grant the proper time to the ONUs. Simulation results show that the proposed energy-saving mechanism not only promises the QoS performance in terms of mean packet delay, packet loss, throughput, and jitter, but also saves energy in different maximum cycle times.

Energy Saving Melting and Revert Reduction Technology (Energy SMARRT): Manufacturing Advanced Engineered Components Using Lost Foam Casting Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Littleton, Harry; Griffin, John

2011-07-31

This project was a subtask of Energy Saving Melting and Revert Reduction Technology (Energy SMARRT) Program. Through this project, technologies, such as computer modeling, pattern quality control, casting quality control and marketing tools, were developed to advance the Lost Foam Casting process application and provide greater energy savings. These technologies have improved (1) production efficiency, (2) mechanical properties, and (3) marketability of lost foam castings. All three reduce energy consumption in the metals casting industry. This report summarizes the work done on all tasks in the period of January 1, 2004 through June 30, 2011. Current (2011) annual energy savingmore » estimates based on commercial introduction in 2011 and a market penetration of 97% by 2020 is 5.02 trillion BTU's/year and 6.46 trillion BTU's/year with 100% market penetration by 2023. Along with these energy savings, reduction of scrap and improvement in casting yield will result in a reduction of the environmental emissions associated with the melting and pouring of the metal which will be saved as a result of this technology. The average annual estimate of CO2 reduction per year through 2020 is 0.03 Million Metric Tons of Carbon Equivalent (MM TCE).« less

Reducing airflow energy use in multiple zone vav systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tukur, Ahmed Gidado

Variable Air Volume (VAV) systems are the most popular HVAC systems in commercial buildings. VAV systems are designed to deliver airflows at design conditions which only occur for a few hours in a year. Minimizing energy use in VAV systems requires reducing the amount of airflow delivered through the system at part load conditions. Air Handling Unit (AHU) fans are the major drivers of airflow in VAV systems and installing a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) is the most common method of regulating airflow in VAV systems. A VFD drive does not necessarily save energy without use of an appropriate control strategy. Static pressure reset (SPR) is considered to be the most energy efficient control strategy for AHU fans with VFDs installed. The implementation of SPR however has many challenges; for example, rogue zones--zones which have faulty sensors or failed controls and actuators, system dynamics like hunting and system diversity. By investigating the parameters associated with the implementation of SPR in VAV systems, a new, improved, more stable SPR algorithm was developed and validated. This approach was further improved using Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) to eliminate rogue zones. Additionally, a CO2-Demand Control Ventilation (DCV) based minimum airflow control was used to further reduce ventilation airflow and save more energy from SPR. Energy savings ranging from 25% to 51% were recorded in actual buildings with the new SPR algorithm. Finally, a methodology that utilizes historical VAV data was developed to estimate the potential savings that could be realized using SPR. The approach employed first determines an effective system loss coefficient as a function of mean damper position using the historical duct static pressure, VAV damper positions and airflows. Additionally, the historical data is used to identify the maximum mean duct damper position realizable as a result of insuring a sufficient number of VAVs are fully open at any time. Savings are estimated by shifting the damper distribution mean at each time to this maximum value and reducing the static pressure to achieve the same overall system airflow rate. The methodology was tested on three different buildings with varying system characteristics. Savings estimates correlated well to the savings actually realized from SPR. This result has significant implications for energy service providers, who could use the predictions to guarantee savings from SPR.

Energy-Saving Traffic Scheduling in Hybrid Software Defined Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Wei, Yunkai; Ma, Xiaohui; Yang, Ning; Chen, Yijin

2017-09-15

Software Defined Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks (SDWRSNs) are an inexorable trend for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), including Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Network (WRSNs). However, the traditional network devices cannot be completely substituted in the short term. Hybrid SDWRSNs, where software defined devices and traditional devices coexist, will last for a long time. Hybrid SDWRSNs bring new challenges as well as opportunities for energy saving issues, which is still a key problem considering that the wireless chargers are also exhaustible, especially in some rigid environment out of the main supply. Numerous energy saving schemes for WSNs, or even some works for WRSNs, are no longer suitable for the new features of hybrid SDWRSNs. To solve this problem, this paper puts forward an Energy-saving Traffic Scheduling (ETS) algorithm. The ETS algorithm adequately considers the new characters in hybrid SDWRSNs, and takes advantage of the Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller's direct control ability on SDN nodes and indirect control ability on normal nodes. The simulation results show that, comparing with traditional Minimum Transmission Energy (MTE) protocol, ETS can substantially improve the energy efficiency in hybrid SDWRSNs for up to 20-40% while ensuring feasible data delay.

Building America Case Study: Advanced Boiler Load Monitoring Controllers, Chicago, Illinois (Fact Sheet)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

PARR

Beyond these initial system efficiency upgrades are an emerging class of Advanced Load Monitoring (ALM) aftermarket controllers that dynamically respond to the boiler load, with claims of 10% to 30% of fuel savings over a heating season. For hydronic boilers specifically, these devices perform load monitoring, with continuous measurement of supply and in some cases return water temperatures. Energy savings from these ALM controllers are derived from dynamic management of the boiler differential, where a microprocessor with memory of past boiler cycles prevents the boiler from firing for a period of time, to limit cycling losses and inefficient operation duringmore » perceived low load conditions. These differ from OTR controllers, which vary boiler setpoint temperatures with ambient conditions while maintaining a fixed differential. PARR installed and monitored the performance of one type of ALM controller, the M2G from Greffen Systems, at multifamily sites in the city of Chicago and its suburb Cary, IL, both with existing OTR control. Results show that energy savings depend on the degree to which boilers are over-sized for their load, represented by cycling rates. Also savings vary over the heating season with cycling rates, with greater savings observed in shoulder months. Over the monitoring period, over-sized boilers at one site showed reductions in cycling and energy consumption in line with prior laboratory studies, while less over-sized boilers at another site showed muted savings.« less

Energy-saving technology of vector controlled induction motor based on the adaptive neuro-controller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, E.; Kovalev, I. V.; Karandeev, D.

2015-10-01

The ongoing evolution of the power system towards a Smart Grid implies an important role of intelligent technologies, but poses strict requirements on their control schemes to preserve stability and controllability. This paper presents the adaptive neuro-controller for the vector control of induction motor within Smart Gird. The validity and effectiveness of the proposed energy-saving technology of vector controlled induction motor based on adaptive neuro-controller are verified by simulation results at different operating conditions over a wide speed range of induction motor.

Assessment Study on Sensors and Automation in the Industries of the Future. Reports on Industrial Controls, Information Processing, Automation, and Robotics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bennett, Bonnie; Boddy, Mark; Doyle, Frank

This report presents the results of an expert study to identify research opportunities for Sensors & Automation, a sub-program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Technologies Program (ITP). The research opportunities are prioritized by realizable energy savings. The study encompasses the technology areas of industrial controls, information processing, automation, and robotics. These areas have been central areas of focus of many Industries of the Future (IOF) technology roadmaps. This report identifies opportunities for energy savings as a direct result of advances in these areas and also recognizes indirect means of achieving energy savings, such as product quality improvement,more » productivity improvement, and reduction of recycle.« less

NREL's Work for the U.S. Navy Illuminates Energy and Cost Savings | News

Science.gov Websites

load controls and whole-building energy efficiency retrofits as good investments for the Navy. " Program Director Steve Gorin said. Advanced power strips, a plug load control technology that cuts power and an office building with capacity for roughly 100 staff. While plug load savings depend on what can

ENCOURAGING ELECTRICITY SAVINGS IN A UNIVERSITY RESIDENTIAL HALL THROUGH A COMBINATION OF FEEDBACK, VISUAL PROMPTS, AND INCENTIVES

PubMed Central

Bekker, Marthinus J; Cumming, Tania D; Osborne, Nikola K.P; Bruining, Angela M; McClean, Julia I; Leland, Louis S

2010-01-01

This experiment investigated the combined use of visual prompts, daily feedback, and rewards to reduce electricity consumption in a university residential hall. After a 17-day baseline period, the experimental intervention was introduced in the intervention hall, and no change was made in the control hall. Energy usage decreased in the intervention hall, but energy usage did not change appreciably in the control hall. In the intervention hall, mean daytime and nighttime savings were 16.2% and 10.7%, respectively, compared to savings of 3.8% (day) and 6.5% (night) in the control hall. PMID:21119909

Predictions of Energy Savings in HVAC Systems by Lumped Models (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-14

various control devices into a simulated HVAC system. Con- trols contain a setpoint of 26.7oC. The adjustable damper, variable chiller work input, and variable fanspeed contain values of αP of -1.0, 0.1, and 1.0, respectively. 25 ...Villanova, PA 19085 bCode 985, Naval System Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Philadelphia, PA 19112 Abstract An approach to optimizing the energy...suggest an order of mag- nitude greater energy savings using a variable chiller power control approach compared to control damper and variable-drive

Low-Emissivity, Energy-Control, Retrofit Window Film: Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Winckler, Lisa

Solutia Performance Films, utilizing funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Buildings Technologies Program, completed research to develop, validate, and commercialize a range of cost-effective, low-emissivity energy-control retrofit window films with significantly improved emissivity over current technology. These films, sold under the EnerLogic® trade name, offer the energy-saving properties of modern low-e windows, with several advantages over replacement windows, such as: lower initial installation cost, a significantly lower product carbon footprint, and an ability to provide a much faster return on investment. EnerLogic® window films also offer significantly greater energy savings than previously available with window films with similar visiblemore » light transmissions. EnerLogic® window films offer these energy-saving advantages over other window films due to its ability to offer both summer cooling and winter heating savings. Unlike most window films, that produce savings only during the cooling season, EnerLogic® window film is an all-season, low-emissivity (low-e) film that produces both cooling and heating season savings. This paper will present technical information on the development hurdles as well as details regarding the following claims being made about EnerLogic® window film, which can be found at www.EnerLogicfilm.com: 1. Other window film technologies save energy. EnerLogic® window film's patent-pending coating delivers excellent energy efficiency in every season, so no other film can match its annual dollar or energy consumption savings. 2. EnerLogic® window film is a low-cost, high-return technology that compares favorably to other popular energy-saving measures both in terms of energy efficiency and cost savings. In fact, EnerLogic® window film typically outperforms most of the alternatives in terms of simple payback. 3. EnerLogic® window film provides unparalleled glass insulating capabilities for window film products. With its patent-pending low-e technology, EnerLogic® window film has the best insulating performance of any film product available. The insulating power of EnerLogic® window film gives single-pane windows the annual insulating performance of double-pane windows - and gives double-pane windows the annual insulating performance of triple-pane windows.« less

Chapter 17: Residential Behavior Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurnik, Charles W.; Stewart, James; Todd, Annika

Residential behavior-based (BB) programs use strategies grounded in the behavioral and social sciences to influence household energy use. These may include providing households with real-time or delayed feedback about their energy use; supplying energy efficiency education and tips; rewarding households for reducing their energy use; comparing households to their peers; and establishing games, tournaments, and competitions. BB programs often target multiple energy end uses and encourage energy savings, demand savings, or both. Savings from BB programs are usually a small percentage of energy use, typically less than 5 percent. Utilities will continue to implement residential BB programs as large-scale, randomizedmore » control trials (RCTs); however, some are now experimenting with alternative program designs that are smaller scale; involve new communication channels such as the web, social media, and text messaging; or that employ novel strategies for encouraging behavior change (for example, Facebook competitions). These programs will create new evaluation challenges and may require different evaluation methods than those currently employed to verify any savings they generate. Quasi-experimental methods, however, require stronger assumptions to yield valid savings estimates and may not measure savings with the same degree of validity and accuracy as randomized experiments.« less

Water loss control using pressure management: life-cycle energy and air emission effects.

PubMed

Stokes, Jennifer R; Horvath, Arpad; Sturm, Reinhard

2013-10-01

Pressure management is one cost-effective and efficient strategy for controlling water distribution losses. This paper evaluates the life-cycle energy use and emissions for pressure management zones in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It compares water savings using fixed-outlet and flow-modulated pressure control to performance without pressure control, considering the embedded electricity and chemical consumption in the lost water, manufacture of pipe and fittings to repair breaks caused by excess pressure, and pressure management. The resulting energy and emissions savings are significant. The Philadelphia and Halifax utilities both avoid approximately 130 million liters in water losses annually using flow-modulated pressure management. The conserved energy was 780 GJ and 1900 GJ while avoided greenhouse gas emissions were 50 Mg and 170 Mg a year by Philadelphia and Halifax, respectively. The life-cycle financial and environmental performance of pressure management systems compares favorably to the traditional demand management strategy of installing low-flow toilets. The energy savings may also translate to cost-effective greenhouse gas emission reductions depending on the energy mix used, an important advantage in areas where water and energy are constrained and/or expensive and greenhouse gas emissions are regulated as in California, for example.

Analysis of NREL Cold-Drink Vending Machines for Energy Savings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deru, M.; Torcellini, P.; Bottom, K.

NREL Staff, as part of Sustainable NREL, an initiative to improve the overall energy and environmental performance of the lab, decided to control how its vending machines used energy. The cold-drink vending machines across the lab were analyzed for potential energy savings opportunities. This report gives the monitoring and the analysis of two energy conservation measures applied to the cold-drink vending machines at NREL.

A framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behavior on energy savings of energy conservation measures

DOE PAGES

Sun, Kaiyu; Hong, Tianzhen

2017-04-27

To improve energy efficiency—during new buildings design or during a building retrofit—evaluating the energy savings potential of energy conservation measures (ECMs) is a critical task. In building retrofits, occupant behavior significantly impacts building energy use and is a leading factor in uncertainty when determining the effectiveness of retrofit ECMs. Current simulation-based assessment methods simplify the representation of occupant behavior by using a standard or representative set of static and homogeneous assumptions ignoring the dynamics, stochastics, and diversity of occupant's energy-related behavior in buildings. The simplification contributes to significant gaps between the simulated and measured actual energy performance of buildings. Thismore » paper presents a framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM energy savings using building performance simulation. During the first step of the study, three occupant behavior styles (austerity, normal, and wasteful) were defined to represent different levels of energy consciousness of occupants regarding their interactions with building energy systems (HVAC, windows, lights and plug-in equipment). Next, a simulation workflow was introduced to determine a range of the ECM energy savings. Then, guidance was provided to interpret the range of ECM savings to support ECM decision making. Finally, a pilot study was performed in a real building to demonstrate the application of the framework. Simulation results show that the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM savings vary with the type of ECM. Occupant behavior minimally affects energy savings for ECMs that are technology-driven (the relative savings differ by less than 2%) and have little interaction with the occupants; for ECMs with strong occupant interaction, such as the use of zonal control variable refrigerant flow system and natural ventilation, energy savings are significantly affected by occupant behavior (the relative savings differ by up to 20%). Finally, the study framework provides a novel, holistic approach to assessing the uncertainty of ECM energy savings related to occupant behavior, enabling stakeholders to understand and assess the risk of adopting energy efficiency technologies for new and existing buildings.« less

A framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behavior on energy savings of energy conservation measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, Kaiyu; Hong, Tianzhen

To improve energy efficiency—during new buildings design or during a building retrofit—evaluating the energy savings potential of energy conservation measures (ECMs) is a critical task. In building retrofits, occupant behavior significantly impacts building energy use and is a leading factor in uncertainty when determining the effectiveness of retrofit ECMs. Current simulation-based assessment methods simplify the representation of occupant behavior by using a standard or representative set of static and homogeneous assumptions ignoring the dynamics, stochastics, and diversity of occupant's energy-related behavior in buildings. The simplification contributes to significant gaps between the simulated and measured actual energy performance of buildings. Thismore » paper presents a framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM energy savings using building performance simulation. During the first step of the study, three occupant behavior styles (austerity, normal, and wasteful) were defined to represent different levels of energy consciousness of occupants regarding their interactions with building energy systems (HVAC, windows, lights and plug-in equipment). Next, a simulation workflow was introduced to determine a range of the ECM energy savings. Then, guidance was provided to interpret the range of ECM savings to support ECM decision making. Finally, a pilot study was performed in a real building to demonstrate the application of the framework. Simulation results show that the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM savings vary with the type of ECM. Occupant behavior minimally affects energy savings for ECMs that are technology-driven (the relative savings differ by less than 2%) and have little interaction with the occupants; for ECMs with strong occupant interaction, such as the use of zonal control variable refrigerant flow system and natural ventilation, energy savings are significantly affected by occupant behavior (the relative savings differ by up to 20%). Finally, the study framework provides a novel, holistic approach to assessing the uncertainty of ECM energy savings related to occupant behavior, enabling stakeholders to understand and assess the risk of adopting energy efficiency technologies for new and existing buildings.« less

Strategies to improve energy efficiency in sewage treatment plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Au, Mau Teng; Pasupuleti, Jagadeesh; Chua, Kok Hua

2013-06-01

This paper discusses on strategies to improve energy efficiency in Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). Four types of STP; conventional activated sludge, extended aeration, oxidation ditch, and sequence batch reactor are presented and strategized to reduce energy consumption based on their influent flow. Strategies to reduce energy consumption include the use of energy saving devices, energy efficient motors, automation/control and modification of processes. It is envisaged that 20-30% of energy could be saved from these initiatives.

A framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behavior on energy savings of energy conservation measures

DOE PAGES

Sun, K; Hong, T

2017-07-01

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. To improve energy efficiency—during new buildings design or during a building retrofit—evaluating the energy savings potential of energy conservation measures (ECMs) is a critical task. In building retrofits, occupant behavior significantly impacts building energy use and is a leading factor in uncertainty when determining the effectiveness of retrofit ECMs. Current simulation-based assessment methods simplify the representation of occupant behavior by using a standard or representative set of static and homogeneous assumptions ignoring the dynamics, stochastics, and diversity of occupant's energy-related behavior in buildings. The simplification contributes to significant gaps between the simulated and measured actual energymore » performance of buildings. This study presents a framework for quantifying the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM energy savings using building performance simulation. During the first step of the study, three occupant behavior styles (austerity, normal, and wasteful) were defined to represent different levels of energy consciousness of occupants regarding their interactions with building energy systems (HVAC, windows, lights and plug-in equipment). Next, a simulation workflow was introduced to determine a range of the ECM energy savings. Then, guidance was provided to interpret the range of ECM savings to support ECM decision making. Finally, a pilot study was performed in a real building to demonstrate the application of the framework. Simulation results show that the impact of occupant behaviors on ECM savings vary with the type of ECM. Occupant behavior minimally affects energy savings for ECMs that are technology-driven (the relative savings differ by less than 2%) and have little interaction with the occupants; for ECMs with strong occupant interaction, such as the use of zonal control variable refrigerant flow system and natural ventilation, energy savings are significantly affected by occupant behavior (the relative savings differ by up to 20%). The study framework provides a novel, holistic approach to assessing the uncertainty of ECM energy savings related to occupant behavior, enabling stakeholders to understand and assess the risk of adopting energy efficiency technologies for new and existing buildings.« less

Energy-Saving Tunnel Illumination System Based on LED's Intelligent Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Shanshan; Gu, Hanting; Wu, Lan; Jiang, Shuixiu

2011-02-01

At present there is a lot of electric energy wastage in tunnel illumination, whose design is based on the maximum brightness outside and the maximum vehicle speed all year round. LED's energy consumption is low, and the control of its brightness is simple and effective. It can be quickly adjusted between 0-100% of its maximum brightness, and will not affect the service life. Therefore, using LED as tunnel's illumination source, we can achieve a good energy saving effect. According to real-time data acquisition of vehicle speed, traffic flow and brightness outside the tunnel, the auto real-time control of tunnel illumination can be achieved. And the system regulated the LED luminance by means of combination of LED power module and intelligent control module. The tunnel information was detected by inspection equipments, which included luminometer, vehicle detector, and received by RTU(Remote Terminal Unit), then synchronously transmitted to PC. After data processing, RTU emitted the dimming signal to the LED driver to adjust the brightness of LED. Despite the relatively high cost of high-power LED lights, the enormous energy-saving effect and the well-behaved controllability is beyond compare to other lighting devices.

[Energy saving achieved by limited filamentous bulking under low dissolved oxygen: derivation, originality and theoretical basis].

PubMed

Peng, Yong-zhen; Guo, Jian-hua; Wang, Shu-ying; Chen, Ying

2008-12-01

How to prevent and control filamentous bulking sludge has being a research focus and attracted much attention. To date despite the extensive research that has been done on bulking sludge, filamentous bulking still occurs world-wide and a comprehensive solution does not seem to be available. Particularly, there are few studies about making use of the characteristics of filamentous bacteria and achieving energy saving by filamentous bulking. Limited filamentous bulking, a novel method for energy saving while equal or better treatment performance by allowing slight and controlled filamentous bulking sludge at low dissolved oxygen (DO), was proposed based on full-scale field observations. The practical operation showed that limited filamentous bulking resulted from a decline in DO concentration. COD, SS and TP removal could be enhanced and energy saving could be achieved by limited filamentous bulking at low DO. The derivation of limited filamentous bulking is introduced firstly, and then the theoretical fundamentals of the technique of limited filamentous bulking are presented and analyzed, including the occurrence of limited filamentous bulking caused by low DO, the enhanced effect of filamentous bacteria on pollutants removal and the energy saving mechanism by using limited filamentous bulking. Besides, the paper provides some new perspectives about the application and research direction of limited filamentous bulking in future.

A Control-Theoretic Approach for the Combined Management of Quality-of-Service and Energy in Service Centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poussot-Vassal, Charles; Tanelli, Mara; Lovera, Marco

The complexity of Information Technology (IT) systems is steadily increasing and system complexity has been recognised as the main obstacle to further advancements of IT. This fact has recently raised energy management issues. Control techniques have been proposed and successfully applied to design Autonomic Computing systems, trading-off system performance with energy saving goals. As users behaviour is highly time varying and workload conditions can change substantially within the same business day, the Linear Parametrically Varying (LPV) framework is particularly promising for modeling such systems. In this chapter, a control-theoretic method to investigate the trade-off between Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and energy saving objectives in the case of admission control in Web service systems is proposed, considering as control variables the server CPU frequency and the admission probability. To quantitatively evaluate the trade-off, a dynamic model of the admission control dynamics is estimated via LPV identification techniques. Based on this model, an optimisation problem within the Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework is setup, by means of which it is possible to investigate the optimal trade-off policy to manage QoS and energy saving objectives at design time and taking into explicit account the system dynamics.

Application of Autonomous Smart Inverter Volt-VAR Function for Voltage Reduction Energy Savings and Power Quality in Electric Distribution Systems: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ding, Fei; Nagarajan, Adarsh; Baggu, Murali

This paper evaluated the impact of smart inverter Volt-VAR function on voltage reduction energy saving and power quality in electric power distribution systems. A methodology to implement the voltage reduction optimization was developed by controlling the substation LTC and capacitor banks, and having smart inverters participate through their autonomous Volt-VAR control. In addition, a power quality scoring methodology was proposed and utilized to quantify the effect on power distribution system power quality. All of these methodologies were applied to a utility distribution system model to evaluate the voltage reduction energy saving and power quality under various PV penetrations and smartmore » inverter densities.« less

Energy-Saving Traffic Scheduling in Hybrid Software Defined Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Wei, Yunkai; Ma, Xiaohui; Yang, Ning; Chen, Yijin

2017-01-01

Software Defined Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks (SDWRSNs) are an inexorable trend for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), including Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Network (WRSNs). However, the traditional network devices cannot be completely substituted in the short term. Hybrid SDWRSNs, where software defined devices and traditional devices coexist, will last for a long time. Hybrid SDWRSNs bring new challenges as well as opportunities for energy saving issues, which is still a key problem considering that the wireless chargers are also exhaustible, especially in some rigid environment out of the main supply. Numerous energy saving schemes for WSNs, or even some works for WRSNs, are no longer suitable for the new features of hybrid SDWRSNs. To solve this problem, this paper puts forward an Energy-saving Traffic Scheduling (ETS) algorithm. The ETS algorithm adequately considers the new characters in hybrid SDWRSNs, and takes advantage of the Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller’s direct control ability on SDN nodes and indirect control ability on normal nodes. The simulation results show that, comparing with traditional Minimum Transmission Energy (MTE) protocol, ETS can substantially improve the energy efficiency in hybrid SDWRSNs for up to 20–40% while ensuring feasible data delay. PMID:28914816

Sara Lee: Improved Compressed Air System Increases Efficiency and Saves Energy at an Industrial Bakery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This case study was prepared for the Industrial Technologies Program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); it describes the energy and costs savings resulting from improving the compressed air system of a large Sara Lee bakery in Sacramento, California. The compressed air system supports many operations of the bread-making machines, and it had been performing poorly. A specialist from Draw Professional Services, a DOE Allied Partner, evaluated the system, and his suggestions included repairing a controller, fixing leaks, and replacing a compressor with a new one fitted with an energy-saving variable-speed drive. As a result, the bakery has reducedmore » its energy use by 471,000 kilowatt-hours annually and is saving $50,000 per year in operating and maintenance costs.« less

Chapter 16: Retrocommissioning Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurnik, Charles W.; Tiessen, Alex

Retrocommissioning (RCx) is a systematic process for optimizing energy performance in existing buildings. It specifically focuses on improving the control of energy-using equipment (e.g., heating, ventilation, and air conditioning [HVAC] equipment and lighting) and typically does not involve equipment replacement. Field results have shown proper RCx can achieve energy savings ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent, with a typical payback of two years or less (Thorne 2003). The method presented in this protocol provides direction regarding: (1) how to account for each measure's specific characteristics and (2) how to choose the most appropriate savings verification approach.

Energy saving incineration of waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meierzukoecker, H.; Voegtli, R.

1982-11-01

The machanism and the dimension of the preoxidation of the pollutants in the heat exchanger were investigated. A temperature control system was developed and tested. It is found that the preoxidation in the heat exchanger depends on the peculiarity of the pollutants and is inhibited by inactive walls with increasing of the specific surface. Active materials like copper only promote the oxidation of all pollutants in the low temperature region. Savings of supplemental energy about 25% are possible using process controlled auxiliary firing and combustion enthalpy of pollutants as a substitute for the supplemental energy.

Integrated control of emission reductions, energy-saving, and cost-benefit using a multi-objective optimization technique in the pulp and paper industry.

PubMed

Wen, Zongguo; Xu, Chang; Zhang, Xueying

2015-03-17

Reduction of water pollutant emissions and energy consumption is regarded as a key environmental objective for the pulp and paper industry. The paper develops a bottom-up model called the Industrial Water Pollutant Control and Technology Policy (IWPCTP) based on an industrial technology simulation system and multiconstraint technological optimization. Five policy scenarios covering the business as usual (BAU) scenario, the structural adjustment (SA) scenario, the cleaner technology promotion (CT) scenario, the end-treatment of pollutants (EOP) scenario, and the coupling measures (CM) scenario have been set to describe future policy measures related to the development of the pulp and paper industry from 2010-2020. The outcome of this study indicates that the energy saving amount under the CT scenario is the largest, while that under the SA scenario is the smallest. Under the CT scenario, savings by 2020 include 70 kt/year of chemical oxygen demand (COD) emission reductions and savings of 7443 kt of standard coal, 539.7 ton/year of ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) emission reductions, and savings of 7444 kt of standard coal. Taking emission reductions, energy savings, and cost-benefit into consideration, cleaner technologies like highly efficient pulp washing, dry and wet feedstock preparation, and horizontal continuous cooking, medium and high consistency pulping and wood dry feedstock preparation are recommended.

Development of Design Guidance for K-12 Schools from 30% to 50% Energy Savings: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pless, S.; Torcellini, P.; Long, N.

2008-07-01

This paper describes the development of energy efficiency recommendations for achieving 30% whole-building energy savings in K-12 schools over levels achieved by following the ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1. These design recommendations look at building envelope, fenestration, lighting systems (including electrical lights and daylighting), HVAC systems, building automation and controls, outside air treatment, and service water heating.

Research on energy-saving optimal control of trains in a following operation under a fixed four-aspect autoblock system based on multi-dimension parallel GA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Qiheng; Feng, Xiaoyun

2013-03-01

After analyzing the working principle of the four-aspect fixed autoblock system, an energy-saving control model was created based on the dynamics equations of the trains in order to study the energy-saving optimal control strategy of trains in a following operation. Besides the safety and punctuality, the main aims of the model were the energy consumption and the time error. Based on this model, the static and dynamic speed restraints under a four-aspect fixed autoblock system were put forward. The multi-dimension parallel genetic algorithm (GA) and the external punishment function were adopted to solve this problem. By using the real number coding and the strategy of ramps divided into three parts, the convergence of GA was speeded up and the length of chromosomes was shortened. A vector of Gaussian random disturbance with zero mean was superposed to the mutation operator. The simulation result showed that the method could reduce the energy consumption effectively based on safety and punctuality.

Energy management system saves $250,000 + fuel -with 4-mo payback

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Massey, C.L.; Robe, K.

1980-09-01

Innovations made at Hershey Chocolate Company's Oakdale, California plant eliminated simultaneous cool-reheat-cycles by incorporating dead band controls into existing HVAC systems. Calculated savings of the project are about 90% of former heating and cooling energy usage for HVAC operation. Electric power savings amount to about $75,000/y, and natural gas savings about $185,000/y, using 1980 fuel costs, with an approximate 4-month payback. Because of the reduced demand for chilled water, a smaller water chiller carries full plant load for 4 to 5 months of the year without operating two existing 500-ton units.

Helicopter Control Energy Reduction Using Moving Horizontal Tail

PubMed Central

Oktay, Tugrul; Sal, Firat

2015-01-01

Helicopter moving horizontal tail (i.e., MHT) strategy is applied in order to save helicopter flight control system (i.e., FCS) energy. For this intention complex, physics-based, control-oriented nonlinear helicopter models are used. Equations of MHT are integrated into these models and they are together linearized around straight level flight condition. A specific variance constrained control strategy, namely, output variance constrained Control (i.e., OVC) is utilized for helicopter FCS. Control energy savings due to this MHT idea with respect to a conventional helicopter are calculated. Parameters of helicopter FCS and dimensions of MHT are simultaneously optimized using a stochastic optimization method, namely, simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (i.e., SPSA). In order to observe improvement in behaviors of classical controls closed loop analyses are done. PMID:26180841

Chiller Controls-related Energy Saving Opportunities in FederalFacilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Webster, Tom

2003-01-01

Chillers are a significant component of large facility energy use. The focus of much of the development of chilled water systems in recent years has been on optimization of set point and staging controls, improvements in chiller design to increase efficiency and accommodate chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant replacements. Other improvements have been made by upgrading controls to the latest digital technologies, improving access and monitoring via communications and sophisticated liquid crystal displays (LCD), more robust fault diagnostics and operating and maintenance information logging. Advances have also been made in how chiller plant systems are designed and operated, and in the diversitymore » of chiller products that are available to support innovative approaches. As in many industries, these improvements have been facilitated by advances in, and lower costs for, enabling technologies, such as refrigerants, compressor design, electronics for controls and variable frequency drives (VFD). Along with the improvements in electronics one would expect that advances have also been made in the functionality of unit controls included with chillers. Originally, the primary purpose of this project was to investigate the state of practice of chiller unit controllers in terms of their energy saving capabilities. However, early in the study it was discovered that advances in this area did not include incorporation of significantly different capabilities than had existed 10-15 years ago. Thus the scope has been modified to provide an overview of some of the basic controls-related energy saving strategies that are currently available along with guideline estimates of their potential and applicability. We have minimized consideration of strategies that could be primarily implemented via design practices such as chiller selection and plant design, and those that can only be implemented by a building management system (BMS). Also, since most of the floor space of federal buildings occurs in large buildings, we have focused on water-cooled screw and centrifugal chillers of 100 ton capacity and greater. However, the role of reciprocating and gas chillers (absorption and engine driven) is discussed briefly. Understanding the demographics of chiller deployment in the federal sector, state of practice of energy savings strategies and control features availability will help federal energy managers and program implementers to make informed decisions in support of energy saving performance contracting (ESPC) and other programs.« less

An overview of flywheel technology for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Decker, D. Kent; Spector, Victor A.; Pieronek, Thomas J.

1997-01-01

Recent developments in advanced composite flywheels using magnetic bearings has produced specific energies greater than 30 Whr/lb. These specific energy levels provide an opportunity for significant spacecraft weight savings compared to using nickel-hydrogen battery technology. Additional weight savings are possible if the flywheels are also used for momentum control. This paper explores the new challenges presented by application of flywheel technology to space power and attitude control subsystems. Issues with respect to mission application, safety and containment, launch environment, and combined power and attitude control operation are discussed.

Healthy Home Action Card (English)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Brief tips to save energy, save money, protect inhabitants, and make your home more environmentally-friendly. Topics include mold, radon, carbon monoxide, asthma, secondhand smoke, indoor air pollution, water safety, lead, and pest control.

Building-to-Grid Integration through Commercial Building Portfolios Participating in Energy and Frequency Regulation Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlak, Gregory S.

Building energy use is a significant contributing factor to growing worldwide energy demands. In pursuit of a sustainable energy future, commercial building operations must be intelligently integrated with the electric system to increase efficiency and enable renewable generation. Toward this end, a model-based methodology was developed to estimate the capability of commercial buildings to participate in frequency regulation ancillary service markets. This methodology was integrated into a supervisory model predictive controller to optimize building operation in consideration of energy prices, demand charges, and ancillary service revenue. The supervisory control problem was extended to building portfolios to evaluate opportunities for synergistic effect among multiple, centrally-optimized buildings. Simulation studies performed showed that the multi-market optimization was able to determine appropriate opportunities for buildings to provide frequency regulation. Total savings were increased by up to thirteen percentage points, depending on the simulation case. Furthermore, optimizing buildings as a portfolio achieved up to seven additional percentage points of savings, depending on the case. Enhanced energy and cost savings opportunities were observed by taking the novel perspective of optimizing building portfolios in multiple grid markets, motivating future pursuits of advanced control paradigms that enable a more intelligent electric grid.

Energy-saving approaches to solid state street lighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitta, Pranciškus; Stanikūnas, Rytis; Tuzikas, Arūnas; Reklaitis, Ignas; Stonkus, Andrius; Petrulis, Andrius; Vaitkevičius, Henrikas; Žukauskas, Artūras

2011-10-01

We consider the energy-saving potential of solid-state street lighting due to improved visual performance, weather sensitive luminance control and tracking of pedestrians and vehicles. A psychophysical experiment on the measurement of reaction time with a decision making task was performed under mesopic levels of illumination provided by a highpressure sodium (HPS) lamp and different solid-state light sources, such as daylight and warm-white phosphor converted light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and red-green-blue LED clusters. The results of the experiment imply that photopic luminances of road surface provided by solid-state light sources with an optimized spectral power distribution might be up to twice as low as those provided by the HPS lamp. Dynamical correction of road luminance against road surface conditions typical of Lithuanian climate was estimated to save about 20% of energy in comparison with constant-level illumination. The estimated energy savings due to the tracking of pedestrians and vehicles amount at least 25% with the cumulative effect of intelligent control of at least 40%. A solid-state street lighting system with intelligent control was demonstrated using a 300 m long test ground consisting of 10 solid-state street luminaires, a meteorological station and microwave motion sensor network operated via power line communication.

Portable+: A Ubiquitous And Smart Way Towards Comfortable Energy Savings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jain, Milan; Singh, Amarjeet; Chandan, Vikas

An air conditioner (AC) consumes a significant proportion of the total household power consumption. Primarily used in developing countries, decentralised AC has an inbuilt thermostat to cool the room to a temperature, manually set by the users. However, residents are incapable of specifying their goal through these thermostats - maximise their comfort or save AC energy. State-of-the-art portable thermostats emulate AC remotes and assist occupants in remotely changing the thermostat temperature, through their smartphones. We propose extending such thermostats to portable+ by adding a Comfort-Energy Trade-off (CET) knob, realised through an optimisation framework to allow users to balance their comfortmore » and the savings without worrying about the right set temperature. Analysis based on real data, collected from a controlled experiment (across two rooms for two weeks) and an in-situ deployment (across five rooms for three months), indicates that portable+ thermostats can reduce residents’ discomfort by 23% (CET selection for maximal comfort) and save 26% energy when CET is set for maximising savings.« less

The School Advanced Ventilation Engineering Software (SAVES)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The School Advanced Ventilation Engineering Software (SAVES) package is a tool to help school designers assess the potential financial payback and indoor humidity control benefits of Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) systems for school applications.

Development of Design Guidance for K-12 Schools: From 30% to 50% Energy Savings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pless, S.; Torcellini, P.; Long, N.

2008-01-01

This paper describes the development of energy efficiency recommendations for achieving 30% whole-building energy savings in K-12 Schools over levels achieved by following the ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (1999 and 2004 versions). Exhaustive simulations were run to create packages of energy design solutions available over a wide range of K-12 schools and climates. These design recommendations look at building envelope, fenestration, lighting systems (including electrical lights and daylighting), HVAC systems, building automation and controls, outside air treatment, and service water heating. We document and discuss the energy modeling performed to demonstrate that themore » recommendations will result in at least 30% energy savings over ASHRAE 90.1-1999 and ASHRAE 90.1-2004. Recommendations are evaluated based on the availability of daylighting for the school and by the type of HVAC system. Compared to the ASHRAE 90.1-1999 baseline, the recommendations result in more than 30% savings in all climate zones for both daylit and nondaylit elementary, middle, and high schools with a range of HVAC system types. These recommendations have been included in the Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings. Compared to the more stringent ASHRAE 90.1-2004 baseline, the recommendations result in more than 30% savings in all climate zones, for only the daylit elementary, middle, and high schools, with a range of HVAC system types. To inform the future development of recommendations for higher level of energy savings, we analyzed a subset of recommendations to understand which energy efficiency technologies would be needed to achieve 50% energy savings.« less

Energy saving control strategies for Haliscomenobacter hydrossis filamentous sludge bulking in the A/O process treating real low carbon/nitrogen domestic wastewater.

PubMed

Jiao, Erlong; Gao, Chundi; Li, Renfei; Tian, Ye; Peng, Yongzhen

2017-07-16

The control strategies of energy saving for filamentous sludge bulking were investigated in the A/O process under low dissolved oxygen (DO) with low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, and the dominant filamentous bacteria were identified by using fluorescent in situ hybridization. Initially, the sludge volume index reached nearly 500 mL/g and serious bulking occurred when the DO value was 0.5 mg/L, with Haliscomenobacter hydrossis as the major filamentous bacteria in the bulking sludge. Later on, the compartment number increased in the aerobic zone, increasing by this way DO, to control serious bulking. Increasing DO to 1 mg/L based on the increase of compartment number in the aerobic zone was the favorable controlling method, which solved the sludge loss, improved the effluent quality to the national discharge standard and allowed for energy costs saving. As a result, the effective control method for H. hydrossis filamentous sludge bulking provided the economical, convenient and longstanding method for most municipal wastewater treatment plants treating real low C/N domestic wastewater.

Predicting energy savings attributed to daylighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robbins, C. L.

1983-11-01

A method for estimating a building's energy savings attributable to daylighting by predicting the percentage of the year that the electric lighting system is not in use is described. This method depends upon the particular control stragegy chosen, a standard work year, and the amount of light (as a daylight factor, DF) reaching any given station in the building.

Mission aware energy saving strategies for Army ground vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dattathreya, Macam S.

Fuel energy is a basic necessity for this planet and the modern technology to perform many activities on earth. On the other hand, quadrupled automotive vehicle usage by the commercial industry and military has increased fuel consumption. Military readiness of Army ground vehicles is very important for a country to protect its people and resources. Fuel energy is a major requirement for Army ground vehicles. According to a report, a department of defense has spent nearly $13.6 billion on fuel and electricity to conduct ground missions. On the contrary, energy availability on this plant is slowly decreasing. Therefore, saving energy in Army ground vehicles is very important. Army ground vehicles are embedded with numerous electronic systems to conduct missions such as silent and normal stationary surveillance missions. Increasing electrical energy consumption of these systems is influencing higher fuel consumption of the vehicle. To save energy, the vehicles can use any of the existing techniques, but they require complex, expensive, and time consuming implementations. Therefore, cheaper and simpler approaches are required. In addition, the solutions have to save energy according to mission needs and also overcome size and weight constraints of the vehicle. Existing research in the current literature do not have any mission aware approaches to save energy. This dissertation research proposes mission aware online energy saving strategies for stationary Army ground vehicles to save energy as well as to meet the electrical needs of the vehicle during surveillance missions. The research also proposes theoretical models of surveillance missions, fuzzy logic models of engine and alternator efficiency data, and fuzzy logic algorithms. Based on these models, two energy saving strategies are proposed for silent and normal surveillance type of missions. During silent mission, the engine is on and batteries power the systems. During normal surveillance mission, the engine is on, gear is on neutral position, the vehicle is stationary, and the alternator powers the systems. The proposed energy saving strategy for silent surveillance mission minimizes unnecessary battery discharges by controlling the power states of systems according to the mission needs and available battery capacity. Initial experiments show that the proposed approach saves 3% energy when compared with the baseline strategy for one scenario and 1.8% for the second scenario. The proposed energy saving strategy for normal surveillance mission operates the engine at fuel-efficient speeds to meet vehicle demand and to save fuel. The experiment and simulation uses a computerized vehicle model and a test bench to validate the approach. In comparison to vehicles with fixed high-idle engine speed increments, experiments show that the proposed strategy saves fuel energy in the range of 0-4.9% for the tested power demand range of 44-69 kW. It is hoped to implement the proposed strategies on a real Army ground vehicle to start realizing the energy savings.

Use of Occupancy Sensors in LED Parking Lot and Garage Applications: Early Experiences

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kinzey, Bruce R.; Myer, Michael; Royer, Michael P.

2012-11-07

Occupancy sensor systems are gaining traction as an effective technological approach to reducing energy use in exterior commercial lighting applications. Done correctly, occupancy sensors can substantially enhance the savings from an already efficient lighting system. However, this technology is confronted by several potential challenges and pitfalls that can leave a significant amount of the prospective savings on the table. This report describes anecdotal experiences from field installations of occupancy sensor controlled light-emitting diode (LED) lighting at two parking structures and two parking lots. The relative levels of success at these installations reflect a marked range of potential outcomes: from anmore » additional 76% in energy savings to virtually no additional savings. Several issues that influenced savings were encountered in these early stage installations and are detailed in the report. Ultimately, care must be taken in the design, selection, and commissioning of a sensor-controlled lighting installation, else the only guaranteed result may be its cost.« less

An approach to optimised control of HVAC systems in indoor swimming pools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Eliseu M. A.; Jorge, Humberto M. M.; Quintela, Divo A. A.

2016-04-01

Indoor swimming pools are recognised as having a high level of energy consumption and present a great potential for energy saving. The energy is spent in several ways such as evaporation heat loss from the pool, high rates of ventilation required to guarantee the indoor air quality, and ambient temperatures with expressive values (typically 28-30°C) required to maintain conditions of comfort. This paper presents an approach to optimising control of heat ventilation and air conditioning systems that could be implemented in a building energy management system. It is easily adapted to any kind of pool and results in significant energy consumption reduction. The development and validation of the control model were carried out with a building thermal simulation software. The use of this control model in the case study building could reduce the energy efficiency index by 7.14 points (7.4% of total) which adds up to an energy cost saving of 15,609€ (7.5% of total).

Design and Development of an Intelligent Energy Controller for Home Energy Saving in Heating/Cooling System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abaalkhail, Rana

Energy is consumed every day at home as we perform simple tasks, such as watching television, washing dishes and heating/cooling home spaces during season of extreme weather conditions, using appliances, or turning on lights. Most often, the energy resources used in residential systems are obtained from natural gas, coal and oil. Moreover, climate change has increased awareness of a need for expendable, energy resources. As a result, carbon dioxide emissions are increasing and creating a negative effect on our environment and on our health. In fact, growing energy demands and limited natural resource might have negative impacts on our future. Therefore, saving energy is becoming an important issue in our society and it is receiving more attention from the research community. This thesis introduces a intelligent energy controller algorithm based on software agent approach that reduce the energy consumption at home for both heating and cooling spaces by considering the user's occupancy, outdoor temperature and user's preferences as input to the system. Thus the proposed approach takes into consideration the occupant's preferred temperature, the occupied and unoccupied spaces, as well as the time spent in each area of the home. A Java based simulator has been implemented to simulate the algorithm for saving energy in heating and cooling systems. The results from the simulator are compared to the results of using HOT2000, which is Canada's leading residential energy analysis and rating software developed by CanmetENERGY's Housing, Buildings, Communities and Simulation (HBCS) group. We have calculated how much energy a home modelled will use under emulated conditions. The results showed that the implementation of the proposed energy controller algorithm can save up to 50% in energy consumption in homes dedicated to heating and cooling systems compared to the results obtained by using HOT2000.

Demonstration Program for Low-Cost, High-Energy-Saving Dynamic Windows

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

Design The scope of this project was to demonstrate the impact of dynamic windows via energy savings and HVAC peak-load reduction; to validate the...temperature and glare. While the installed dynamic window system does not directly control the HVAC or lighting of the facility, those systems are designed ...optimize energy efficiency and HVAC load management. The conversion to inoperable windows caused an unforeseen reluctance to accept the design and

Adaptive lighting controllers using smart sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papantoniou, Sotiris; Kolokotsa, Denia; Kalaitzakis, Kostas; Cesarini, Davide Nardi; Cubi, Eduard; Cristalli, Cristina

2016-07-01

The aim of this paper is to present an advanced controller for artificial lights evaluated in several rooms in two European Hospitals located in Chania, Greece and Ancona, Italy. Fuzzy techniques have been used for the architecture of the controller. The energy efficiency of the controllers has been calculated by running the controller coupled with validated models of the RADIANCE back-wards ray tracing software. The input of the controller is the difference between the current illuminance value and the desired one, while the output is the change of the light level that should be applied in the artificial lights. Simulation results indicate significant energy saving potentials. Energy saving potential is calculated from the comparison of the current use of the artificial lights by the users and the proposed one. All simulation work has been conducted using Matlab and RADIANCE environment.

Predicting energy savings attributed to daylighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robbins, C. L.

1982-08-01

A method is described for estimating a building's energy savings attributed to daylighting by predicting the percentage of the year that the electric lighting system is not in use. This depends on the particular control strategy chosen, a standard work year, and the amount of light (as a daylight factor) reaching on daylight and sunlight availability for selected cities in the United States.

Energy-saving framework for passive optical networks with ONU sleep/doze mode.

PubMed

Van, Dung Pham; Valcarenghi, Luca; Dias, Maluge Pubuduni Imali; Kondepu, Koteswararao; Castoldi, Piero; Wong, Elaine

2015-02-09

This paper proposes an energy-saving passive optical network framework (ESPON) that aims to incorporate optical network unit (ONU) sleep/doze mode into dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) algorithms to reduce ONU energy consumption. In the ESPON, the optical line terminal (OLT) schedules both downstream (DS) and upstream (US) transmissions in the same slot in an online and dynamic fashion whereas the ONU enters sleep mode outside the slot. The ONU sleep time is maximized based on both DS and US traffic. Moreover, during the slot, the ONU might enter doze mode when only its transmitter is idle to further improve energy efficiency. The scheduling order of data transmission, control message exchange, sleep period, and doze period defines an energy-efficient scheme under the ESPON. Three schemes are designed and evaluated in an extensive FPGA-based evaluation. Results show that whilst all the schemes significantly save ONU energy for different evaluation scenarios, the scheduling order has great impact on their performance. In addition, the ESPON allows for a scheduling order that saves ONU energy independently of the network reach.

Immunity-Based Optimal Estimation Approach for a New Real Time Group Elevator Dynamic Control Application for Energy and Time Saving

PubMed Central

Baygin, Mehmet; Karakose, Mehmet

2013-01-01

Nowadays, the increasing use of group elevator control systems owing to increasing building heights makes the development of high-performance algorithms necessary in terms of time and energy saving. Although there are many studies in the literature about this topic, they are still not effective enough because they are not able to evaluate all features of system. In this paper, a new approach of immune system-based optimal estimate is studied for dynamic control of group elevator systems. The method is mainly based on estimation of optimal way by optimizing all calls with genetic, immune system and DNA computing algorithms, and it is evaluated with a fuzzy system. The system has a dynamic feature in terms of the situation of calls and the option of the most appropriate algorithm, and it also adaptively works in terms of parameters such as the number of floors and cabins. This new approach which provides both time and energy saving was carried out in real time. The experimental results comparatively demonstrate the effects of method. With dynamic and adaptive control approach in this study carried out, a significant progress on group elevator control systems has been achieved in terms of time and energy efficiency according to traditional methods. PMID:23935433

Baker-Barry Tunnel Lighting: Evaluation of a Potential GATEWAY Demonstrations Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tuenge, Jason R.

2011-06-28

The U.S. Department of Energy is evaluating the Baker-Barry Tunnel as a potential GATEWAY Demonstrations project for deployment of solid-state lighting (SSL) technology. The National Park Service views this project as a possible proving ground and template for implementation of light-emitting diode (LED) luminaires in other tunnels, thereby expanding the estimated 40% energy savings from 132 MWh/yr to a much larger figure nationally. Most of the energy savings in this application is attributable to the instant-restrike capability of LED products and to their high tolerance for frequent on/off switching, used here to separately control either end of the tunnel duringmore » daytime hours. Some LED luminaires rival or outperform their high-intensity discharge (HID) counterparts in terms of efficacy, but options are limited, and smaller lumen packages preclude true one-for-one equivalence. However, LED products continue to improve in efficacy and affordability at a rate unmatched by other light source technologies; the estimated simple payback period of eight years (excluding installation costs and maintenance savings) can be expected to improve with time. The proposed revisions to the existing high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting system would require slightly increased controls complexity and significantly increased luminaire types and quantities. In exchange, substantial annual savings (from reduced maintenance and energy use) would be complemented by improved quantity and quality of illumination. Although advanced lighting controls could offer additional savings, it is unclear whether such a system would prove cost-effective; this topic may be explored in future work.« less

Altered Achilles tendon function during walking in people with diabetic neuropathy: implications for metabolic energy saving.

PubMed

Petrovic, M; Maganaris, C N; Deschamps, K; Verschueren, S M; Bowling, F L; Boulton, A J M; Reeves, N D

2018-05-01

The Achilles tendon (AT) has the capacity to store and release elastic energy during walking, contributing to metabolic energy savings. In diabetes patients, it is hypothesized that a stiffer Achilles tendon may reduce the capacity for energy saving through this mechanism, thereby contributing to an increased metabolic cost of walking (CoW). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) on the Achilles tendon and plantarflexor muscle-tendon unit behavior during walking. Twenty-three nondiabetic controls (Ctrl); 20 diabetic patients without peripheral neuropathy (DM), and 13 patients with moderate/severe DPN underwent gait analysis using a motion analysis system, force plates, and ultrasound measurements of the gastrocnemius muscle, using a muscle model to determine Achilles tendon and muscle-tendon length changes. During walking, the DM and particularly the DPN group displayed significantly less Achilles tendon elongation (Ctrl: 1.81; DM: 1.66; and DPN: 1.54 cm), higher tendon stiffness (Ctrl: 210; DM: 231; and DPN: 240 N/mm), and higher tendon hysteresis (Ctrl: 18; DM: 21; and DPN: 24%) compared with controls. The muscle fascicles of the gastrocnemius underwent very small length changes in all groups during walking (~0.43 cm), with the smallest length changes in the DPN group. Achilles tendon forces were significantly lower in the diabetes groups compared with controls (Ctrl: 2666; DM: 2609; and DPN: 2150 N). The results strongly point toward the reduced energy saving capacity of the Achilles tendon during walking in diabetes patients as an important factor contributing to the increased metabolic CoW in these patients. NEW & NOTEWORTHY From measurements taken during walking we observed that the Achilles tendon in people with diabetes and particularly people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy was stiffer, was less elongated, and was subject to lower forces compared with controls without diabetes. These altered properties of the Achilles tendon in people with diabetes reduce the tendon's energy saving capacity and contribute toward the higher metabolic energy cost of walking in these patients.

Energy-Efficient Next-Generation Passive Optical Networks Based on Sleep Mode and Heuristic Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulai, Luis G. T.; Durand, Fábio R.; Abrão, Taufik

2015-05-01

In this article, an energy-efficiency mechanism for next-generation passive optical networks is investigated through heuristic particle swarm optimization. Ten-gigabit Ethernet-wavelength division multiplexing optical code division multiplexing-passive optical network next-generation passive optical networks are based on the use of a legacy 10-gigabit Ethernet-passive optical network with the advantage of using only an en/decoder pair of optical code division multiplexing technology, thus eliminating the en/decoder at each optical network unit. The proposed joint mechanism is based on the sleep-mode power-saving scheme for a 10-gigabit Ethernet-passive optical network, combined with a power control procedure aiming to adjust the transmitted power of the active optical network units while maximizing the overall energy-efficiency network. The particle swarm optimization based power control algorithm establishes the optimal transmitted power in each optical network unit according to the network pre-defined quality of service requirements. The objective is controlling the power consumption of the optical network unit according to the traffic demand by adjusting its transmitter power in an attempt to maximize the number of transmitted bits with minimum energy consumption, achieving maximal system energy efficiency. Numerical results have revealed that it is possible to save 75% of energy consumption with the proposed particle swarm optimization based sleep-mode energy-efficiency mechanism compared to 55% energy savings when just a sleeping-mode-based mechanism is deployed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perrin, Tess E.; Davis, Robert G.; Wilkerson, Andrea M.

This GATEWAY project evaluated four field installations to better understand the long-term performance of a number of LED products, which can hopefully stimulate improvements in designing, manufacturing, specifying, procuring, and installing LED products. Field studies provide the opportunity to discover and investigate issues that cannot be simulated or uncovered in a laboratory, but the installed performance over time of commercially available LED products has not been well documented. Improving long-term performance can provide both direct energy savings by reducing the need to over-light to account for light loss and indirect energy savings through better market penetration due to SSL’s competitivemore » advantages over less-efficient light source technologies. The projects evaluated for this report illustrate that SSL use is often motivated by advantages other than energy savings, including maintenance savings, easier integration with control systems, and improved lighting quality.« less

Electrically switchable polymer stabilised broadband infrared reflectors and their potential as smart windows for energy saving in buildings.

PubMed

Khandelwal, Hitesh; Loonen, Roel C G M; Hensen, Jan L M; Debije, Michael G; Schenning, Albertus P H J

2015-07-01

Electrically switchable broadband infrared reflectors that are relatively transparent in the visible region have been fabricated using polymer stabilised cholesteric liquid crystals. The IR reflectors can change their reflection/transmission properties by applying a voltage in response to changes in environmental conditions. Simulations predict that a significant amount of energy can be saved on heating, cooling and lighting of buildings in places such as Madrid by using this switchable IR reflector. We have also fabricated a switchable IR reflector which can also generate electricity. These polymer based switchable IR reflectors are of high potential as windows of automobiles and buildings to control interior temperatures and save energy.

Electrically switchable polymer stabilised broadband infrared reflectors and their potential as smart windows for energy saving in buildings

PubMed Central

Khandelwal, Hitesh; Loonen, Roel C. G. M.; Hensen, Jan L. M.; Debije, Michael G.; Schenning, Albertus P. H. J.

2015-01-01

Electrically switchable broadband infrared reflectors that are relatively transparent in the visible region have been fabricated using polymer stabilised cholesteric liquid crystals. The IR reflectors can change their reflection/transmission properties by applying a voltage in response to changes in environmental conditions. Simulations predict that a significant amount of energy can be saved on heating, cooling and lighting of buildings in places such as Madrid by using this switchable IR reflector. We have also fabricated a switchable IR reflector which can also generate electricity. These polymer based switchable IR reflectors are of high potential as windows of automobiles and buildings to control interior temperatures and save energy. PMID:26132328

A New Curriculum: Energy Outsourcing Brings Cost and Efficiency Benefits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickerman, Robert N.

2002-01-01

Considers the value of colleges and universities upgrading their energy infrastructure and using outsourcing energy management functions to save money and gain greater control of energy operations without substantial investments in staff and resources. (GR)

Technology Solutions Case Study: Advanced Boiler Load Monitoring Controls, Chicago, Illinois

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2014-09-01

Most of Chicago’s older multifamily housing stock is heated by centrally metered steam or hydronic systems. The cost of heat is typically absorbed into the owner’s operating cost and is then passed to tenants. Central boilers typically have long service lifetimes; the incentive for retrofit system efficiency upgrades is greater than equipment replacement for the efficiency-minded owner. System improvements as the “low-hanging fruit” are familiar, from improved pipe insulation to aftermarket controls such as outdoor temperature reset (OTR) or lead/lag controllers for sites with multiple boilers. Beyond these initial system efficiency upgrades are an emerging class of Advanced Load Monitoringmore » (ALM) aftermarket controllers that dynamically respond to the boiler load, with claims of 10% to 30% of fuel savings over a heating season. In this project, the Building America team Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit (PARR) installed and monitored an ALM aftermarket controller, the M2G from Greffen Systems, at two Chicago area multifamily buildings with existing OTR control. Results show that energy savings depend on the degree to which boilers are oversized for their load, represented by cycling rates. Also, savings vary over the heating season with cycling rates, with greater savings observed in shoulder months. Over the monitoring period, oversized boilers at one site showed reductions in cycling and energy consumption in line with prior laboratory studies, while less oversized boilers at another site showed muted savings.« less

Wireless Sensor Networks: Monitoring and Control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hastbacka, Mildred; Ponoum, Ratcharit; Bouza, Antonio

2013-05-31

The article discusses wireless sensor technologies for building energy monitoring and control. This article, also, addresses wireless sensor networks as well as benefits and challenges of using wireless sensors. The energy savings and market potential of wireless sensors are reviewed.

Motion control of multi-actuator hydraulic systems for mobile machineries: Recent advancements and future trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Bing; Cheng, Min

2018-06-01

This paper presents a survey of recent advancements and upcoming trends in motion control technologies employed in designing multi-actuator hydraulic systems for mobile machineries. Hydraulic systems have been extensively used in mobile machineries due to their superior power density and robustness. However, motion control technologies of multi-actuator hydraulic systems have faced increasing challenges due to stringent emission regulations. In this study, an overview of the evolution of existing throttling control technologies is presented, including open-center and load sensing controls. Recent advancements in energy-saving hydraulic technologies, such as individual metering, displacement, and hybrid controls, are briefly summarized. The impact of energy-saving hydraulic technologies on dynamic performance and control solutions are also discussed. Then, the advanced operation methods of multi-actuator mobile machineries are reviewed, including coordinated and haptic controls. Finally, challenges and opportunities of advanced motion control technologies are presented by providing an overall consideration of energy efficiency, controllability, cost, reliability, and other aspects.

Environmental optimal control strategies based on plant canopy photosynthesis responses and greenhouse climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Lujuan; Xie, Songhe; Cui, Jiantao; Liu, Tao

2006-11-01

It is the essential goal of intelligent greenhouse environment optimal control to enhance income of cropper and energy save. There were some characteristics such as uncertainty, imprecision, nonlinear, strong coupling, bigger inertia and different time scale in greenhouse environment control system. So greenhouse environment optimal control was not easy and especially model-based optimal control method was more difficult. So the optimal control problem of plant environment in intelligent greenhouse was researched. Hierarchical greenhouse environment control system was constructed. In the first level data measuring was carried out and executive machine was controlled. Optimal setting points of climate controlled variable in greenhouse was calculated and chosen in the second level. Market analysis and planning were completed in third level. The problem of the optimal setting point was discussed in this paper. Firstly the model of plant canopy photosynthesis responses and the model of greenhouse climate model were constructed. Afterwards according to experience of the planting expert, in daytime the optimal goals were decided according to the most maximal photosynthesis rate principle. In nighttime on plant better growth conditions the optimal goals were decided by energy saving principle. Whereafter environment optimal control setting points were computed by GA. Compared the optimal result and recording data in real system, the method is reasonable and can achieve energy saving and the maximal photosynthesis rate in intelligent greenhouse

An Adaptive Intelligent Integrated Lighting Control Approach for High-Performance Office Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karizi, Nasim

An acute and crucial societal problem is the energy consumed in existing commercial buildings. There are 1.5 million commercial buildings in the U.S. with only about 3% being built each year. Hence, existing buildings need to be properly operated and maintained for several decades. Application of integrated centralized control systems in buildings could lead to more than 50% energy savings. This research work demonstrates an innovative adaptive integrated lighting control approach which could achieve significant energy savings and increase indoor comfort in high performance office buildings. In the first phase of the study, a predictive algorithm was developed and validated through experiments in an actual test room. The objective was to regulate daylight on a specified work plane by controlling the blind slat angles. Furthermore, a sensor-based integrated adaptive lighting controller was designed in Simulink which included an innovative sensor optimization approach based on genetic algorithm to minimize the number of sensors and efficiently place them in the office. The controller was designed based on simple integral controllers. The objective of developed control algorithm was to improve the illuminance situation in the office through controlling the daylight and electrical lighting. To evaluate the performance of the system, the controller was applied on experimental office model in Lee et al.'s research study in 1998. The result of the developed control approach indicate a significantly improvement in lighting situation and 1-23% and 50-78% monthly electrical energy savings in the office model, compared to two static strategies when the blinds were left open and closed during the whole year respectively.

Energy-Efficient and Comfortable Buildings through Multivariate Integrated Control (ECoMIC)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Birru, Dagnachew; Wen, Yao-Jung; Rubinstein, Francis M.

2013-10-28

This project aims to develop an integrated control solution for enhanced energy efficiency and user comfort in commercial buildings. The developed technology is a zone-based control framework that minimizes energy usage while maintaining occupants’ visual and thermal comfort through control of electric lights, motorized venetian blinds and thermostats. The control framework is designed following a modular, scalable and flexible architecture to facilitate easy integration with exiting building management systems. The control framework contains two key algorithms: 1) the lighting load balancing algorithm and 2) the thermostat control algorithm. The lighting load balancing algorithm adopts a model-based closed-loop control approach tomore » determine the optimal electric light and venetian blind settings. It is formulated into an optimization problem with minimizing lighting-related energy consumptions as the objective and delivering adequate task light and preventing daylight glare as the constraints. The thermostat control algorithm is based on a well-established thermal comfort model and formulated as a root-finding problem to dynamically determine the optimal thermostat setpoint for both energy savings and improved thermal comfort. To address building-wide scalability, a system architecture was developed for the zone-based control technology. Three levels of services are defined in the architecture: external services, facility level services and zone level services. The zone-level service includes the control algorithms described above as well as the corresponding interfaces, profiles, sensors and actuators to realize the zone controller. The facility level services connect to the zones through a backbone network, handle supervisory level information and controls, and thus facilitate building-wide scalability. The external services provide communication capability to entities outside of the building for grid interaction and remote access. Various aspects of the developed control technology were evaluated and verified through both simulations and testbed implementations. Simulations coupling a DOE medium office reference building in EnergyPlus building simulation software and a prototype controller in Matlab were performed. During summer time in a mixed-humid climate zone, the simulations revealed reductions of 27% and 42% in electric lighting load and cooling load, respectively, when compared to an advanced base case with daylight dimming and blinds automatically tilted to block direct sun. Two single-room testbeds were established. The testbed at Philips Lighting business building (Rosemont, IL) was designed for quantifying energy performance of integrated controls. This particular implementation achieved 40% and 79% savings on lighting and HVAC energy, respectively, compared to a relatively simple base case operated on predefined schedules. While the resulting energy savings was very encouraging, it should be noted that there may be several caveats associated with it. 1) The test was run during late spring and early summer, and the savings numbers might not be directly used to extrapolate the annual energy savings. 2) Due to the needs for separate control and metering of the small-scale demonstrator within a large building, the HVAC system, hence the corresponding savings, did not represent a typical energy code-compliant design. 3) The light level in the control case was regulated at a particular setpoint, which was lower than then the full-on light level in the base case, and the savings resulted from tuning down the light level to the setpoint was not attributable to the contribution of the developed technology. The testbed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, CA) specifically focused on glare control integration, and has demonstrated the feasibility and capability of the glare detection and prevention technique. While the short one-month test in this testbed provided a functional indication of the developed technology, and it would require at least a full solstice-to-solstice cycle to ruinously quantify the performance, which was not possible within the project timeframe. There are certain limitations inherited from the operational assumptions, which could potentially affect the effectiveness and applicability of the developed control technologies. The system takes a typical ceiling-mounting approach for the photosensor locations, and therefore, the control performance relies on proper commissioning or the built-in intelligence of the photosensor for pertinent task light level estimations. For spaces where daylight penetration diminishes significantly deeper into the zone, certain modification to the control algorithms is required to accommodate multiple lighting control subzones and the corresponding sensors for providing a more uniform light level across the entire zone. Integrated control of visual and thermal comfort requires the lighting control zone and thermal control zone to coincide with each other. In other words, the area illuminated by a lighting circuit needs to be the same area served by the thermostat. Thus, the original zoning will potentially constrain the applicability of this technology in retrofitting projects. This project demonstrated the technical feasibility of a zone-based integrated control technology. From the simulation results and testbed implementations, up to 60% lighting energy savings in daylit areas relative to a “no-controls” case can easily be achieved. A 20% reduction of whole building energy consumption is also attainable. In the aspect of occupant comfort, the testbed demonstrated the ability to maintain specified light level on the workplane while promptly mitigate daylight glare 90% of the time. The control system also managed to maintain the thermal environment at a comfortable level 90% of the time. The aspect of system scalability was guaranteed by the system architecture design, based on which the testbeds were instantiated. Analysis on the aspect of economic benefit has yielded an about 6-year payback time for a medium-sized building, including the installation of all hardware and software, such as motorized blinds and LED luminaires. The payback time can be significantly reduced if part of the hardware is already in place for retrofitting projects. It needs to be noted that since the payback analysis was partly based on the testbed performance results, it is constrained by the caveats associated with the testbed implementations. The main uncertainty lies in the contribution from the space conditioning energy savings as it was non-trivial to realistically configure a room-size HVAC system for directly extrapolating whole-building HVAC energy savings. It is recommended to further evaluate the developed technology at a larger scale, where the lighting and HVAC energy consumption can be realistically measured at the building level, to more rigorously quantify the performance potentials.« less

Air source integrated heat pump simulation model for EnergyPlus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shen, Bo; New, Joshua; Baxter, Van

An Air Source Integrated Heat Pump (AS-IHP) is an air source, multi-functional spacing conditioning unit with water heating function (WH), which can lead to great energy savings by recovering the condensing waste heat for domestic water heating. This paper summarizes development of the EnergyPlus AS-IHP model, introducing the physics, sub-models, working modes, and control logic. Based on the model, building energy simulations were conducted to demonstrate greater than 50% annual energy savings, in comparison to a baseline heat pump with electric water heater, over 10 US cities, using the EnergyPlus quick-service restaurant template building. We assessed water heating energy savingmore » potentials using AS-IHP versus both gas and electric baseline systems, and pointed out climate zones where AS-IHPs are promising. In addition, a grid integration strategy was investigated to reveal further energy saving and electricity cost reduction potentials, via increasing the water heating set point temperature during off-peak hours and using larger water tanks.« less

Automatic Energy Schemes for High Performance Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sundriyal, Vaibhav

Although high-performance computing traditionally focuses on the efficient execution of large-scale applications, both energy and power have become critical concerns when approaching exascale. Drastic increases in the power consumption of supercomputers affect significantly their operating costs and failure rates. In modern microprocessor architectures, equipped with dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) and CPU clock modulation (throttling), the power consumption may be controlled in software. Additionally, network interconnect, such as Infiniband, may be exploited to maximize energy savings while the application performance loss and frequency switching overheads must be carefully balanced. This work first studies two important collective communication operations, all-to-allmore » and allgather and proposes energy saving strategies on the per-call basis. Next, it targets point-to-point communications to group them into phases and apply frequency scaling to them to save energy by exploiting the architectural and communication stalls. Finally, it proposes an automatic runtime system which combines both collective and point-to-point communications into phases, and applies throttling to them apart from DVFS to maximize energy savings. The experimental results are presented for NAS parallel benchmark problems as well as for the realistic parallel electronic structure calculations performed by the widely used quantum chemistry package GAMESS. Close to the maximum energy savings were obtained with a substantially low performance loss on the given platform.« less

Applying energy-conservation retrofits to standard Army buildings: Data analysis and recommendations. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Westervelt, E.T.; Northup, G.R.; Lawrie, L.K.

1990-09-01

This report describes the data analysis and recommendations of a project demonstrating the energy performance of theoretically based retrofit packages on existing standard Army building at Fort Carson, CO. Four standard designs were investigated: a motor vehicle repair shop, the Type 64 (L-shaped) barracks, an enlisted personnel mess hall, and a two-company, rolling-pin-shaped barracks for enlisted personnel. The tested conservation measures included envelope and system modifications. Energy data were gathered and analyzed from 14 buildings. Based on measured savings and current costs of fuel and construction, none of the four original packages are life-cycle cost-effective at present, but two maymore » become effective in the near future. Of higher priority for energy and cost savings is the improvement of building operations, in particular heat production and distribution systems, which lack efficiency and control. Followup work at the L-shaped barracks yielded substantial savings, with a saving-to-investment ration of 5 to 1. Cost scenarios, energy models, and building were developed for the original retrofits to assess applicability elsewhere and in the future.« less

Grant management procedure for energy saving TDM-PONs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaelddin, Fuad Yousif Mohammed; Newaz, S. H. Shah; AL-Hazemi, Fawaz; Choi, Jun Kyun

2018-01-01

In order to minimize energy consumption in Time Division Multiplexing-Passive Optical Network (TDM-PON), IEEE and ITU-T have mandated sleep mode mechanism for Optical Network Units (ONUs) in the latest TDM-PON standards (e.g. IEEE P1904.1 SIEPON, ITU-T G.sup45). The sleep mode mechanism is a promising mean for maximizing energy saving in an ONU. An ONU in sleep mode flips between sleep and active state depending on the presence or absent of upstream and downstream frames. To ensure Quality of Service (QoS) of upstream frames, the recent TDM-PON standards introduced an early wake-up mechanism, in which an ONU is forced to leave the sleep state on upstream frame arrival. When the Optical Line Terminal (OLT) of a TDM-PON allows early wake-up of its connected ONUs, it allocates gratuitous grants for the sleeping ONUs along with allocating upstream grants for the ONUs in active state. Note that, the gratuitous grants control message sent periodically by the OLT on Inter-Gratuitous grant Interval (IGI) time. After leaving sleep state due to the arrival of upstream frame, the ONU uses its allocated gratuitous grant to send a control message mentioning the amount of upstream bandwidth (upstream grant) required in order to forward the remaining frames in its buffer. However, the existing early wake-up process of ONU can lead to increase the energy consumption of an ONU. It is because of the ONU wakes-up immediately from the sleep state on arrival of the upstream frame, but even so, it needs to wait for forwarding the frame until its allocated gratuitous grant period, resulting in spending energy unnecessarily. In addition, current energy saving solution for TDM-PONs do not provide a clear solution on how to manage different types of grants (e.g. listening grant, upstream transmission grant) within a Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation (DBA) polling cycle. To address this problem, we propose a state-of-art Grant Management Procedure (GMP) in order to maximize energy saving in a TDM-PON with sleep mode enabled ONUs. GMP contributes in defining the location of the different types of grants during a DBA polling cycle. Furthermore, GMP devises a mechanism so as to allow an ONU to predict its assigned gratuitous grant control message arrival time, thereby allowing an ONU to remain its transceiver unit powered off until the arrival period of the next gratuitous grant control message, increasing the energy saving of the ONU. Results show that, with the increment of IGI, the energy saving performance of an ONU with GMP increases noticeably in compare to a conventional ONU (an ONU that does not use GMP) without imposing any additional upstream frame delay.

Research on speed control of secondary regulation lifting system of parking equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, Faye

2005-12-01

Hydrostatic transmission with secondary regulation is a new kind of hydrostatic transmission that can regenerate inertial and gravitational energy of load. On the basis of an in-depth analysis of the working principles and energy-saving mechanisms of the parking equipment lifting systems with, secondary regulating technology, this paper proposes a method of regenerating a lifting system's inertial energy by controlling rotational speed and reclaiming the gravitational energy by use of a constant rotational speed. Considering large changes of the parameters of lifting systems and then non-linearity, a fuzzy control was adopted to control the lifting system, and a mathematical model of the system was established. By simulation and experiment of the lifting system, the conclusion was reached a lifting system's braking achieved by controlling rotational speed is reliable and stable at a definite speed. It also permits changing the efficiency of recovery by changing the rotational speed. The design power of the lifting system can be chosen in terms of the system's average power, so the system's power can be reduced and energy savings achieved.

Energy saving and recovery measures in integrated urban water systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freni, Gabriele; Sambito, Mariacrocetta

2017-11-01

The present paper describes different energy production, recovery and saving measures which can be applied in an integrated urban water system. Production measures are often based on the installation of photovoltaic systems; the recovery measures are commonly based on hydraulic turbines, exploiting the available pressure potential to produce energy; saving measures are based on substitution of old pumps with higher efficiency ones. The possibility of substituting some of the pipes of the water supply system can be also considered in a recovery scenario in order to reduce leakages and recovery part of the energy needed for water transport and treatment. The reduction of water losses can be obtained through the Active Leakage Control (ALC) strategies resulting in a reduction in energy consumption and in environmental impact. Measures were applied to a real case study to tested it the efficiency, i.e., the integrated urban water system of the Palermo metropolitan area in Sicily (Italy).

Moonlight project promotes energy-saving technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishihara, A.

1986-01-01

In promoting energy saving, development of energy conservation technologies aimed at raising energy efficiency in the fields of energy conversion, its transportation, its storage, and its consumption is considered, along with enactment of legal actions urging rational use of energies and implementation of an enlightenment campaign for energy conservation to play a crucial role. Under the Moonlight Project, technical development is at present being centered around the following six pillars: (1) large scale energy saving technology; (2) pioneering and fundamental energy saving technology; (3) international cooperative research project; (4) research and survey of energy saving technology; (5) energy saving technology development by private industry; and (6) promotion of energy saving through standardization. Heat pumps, magnetohydrodynamic generators and fuel cells are discussed.

Using Cool Roofs to Reduce Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Urban Heat-island Effects: Findings from an India Experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akbari, Hashem; Xu, Tengfang; Taha, Haider

Cool roofs, cool pavements, and urban vegetation reduce energy use in buildings, lower local air pollutant concentrations, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions from urban areas. This report summarizes the results of a detailed monitoring project in India and related simulations of meteorology and air quality in three developing countries. The field results quantified direct energy savings from installation of cool roofs on individual commercial buildings. The measured annual energy savings potential from roof-whitening of previously black roofs ranged from 20-22 kWh/m2 of roof area, corresponding to an air-conditioning energy use reduction of 14-26% in commercial buildings. The study estimated thatmore » typical annual savings of 13-14 kWh/m2 of roof area could be achieved by applying white coating to uncoated concrete roofs on commercial buildings in the Metropolitan Hyderabad region, corresponding to cooling energy savings of 10-19%. With the assumption of an annual increase of 100,000 square meters of new roof construction for the next 10 years in the Metropolitan Hyderabad region, the annual cooling energy savings due to whitening concrete roof would be 13-14 GWh of electricity in year ten alone, with cumulative 10-year cooling energy savings of 73-79 GWh for the region. The estimated savings for the entire country would be at least 10 times the savings in Hyderabad, i.e., more than 730-790 GWh. We estimated that annual direct CO2 reduction associated with reduced energy use would be 11-12 kg CO2/m2 of flat concrete roof area whitened, and the cumulative 10-year CO2 reduction would be approximately 0.60-0.65 million tons in India. With the price of electricity estimated at seven Rupees per kWh, the annual electricity savings on air-conditioning would be approximately 93-101 Rupees per m2 of roof. This would translate into annual national savings of approximately one billion Rupees in year ten, and cumulative 10-year savings of over five billion Rupees for cooling energy in India. Meteorological simulations in this study indicated that a reduction of 2C in air temperature in the Hyderabad area would be likely if a combination of increased surface albedo and vegetative cover are used as urban heat-island control strategies. In addition, air-temperature reductions on the order of 2.5-3.5C could be achieved if moderate and aggressive heat-island mitigation measures are adopted, respectively. A large-scale deployment of mitigation measures can bring additional indirect benefit to the urban area. For example, cooling outside air can improve the efficiency of cooling systems, reduce smog and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and indirectly reduce pollution from power plants - all improving environmental health quality. This study has demonstrated the effectiveness of cool-roof technology as one of the urban heat-island control strategies for the Indian industrial and scientific communities and has provided an estimate of the national energy savings potential of cool roofs in India. These outcomes can be used for developing cool-roof building standards and related policies in India. Additional field studies, built upon the successes and lessons learned from this project, may be helpful to further confirm the scale of potential energy savings from the application of cooler roofs in various regions of India. In the future, a more rigorous meteorological simulation using urbanized (meso-urban) meteorological models should be conducted, which may produce a more accurate estimate of the air-temperature reductions for the entire urban area.« less

Energy saving and consumption reducing evaluation of thermal power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Xiu; Han, Miaomiao

2018-03-01

At present, energy saving and consumption reduction require energy saving and consumption reduction measures for thermal power plant, establishing an evaluation system for energy conservation and consumption reduction is instructive for the whole energy saving work of thermal power plant. By analysing the existing evaluation system of energy conservation and consumption reduction, this paper points out that in addition to the technical indicators of power plant, market activities should also be introduced in the evaluation of energy saving and consumption reduction in power plant. Ttherefore, a new evaluation index of energy saving and consumption reduction is set up and the example power plant is calculated in this paper. Rresults show that after introducing the new evaluation index of energy saving and consumption reduction, the energy saving effect of the power plant can be judged more comprehensively, so as to better guide the work of energy saving and consumption reduction in power plant.

Reported Energy and Cost Savings from the DOE ESPC Program: FY 2014

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slattery, Bob S.

2015-03-01

The objective of this work was to determine the realization rate of energy and cost savings from the Department of Energy’s Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) program based on information reported by the energy services companies (ESCOs) that are carrying out ESPC projects at federal sites. Information was extracted from 156 Measurement and Verification (M&V) reports to determine reported, estimated, and guaranteed cost savings and reported and estimated energy savings for the previous contract year. Because the quality of the reports varied, it was not possible to determine all of these parameters for each project. For all 156 projects, theremore » was sufficient information to compare estimated, reported, and guaranteed cost savings. For this group, the total estimated cost savings for the reporting periods addressed were $210.6 million, total reported cost savings were $215.1 million, and total guaranteed cost savings were $204.5 million. This means that on average: ESPC contractors guaranteed 97% of the estimated cost savings; projects reported achieving 102% of the estimated cost savings; and projects reported achieving 105% of the guaranteed cost savings. For 155 of the projects examined, there was sufficient information to compare estimated and reported energy savings. On the basis of site energy, estimated savings for those projects for the previous year totaled 11.938 million MMBtu, and reported savings were 12.138 million MMBtu, 101.7% of the estimated energy savings. On the basis of source energy, total estimated energy savings for the 155 projects were 19.052 million MMBtu, and reported saving were 19.516 million MMBtu, 102.4% of the estimated energy savings.« less

Facilitating energy savings with programmable thermostats: evaluation and guidelines for the thermostat user interface.

PubMed

Peffer, Therese; Perry, Daniel; Pritoni, Marco; Aragon, Cecilia; Meier, Alan

2013-01-01

Thermostats control heating and cooling in homes - representing a major part of domestic energy use - yet, poor ergonomics of these devices has thwarted efforts to reduce energy consumption. Theoretically, programmable thermostats can reduce energy by 5-15%, but in practice little to no savings compared to manual thermostats are found. Several studies have found that programmable thermostats are not installed properly, are generally misunderstood and have poor usability. After conducting a usability study of programmable thermostats, we reviewed several guidelines from ergonomics, general device usability, computer-human interfaces and building control sources. We analysed the characteristics of thermostats that enabled or hindered successfully completing tasks and in a timely manner. Subjects had higher success rates with thermostat displays with positive examples of guidelines, such as visibility of possible actions, consistency and standards, and feedback. We suggested other guidelines that seemed missing, such as navigation cues, clear hierarchy and simple decision paths. Our evaluation of a usability test of five residential programmable thermostats led to the development of a comprehensive set of specific guidelines for thermostat design including visibility of possible actions, consistency, standards, simple decision paths and clear hierarchy. Improving the usability of thermostats may facilitate energy savings.

Control allocation-based adaptive control for greenhouse climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yuanping; Xu, Lihong; Goodman, Erik D.

2018-04-01

This paper presents an adaptive approach to greenhouse climate control, as part of an integrated control and management system for greenhouse production. In this approach, an adaptive control algorithm is first derived to guarantee the asymptotic convergence of the closed system with uncertainty, then using that control algorithm, a controller is designed to satisfy the demands for heat and mass fluxes to maintain inside temperature, humidity and CO2 concentration at their desired values. Instead of applying the original adaptive control inputs directly, second, a control allocation technique is applied to distribute the demands of the heat and mass fluxes to the actuators by minimising tracking errors and energy consumption. To find an energy-saving solution, both single-objective optimisation (SOO) and multiobjective optimisation (MOO) in the control allocation structure are considered. The advantage of the proposed approach is that it does not require any a priori knowledge of the uncertainty bounds, and the simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. It also indicates that MOO saves more energy in the control process.

Quantifying Adoption Rates and Energy Savings Over Time for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanes, Rebecca; Carpenter Petri, Alberta C; Riddle, Matt

Energy-efficient manufacturing technologies can reduce energy consumption and lower operating costs for an individual manufacturing facility, but increased process complexity and the resulting risk of disruption means that manufacturers may be reluctant to adopt such technologies. In order to quantify potential energy savings at scales larger than a single facility, it is necessary to account for how quickly and how widely the technology will be adopted by manufacturers. This work develops a methodology for estimating energy-efficient manufacturing technology adoption rates using quantitative, objectively measurable technology characteristics, including energetic, economic and technical criteria. Twelve technology characteristics are considered, and each characteristicmore » is assigned an importance weight that reflects its impact on the overall technology adoption rate. Technology characteristic data and importance weights are used to calculate the adoption score, a number between 0 and 1 that represents how quickly the technology is likely to be adopted. The adoption score is then used to estimate parameters for the Bass diffusion curve, which quantifies the change in the number of new technology adopters in a population over time. Finally, energy savings at the sector level are calculated over time by multiplying the number of new technology adopters at each time step with the technology's facility-level energy savings. The proposed methodology will be applied to five state-of-the-art energy-efficient technologies in the carbon fiber composites sector, with technology data obtained from the Department of Energy's 2016 bandwidth study. Because the importance weights used in estimating the Bass curve parameters are subjective, a sensitivity analysis will be performed on the weights to obtain a range of parameters for each technology. The potential energy savings for each technology and the rate at which each technology is adopted in the sector are quantified and used to identify the technologies which offer the greatest cumulative sector-level energy savings over a period of 20 years. Preliminary analysis indicates that relatively simple technologies, such as efficient furnaces, will be adopted more quickly and result in greater cumulative energy savings compared to more complex technologies that require process retrofitting, such as advanced control systems.« less

Energy Savings and Persistence from an Energy Services Performance Contract at an Army Base

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

control system upgrades, lighting retrofits, vending machine controls, and cooling tower variable frequency drivers (VFDs). To accomplish the...controls were installed in the vending machines , and for the 87018 thermal plant, cooling tower VFDs were implemented. To develop baseline models...identify the reasons of improved or deteriorated energy performance of the buildings. For example, periodic submetering of the vending machines

Rules and persuasion to save energy: a description of the French connection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1977-02-07

Mr. Syrota discusses the results of France's energy program to save 45 million tons of oil equivalent in 1985 without slowing economic growth or causing undue discomfort. A combination of persuasion and tax incentives will be used to encourage lower consumption. Industry requires stronger regulations, tax incentives (such as taxes on heavy oils), and advertising restrictions. France's per capita energy consumption in 1973 was already the lowest of the industrialized nations. Success of the program's first two years is credited to the efforts of individuals, but now new policy initiatives must be made to encourage investment in energy conservation asmore » opposed to energy production. Reduced imports because of conservation will achieve the same balance of payments advantage as increased exports. Demonstration projects will promote waste heat recovery as a significant area for energy savings. Residential efforts include lowering thermostats, improving insulation and temperature control, and encouraging heat pumps and the use of waste heat. (DCK)« less

Bandwidth Study on Energy Use and Potential Energy Saving Opportunities in U.S. Pulp and Paper Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sabine Brueske, Caroline Kramer, Aaron Fisher

2015-06-01

Energy bandwidth studies of U.S. manufacturing sectors can serve as foundational references in framing the range (or bandwidth) of potential energy savings opportunities. This bandwidth study examines energy consumption and potential energy savings opportunities in U.S. pulp and paper manufacturing. The study relies on multiple sources to estimate the energy used in six individual process areas, representing 52% of sector-wide energy consumption. Energy savings opportunities for individual processes are based on technologies currently in use or under development; the potential savings are then extrapolated to estimate sector-wide energy savings opportunity

Bandwidth Study on Energy Use and Potential Energy Savings Opportunities in U.S. Petroleum Refining

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sabine Brueske, Caroline Kramer, Aaron Fisher

2015-06-01

Energy bandwidth studies of U.S. manufacturing sectors can serve as foundational references in framing the range (or bandwidth) of potential energy savings opportunities. This bandwidth study examines energy consumption and potential energy savings opportunities in U.S. petroleum refining. The study relies on multiple sources to estimate the energy used in nine individual process areas, representing 68% of sector-wide energy consumption. Energy savings opportunities for individual processes are based on technologies currently in use or under development; these potential savings are then extrapolated to estimate sector-wide energy savings opportunity.

Nick Laws | NREL

Science.gov Websites

, including cost savings, pollution reductions, and renewable energy portfolios. As a member of the REopt team as the electrification of the energy economy. At the distribution edge, Nick is interested in control

Energy saving achieved by limited filamentous bulking sludge under low dissolved oxygen.

PubMed

Guo, Jian-Hua; Peng, Yong-Zhen; Peng, Cheng-Yao; Wang, Shu-Ying; Chen, Ying; Huang, Hui-Jun; Sun, Zhi-Rong

2010-02-01

Limited filamentous bulking caused by low dissolved oxygen (DO) was proposed to establish a low energy consumption wastewater treatment system. This method for energy saving was derived from two full-scale field observations, which showed pollutants removal would be enhanced and energy consumption could be reduced by at least 10% using limited filamentous bulking. Furthermore, preliminary investigation including the abundance evaluation and the identification of filamentous bacteria demonstrated that the limited filamentous bulking could be repeated steadily in a lab-scale anoxic-oxic reactor fed with domestic wastewater. The sludge loss did not occur in the secondary clarifier, while COD and total nitrogen removal efficiencies were improved by controlling DO for optimal filamentous bacterial population. Suspended solids in effluent were negligible and turbidity was lower than 2 NTU, which were distinctly lower than those under no bulking. Theoretical and experimental results indicated the aeration consumption could be saved by the application of limited filamentous bulking.

Life cycle implications of urban green infrastructure.

PubMed

Spatari, Sabrina; Yu, Ziwen; Montalto, Franco A

2011-01-01

Low Impact Development (LID) is part of a new paradigm in urban water management that aims to decentralize water storage and movement functions within urban watersheds. LID strategies can restore ecosystem functions and reduce runoff loadings to municipal water pollution control facilities (WPCF). This research examines the avoided energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of select LID strategies using life cycle assessment (LCA) and a stochastic urban watershed model. We estimate annual energy savings and avoided GHG emissions of 7.3 GJ and 0.4 metric tons, respectively, for a LID strategy implemented in a neighborhood in New York City. Annual savings are small compared to the energy and GHG intensity of the LID materials, resulting in slow environmental payback times. This preliminary analysis suggests that if implemented throughout an urban watershed, LID strategies may have important energy cost savings to WPCF, and can make progress towards reducing their carbon footprint. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Insulated Concrete Homes Increase Durability and Energy Efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2001-05-01

New houses designed by Mercedes Homes in Melbourne, Florida, save their homeowners money by using energy efficient features such as a high performance heat pump and solar control glazing to reduce cooling costs.

Bandwidth Study on Energy Use and Potential Energy Saving Opportunities in U.S. Chemical Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sabine Brueske, Caroline Kramer, Aaron Fisher

Energy bandwidth studies of U.S. manufacturing sectors can serve as foundational references in framing the range (or bandwidth) of potential energy savings opportunities. This bandwidth study examines energy consumption and potential energy savings opportunities in U.S. chemical manufacturing. The study relies on multiple sources to estimate the energy used in the production of 74 individual chemicals, representing 57% of sector-wide energy consumption. Energy savings opportunities for individual chemicals and for 15 subsectors of chemicals manufacturing are based on technologies currently in use or under development; these potential savings are then extrapolated to estimate sector-wide energy savings opportunity.

Augusta Newsprint: Paper Mill Pursues Five Projects Following Plant-Wide Energy Efficiency Assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2003-07-01

Augusta Newsprint undertook a plant-wide energy efficiency assessment of its Augusta, Georgia, plant in 2001. The assessment helped the company decide to implement five energy efficiency projects. Four of the five projects will save the company 11,000 MWh of electrical energy (about$369,000) each year. The remaining project will produce more than$300,000 annually, from sale of the byproduct turpentine. The largest annual savings,$881,000, will come from eliminating Kraft pulp by using better process control. All of the projects could be applied to other paper mills and most of the projects could be applied in other industries.

Save water to save carbon and money: developing abatement costs for expanded greenhouse gas reduction portfolios.

PubMed

Stokes, Jennifer R; Hendrickson, Thomas P; Horvath, Arpad

2014-12-02

The water-energy nexus is of growing interest for researchers and policy makers because the two critical resources are interdependent. Their provision and consumption contribute to climate change through the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This research considers the potential for conserving both energy and water resources by measuring the life-cycle economic efficiency of greenhouse gas reductions through the water loss control technologies of pressure management and leak management. These costs are compared to other GHG abatement technologies: lighting, building insulation, electricity generation, and passenger transportation. Each cost is calculated using a bottom-up approach where regional and temporal variations for three different California water utilities are applied to all alternatives. The costs and abatement potential for each technology are displayed on an environmental abatement cost curve. The results reveal that water loss control can reduce GHGs at lower cost than other technologies and well below California's expected carbon trading price floor. One utility with an energy-intensive water supply could abate 135,000 Mg of GHGs between 2014 and 2035 and save--rather than spend--more than $130/Mg using the water loss control strategies evaluated. Water loss control technologies therefore should be considered in GHG abatement portfolios for utilities and policy makers.

Energy conservation, energy efficiency and energy savings regulatory hypotheses - taxation, subsidies and underlying economics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Trumpy, T.

1995-12-01

More efficient use of energy resources can be promoted by various regulatory means, i.e., taxation, subsidies, and pricing. Various incentives can be provided by income and revenue tax breaks-deductible energy audit fees, energy saving investment credits, breaks for energy saving entrepreneurs, and energy savings accounts run through utility accounts. Value added and excise taxes can also be adjusted to reward energy saving investments and energy saving entrepreneurial activity. Incentives can be provided in the form of cash refunds, including trade-in-and-scrap programs and reimbursements or subsidies on audit costs and liability insurance. Pricing incentives include lower rates for less energy use,more » prepayment of deposit related to peak load use, electronically dispatched multiple tariffs, savings credits based on prior peak use, and subsidized {open_quotes}leasing{close_quotes} of more efficient appliances and lights. Credits, with an emphasis on pooling small loans, and 5-year energy savings contracts are also discussed.« less

DOE-GO-14154-1 OHIO FINAL report Velocys 30Sept08

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Terry J. Mazanec

2008-09-30

The overall goal of the OHIO project was to develop a commercially viable high intensity process to produce ethylene by controlled catalytic reaction of ethane with oxygen in a microchannel reactor. Microchannel technology provides a breakthrough solution to the challenges identified in earlier development work on catalytic ethane oxidation. Heat and mass transfer limitations at the catalyst surface create destructively high temperatures that are responsible for increased production of waste products (CO, CO2, and CH4). The OHIO project focused on microscale energy and mass transfer management, designed to alleviate these transport limitations, thereby improving catalyst selectivity and saving energy-rich feedstock.more » The OHIO project evaluated ethane oxidation in small scale microchannel laboratory reactors including catalyst test units, and full commercial length single- and multi-channel reactors. Small scale catalyst and single channel results met target values for ethylene yields, demonstrating that the microchannel concept improves mass and heat transport compared to conventional reactors and results in improved ethylene yield. Earlier economic sensitivity studies of ethane oxidation processes suggested that only modest improvements were necessary to provide a system that provides significant feedstock, energy, and capital benefits compared to conventional steam ethane cracking. The key benefit derived from the OHIO process is energy savings. Ethylene production consumes more energy than any other U.S. chemical process.1 The OHIO process offers improved feedstock utilization and substantial energy savings due to a novel reaction pathway and the unique abilities of microchannel process technology to control the reaction temperature and other critical process parameters. Based on projected economic benefits of the process, the potential energy savings could reach 150 trillion Btu/yr by the year 2020, which is the equivalent of over 25 million barrels of oil.« less

SBIR Phase II Final Report - Multi-Protocol Energy Management Gateway for Home-Area Networks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanna, Jason

Significant amounts of electricity, natural gas, and heating oil are wasted by homeowners due to inefficient operation and inadequate maintenance of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. Coincident’s work under this award reduces energy waste, saves consumers money, and reduces carbon emissions. It does so in three ways: First, Coincident’s approach replaces the traditional thermostat with a wireless network of sensors and controllers that measure temperature, humidity and occupancy in multiple rooms in the house. The “Internet of Things” is a technology trend holding the promise of ubiquitous inexpensive sensors. The reality, however, is that energy and HVAC monitoringmore » and management is a patchwork of incompatible protocols and expensive proprietary technologies. Coincident’s multi-protocol architecture, developed in part under this award tackles this problem and brings low cost interoperable sensor and control devices to market. Second, the Coincident system eliminates hard-to-program and rigid thermostat schedules and instead provides automatic operation of heating and cooling by combining individual temperature and comfort preferences with energy-saving targets, real-time utility use information, weather data, and room utilization patterns. Energy efficiency technology must be appealing to consumers otherwise it will not be used. The Coincident user interface has engaging features such as remote control from any smart phone or web browser and per-room performance breakdowns. Expected energy savings resulting from more efficient operation of heating and air conditioning equipment are in the range of 10-20%. Third, the Coincident system provides heating and air-conditioning contractors with fine-grained performance data for every residence they support (subject to customer privacy controls). This data is integrated from diverse networks within the residence and includes HVAC performance and fuel use data. This information allows the partner to validate energy savings and identify potential system faults (whether from installation problems or maintenance issues). When combined with professional installation as part of high-efficiency HVAC upgrade, energy savings levels of 20-30% can be achieved. Economic feasibility of energy efficiency technology is one of the key challenges addressed in this award. The Coincident system is engineered to be delivered at a disruptive price point, making the system financially feasible for new and retrofit homes of all types and sizes. The Coincident system is intended to be sold through the HVAC professional—the industry most capable of improving HVAC efficiency. Providing HVAC contractors with detailed home performance data motivates them to sell the product, provides them with maintenance and upgrade revenue opportunities, and therefore delivers customer savings and environmental benefits. Having demonstrated technical and financial feasibility, Coincident has won additional grants and awards, participated in pilot projects, started partnership discussions with several HVAC equipment vendors, and has lined up several large channel partners ready to participate in large pilot rollouts.« less

Large shipyard enlists EMS control capabilities. [Energy management system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1981-10-01

The energy management plan of the Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, featuring computer technology, is described. An integral component of the plan is a plus 300-point energy management system with Phase II expansion envisaging to bring additional points under control Within the first ten months of operation, the system saved more than /89,763 in electricity costs alone.

Consumer behaviours: Teaching children to save energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grønhøj, Alice

2016-08-01

Energy-saving programmes are increasingly targeted at children to encourage household energy conservation. A study involving the assignment of energy-saving interventions to Girl Scouts shows that a child-focused intervention can improve energy-saving behaviours among children and their parents.

Energy Savings Lifetimes and Persistence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoffman, Ian M.; Schiller, Steven R.; Todd, Annika

2016-02-01

This technical brief explains the concepts of energy savings lifetimes and savings persistence and discusses how program administrators use these factors to calculate savings for efficiency measures, programs and portfolios. Savings lifetime is the length of time that one or more energy efficiency measures or activities save energy, and savings persistence is the change in savings throughout the functional life of a given efficiency measure or activity. Savings lifetimes are essential for assessing the lifecycle benefits and cost effectiveness of efficiency activities and for forecasting loads in resource planning. The brief also provides estimates of savings lifetimes derived from amore » national collection of costs and savings for electric efficiency programs and portfolios.« less

Case studies for GSHP demonstration projects in the US

DOE PAGES

Liu, Xiaobing; Malhotra, Mini; Im, Piljae

2015-07-01

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , twenty-six ground source heat pump (GSHP) projects were competitively selected and carried out to demonstrate the benefits of GSHP systems and innovative technologies for cost reduction and/or performance improvement. This article gives an overview of the case studies for six of the systems. These case studies evaluated efficiencies, energy savings, and costs of the demonstrated systems. In addition, it was found that more energy savings could be achieved if controls of GSHP system are improved.

Potential for the Use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts to Reduce Energy Consumption and Provide Energy and Cost Savings in Non-Building Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, Charles; Green, Andrew S.; Dahle, Douglas

2013-08-01

The findings of this study indicate that potential exists in non-building applications to save energy and costs. This potential could save billions of federal dollars, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, increase energy independence and security, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Federal Government has nearly twenty years of experience with achieving similar energy cost reductions, and letting the energy costs savings pay for themselves, by applying energy savings performance contracts (ESPC) inits buildings. Currently, the application of ESPCs is limited by statute to federal buildings. This study indicates that ESPCs can be a compatible and effective contracting tool for achievingmore » savings in non-building applications.« less

Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana solar energy system performance evaluation, February 1981 - June 1981

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welch, K. M.

1981-09-01

The Loyola University site is a student dormitory in New Orleans, Louisiana whose active solar energy system is designed to supply 52% of the hot water demand. The system is equipped with 4590 square feet of flat-plate collectors, a 5000-gallon water tank, auxiliary water supplied at high temperature and pressure from a central heating plant with a gas-fired boiler, and a differential controller that selects from 5 operating modes. System performance data are given, including the solar fraction, solar savings ratio, conventional fuel savings, system performance factor, and system coefficient of performance. The solar fraction is well below the design goal; this is attributed to great fluctuations in demand. Insolation, temperature, operation and solar energy utilization data are also presented. The performance of the collector, storage, and domestic hot water subsystems, the system operating energy, energy savings, and weather conditions are also evaluated. Appended are a system description, performance evaluation techniques and equations, site history, sensor technology, and typical monthly data.

Final Technical Report: Commercial Advanced Lighting Control (ALC) Demonstration and Deployment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arnold, Gabe

This three-year demonstration and deployment project sought to address market barriers to accelerating the adoption of Advanced Lighting Controls (ALCs), an underutilized technology with low market penetration. ALCs are defined as networked, addressable lighting control systems that utilize software or intelligent controllers to combine multiple energy-saving lighting control strategies in a single space (e.g., smart-time scheduling, daylight harvesting, task tuning, occupancy control, personal control, variable load-shedding, and plug-load control). The networked intelligent aspect of these systems allows applicable lighting control strategies to be combined in a single space, layered over one another, maximizing overall energy-savings. The project included five realmore » building demonstrations of ALCs across the Northeast US region. The demonstrations provided valuable data and experience to support deployment tasks that are necessary to overcome market barriers. These deployment tasks included development of training resources for building designers, installers, and trades, as well as development of new energy efficiency rebates for the technology from Efficiency Forward’s utility partners. Educating designers, installers, and trades on ALCs is a critical task for reducing the cost of the technology that is currently inflated due to perceived complexity and unfamiliarity with how to design and install the systems. Further, utility and non-utility energy efficiency programs continue to relegate the technology to custom or ill-suited prescriptive program designs that do not effectively deploy the technology at scale. This project developed new, scalable rebate approaches for the technology. Efficiency Forward utilized their DesignLights Consortium® (DLC) brand and network of 81 DLC member utilities to develop and deploy the results of the project. The outputs of the project have included five published case studies, a six-hour ALC technology training curriculum that has already been deployed in five US states, and new rebates offered for the technology that have been deployed by a dozen utilities across the US. Widespread adoption of ALC technology in commercial buildings would provide tremendous benefits. The current market penetration of ALC systems is estimated at <0.1% in commercial buildings. If ALC systems were installed in all commercial buildings, approximately 1,051 TBtu of energy could be saved. This would translate into customer cost savings of approximately $10.7 billion annually.« less

Impact of Sustainable Cool Roof Technology on Building Energy Consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuppuluri, Prem Kiran

Highly reflective roofing systems have been analyzed over several decades to evaluate their ability to meet sustainability goals, including reducing building energy consumption and mitigating the urban heat island. Studies have isolated and evaluated the effects of climate, surface reflectivity, and roof insulation on energy savings, thermal load mitigation and also ameliorating the urban heat island. Other sustainable roofing systems, like green-roofs and solar panels have been similarly evaluated. The motivation for the present study is twofold: the first goal is to present a method for simultaneous evaluation and inter-comparison of multiple roofing systems, and the second goal is to quantitatively evaluate the realized heating and cooling energy savings associated with a white roof system compared to the reduction in roof-top heat flux. To address the first research goal a field experiment was conducted at the International Harvester Building located in Portland, OR. Thermal data was collected for a white roof, vegetated roof, and a solar panel shaded vegetated roof, and the heat flux through these roofing systems was compared against a control patch of conventional dark roof membrane. The second research goal was accomplished using a building energy simulation program to determine the impact of roof area and roof insulation on the savings from a white roof, in both Portland and Phoenix. The ratio of cooling energy savings to roof heat flux reduction from replacing a dark roof with a white roof was 1:4 for the month of July, and 1:5 annually in Portland. The COP of the associated chillers ranges from 2.8-4.2, indicating that the ratio of cooling energy savings to heat flux reduction is not accounted for solely by the COP of the chillers. The results of the building simulation indicate that based on energy savings alone, white roofs are not an optimal choice for Portland. The benefits associated with cooling energy savings relative to a black roof are offset by the winter-time penalty, and the net benefit from adopting white roof technology in Portland is small. That said, there are other potential benefits of white roofing such as impact on urban heat islands and roof life that must also be considered.

Advanced Lighting Controls for Reducing Energy Use and Cost in DoD Installations

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

of advanced lighting control strategies including occupancy sensing, light tuning, daylight harvesting and proper lighting design is an effective way...details of this project and the results obtained. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Integrated lighting controls, occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting , personalized...provide energy savings through occupancy sensing, dimming and daylight harvesting . II. Dynalite is a distributed control-based, wired networked building

Load leveling on industrial refrigeration systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bierenbaum, H. S.; Kraus, A. D.

1982-01-01

A computer model was constructed of a brewery with a 2000 horsepower compressor/refrigeration system. The various conservation and load management options were simulated using the validated model. The savings available for implementing the most promising options were verified by trials in the brewery. Result show that an optimized methodology for implementing load leveling and energy conservation consisted of: (1) adjusting (or tuning) refrigeration systems controller variables to minimize unnecessary compressor starts, (2) The primary refrigeration system operating parameters, compressor suction pressure, and discharge pressure are carefully controlled (modulated) to satisfy product quality constraints (as well as in-process material cooling rates and temperature levels) and energy evaluating the energy cost savings associated with reject heat recovery, and (4) a decision is made to implement the reject heat recovery system based on a cost/benefits analysis.

Thermal dynamic simulation of wall for building energy efficiency under varied climate environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xuejin; Zhang, Yujin; Hong, Jing

2017-08-01

Aiming at different kind of walls in five cities of different zoning for thermal design, using thermal instantaneous response factors method, the author develops software to calculation air conditioning cooling load temperature, thermal response factors, and periodic response factors. On the basis of the data, the author gives the net work analysis about the influence of dynamic thermal of wall on air-conditioning load and thermal environment in building of different zoning for thermal design regional, and put forward the strategy how to design thermal insulation and heat preservation wall base on dynamic thermal characteristic of wall under different zoning for thermal design regional. And then provide the theory basis and the technical references for the further study on the heat preservation with the insulation are in the service of energy saving wall design. All-year thermal dynamic load simulating and energy consumption analysis for new energy-saving building is very important in building environment. This software will provide the referable scientific foundation for all-year new thermal dynamic load simulation, energy consumption analysis, building environment systems control, carrying through farther research on thermal particularity and general particularity evaluation for new energy -saving walls building. Based on which, we will not only expediently design system of building energy, but also analyze building energy consumption and carry through scientific energy management. The study will provide the referable scientific foundation for carrying through farther research on thermal particularity and general particularity evaluation for new energy saving walls building.

Energy Savings Analysis for Energy Monitoring and Control Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

for evaluating design and construction a:-0 quality, and for studying the effectiveness of air - tightening AC retrofits. No simple relationship...Energy These models of residential infiltration are based on statistical "Resource Center (1983) include information on air tightening in fits of

Adapting Wireless Technology to Lighting Control and Environmental Sensing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dana Teasdale; Francis Rubinstein; David S. Watson

Although advanced lighting control systems offer significant energy savings, the high cost of retrofitting buildings with advanced lighting control systems is a barrier to adoption of this energy-saving technology. Wireless technology, however, offers a solution to mounting installation costs since it requires no additional wiring to implement. To demonstrate the feasibility of such a system, a prototype wirelessly-controlled advanced lighting system was designed and built. The system includes the following components: a wirelessly-controllable analog circuit module (ACM), a wirelessly-controllable electronic dimmable ballast, a T8 3-lamp fixture, an environmental multi-sensor, a current transducer, and control software. The ACM, dimmable ballast, multi-sensor,more » and current transducer were all integrated with SmartMesh{trademark} wireless mesh networking nodes, called motes, enabling wireless communication, sensor monitoring, and actuator control. Each mote-enabled device has a reliable communication path to the SmartMesh Manager, a single board computer that controls network functions and connects the wireless network to a PC running lighting control software. The ACM is capable of locally driving one or more standard 0-10 Volt electronic dimmable ballasts through relay control and a 0-10 Volt controllable output, in addition to 0-24 Volt and 0-10 Volt inputs. The mote-integrated electronic dimmable ballast is designed to drive a standard 3-lamp T8 light fixture. The environmental multisensor measures occupancy, light level and temperature. The current transducer is used to measure the power consumed by the fixture. Control software was developed to implement advanced lighting algorithms, including open and closed-loop daylight ramping, occupancy control, and demand response. Engineering prototypes of each component were fabricated and tested in a bench-scale system. Based on standard industry practices, a cost analysis was conducted. It is estimated that the installation cost of a wireless advanced lighting control system for a retrofit application is at least 20% lower than a comparable wired system for a typical 16,000 square-foot office building, with a payback period of less than 3 years. At 30% market penetration saturation, a cumulative 695 Billion kWh of energy could be saved through 2025, a cost savings of $52 Billion.« less

Energy Management Control Systems: Tools for Energy Savings and Environmental Protection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zsebik, Albin; Zala, Laszlo F.

2002-01-01

The change in the price of energy has encouraged the increase of energy efficiency. This report will discuss a tool to promote energy efficiency in intelligent buildings, energy management control systems (EMCS). In addition to the online control of energy production, supply, and consumption, the function of the EMCS is to support short- and long-term planning of the system operation as well as to collect, store, and regularly evaluate operation data. The strategies behind planning and implementing the EMCS as well as the manipulating the resulting data are discussed in this report.

NREL’s Controllable Grid Interface Saves Time and Resources, Improves Reliability of Renewable Energy Technologies; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) controllable grid interface (CGI) test system at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) is one of two user facilities at NREL capable of testing and analyzing the integration of megawatt-scale renewable energy systems. The CGI specializes in testing of multimegawatt-scale wind and photovoltaic (PV) technologies as well as energy storage devices, transformers, control and protection equipment at medium-voltage levels, allowing the determination of the grid impacts of the tested technology.

Energy Efficiency Technology Demonstration Project for Florida Educational Facilities: Occupancy Sensors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Floyd, David B.; Parker, Danny S.; McIlvaine, Janet E. R.; Sherwin, John R.

A Florida study replaced conventional light switches with passive infrared or ultrasonic sensing systems to control classroom lighting in an elementary school to determine the performance of such controls in saving energy. A before-and-after monitoring protocol was used for 33 classrooms and 7 offices in which electrical demand data were…

Optimal subhourly electricity resource dispatch under multiple price signals with high renewable generation availability

DOE PAGES

Chassin, David P.; Behboodi, Sahand; Djilali, Ned

2018-01-28

This article proposes a system-wide optimal resource dispatch strategy that enables a shift from a primarily energy cost-based approach, to a strategy using simultaneous price signals for energy, power and ramping behavior. A formal method to compute the optimal sub-hourly power trajectory is derived for a system when the price of energy and ramping are both significant. Optimal control functions are obtained in both time and frequency domains, and a discrete-time solution suitable for periodic feedback control systems is presented. The method is applied to North America Western Interconnection for the planning year 2024, and it is shown that anmore » optimal dispatch strategy that simultaneously considers both the cost of energy and the cost of ramping leads to significant cost savings in systems with high levels of renewable generation: the savings exceed 25% of the total system operating cost for a 50% renewables scenario.« less

Eco-efficiency evaluation of a smart window prototype.

PubMed

Syrrakou, E; Papaefthimiou, S; Yianoulis, P

2006-04-15

An eco-efficiency analysis was conducted using indicators suitably defined to evaluate the performance of an electrochromic window acting as an energy saving component in buildings. Combining the indicators for various parameters (control scenario, expected lifetime, climatic type, purchase cost) significant conclusions are drawn for the development and the potential applications of the device compared to other commercial fenestration products. The reduction of the purchase cost (to 200 euros/m2) and the increase of the lifetime (above 15 years) are the two main targets for achieving both cost and environmental efficiency. An electrochromic device, implemented in cooling dominated areas and operated with an optimum control strategy for the maximum expected lifetime (25 years), can reduce the building energy requirements by 52%. Furthermore, the total energy savings provided will be 33 times more than the energy required for its production while the emission of 615 kg CO2 equivalent per electrochromic glazing unit can be avoided.

Optimal subhourly electricity resource dispatch under multiple price signals with high renewable generation availability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chassin, David P.; Behboodi, Sahand; Djilali, Ned

This article proposes a system-wide optimal resource dispatch strategy that enables a shift from a primarily energy cost-based approach, to a strategy using simultaneous price signals for energy, power and ramping behavior. A formal method to compute the optimal sub-hourly power trajectory is derived for a system when the price of energy and ramping are both significant. Optimal control functions are obtained in both time and frequency domains, and a discrete-time solution suitable for periodic feedback control systems is presented. The method is applied to North America Western Interconnection for the planning year 2024, and it is shown that anmore » optimal dispatch strategy that simultaneously considers both the cost of energy and the cost of ramping leads to significant cost savings in systems with high levels of renewable generation: the savings exceed 25% of the total system operating cost for a 50% renewables scenario.« less

Biomechanical pulping of aspen chips; Energy savings resulting from different fungal treatments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leatham, G.F.; Myers, G.C.; Wegner, T.H.

1990-05-01

Besides increasing paper strength, fungal treatments can also reduce the electrical energy needed for fiberizing chips during mechanical pulping. Fungal species, chip movement, and treatment duration affected the extent of energy savings. This paper reports that four-week-long treatment with white-rot fungi, including Phlebia species or Pholiota mutabilis, in a stationary wire tray bioreactor resulted in at least 35% energy savings for pulping chips to 100 mL CSF in a 300-mm-diameter disc refiner. With Phanerochaete chrysosporium in a rotating-drum bioreactor, the optimal treatment duration was four weeks. Treatment with a brown-rot fungus also resulted in energy savings. Over the range ofmore » fungi and conditions tested, neither chip weight loss nor lignin loss correlated with energy savings. Some treatments giving the least chip weight loss ({lt}5%) saved the most energy. Wood modifications responsible for energy savings differed from those that increased strength. Treatments that saved the most energy did not necessarily give the highest strength properties.« less

Energy-Aware Topology Control Strategy for Human-Centric Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Meseguer, Roc; Molina, Carlos; Ochoa, Sergio F.; Santos, Rodrigo

2014-01-01

The adoption of mobile and ubiquitous solutions that involve participatory or opportunistic sensing increases every day. This situation has highlighted the relevance of optimizing the energy consumption of these solutions, because their operation depends on the devices' battery lifetimes. This article presents a study that intends to understand how the prediction of topology control messages in human-centric wireless sensor networks can be used to help reduce the energy consumption of the participating devices. In order to do that, five research questions have been defined and a study based on simulations was conducted to answer these questions. The obtained results help identify suitable mobile computing scenarios where the prediction of topology control messages can be used to save energy of the network nodes. These results also allow estimating the percentage of energy saving that can be expected, according to the features of the work scenario and the participants behavior. Designers of mobile collaborative applications that involve participatory or opportunistic sensing, can take advantage of these findings to increase the autonomy of their solutions. PMID:24514884

Insulated Concrete Homes Increase Durability and Energy Efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Building America; Hendron, B.; Poole, L.

2001-06-05

New houses designed by Mercedes Homes in Melbourne, Florida, with technical support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Program, save their homeowners money by using energy efficient features such as a high performance heat pump and solar control glazing to reduce cooling costs.

ECASTAR: Energy conservation. An assessment of systems, technologies and requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

A methodology was presented for a systems approach to energy conservation actions and their potentials and impacts in the United States. Constraints affecting the approach were ranked, and the most important ones are the present economic and technical conditions. The following unresolved issues were identified: consumptive lifestyles vs. conservation ethic, environmental standards vs. energy conservation, capital availability, decentralization and vertical integration vs. centralization, fuel rich regions vs. fuel poor regions, supply vs. end use conservation, life cycle costing vs. initial cost, mandatory savings vs. voluntary savings, labor intensive vs. capital intensive, price control vs. free market. The following recommendations were made: provide action/impact assessment, establish regional energy centers, improve technology articulation with government, design total energy systems, utilize existing systems approach expertise.

Motor System Upgrades Smooth the Way to Savings of $700,000 at Chevron Refinery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1999-01-01

By upgrading its motor systems at its Richmond, California refinery, Chevron was able to realize cost savings of more than $700,000 per year, in addition to reduced energy consumption of approximately 1 million kilowatts per month and improved equipment reliability and process control. This fact sheet tells how they did it.

Human-centered sensor-based Bayesian control: Increased energy efficiency and user satisfaction in commercial lighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granderson, Jessica Ann

2007-12-01

The need for sustainable, efficient energy systems is the motivation that drove this research, which targeted the design of an intelligent commercial lighting system. Lighting in commercial buildings consumes approximately 13% of all the electricity generated in the US. Advanced lighting controls1 intended for use in commercial office spaces have proven to save up to 45% in electricity consumption. However, they currently comprise only a fraction of the market share, resulting in a missed opportunity to conserve energy. The research goals driving this dissertation relate directly to barriers hindering widespread adoption---increase user satisfaction, and provide increased energy savings through more sophisticated control. To satisfy these goals an influence diagram was developed to perform daylighting actuation. This algorithm was designed to balance the potentially conflicting lighting preferences of building occupants, with the efficiency desires of building facilities management. A supervisory control policy was designed to implement load shedding under a demand response tariff. Such tariffs offer incentives for customers to reduce their consumption during periods of peak demand, trough price reductions. In developing the value function occupant user testing was conducted to determine that computer and paper tasks require different illuminance levels, and that user preferences are sufficiently consistent to attain statistical significance. Approximately ten facilities managers were also interviewed and surveyed to isolate their lighting preferences with respect to measures of lighting quality and energy savings. Results from both simulation and physical implementation and user testing indicate that the intelligent controller can increase occupant satisfaction, efficiency, cost savings, and management satisfaction, with respect to existing commercial daylighting systems. Several important contributions were realized by satisfying the research goals. A general model of a daylighted environment was designed, and a practical means of user preference identification was defined. Further, a set of general procedures were identified for the design of human-centered sensor-based decision-analytic systems, and for the identification of the allowable uncertainty in nodes of interest. To confirm generality, a vehicle health monitoring problem was defined and solved using these two procedures. 1'Daylighting' systems use sensors to determine room occupancy and available sunlight, and automatically dim the lights in response.

Data analytics and optimization of an ice-based energy storage system for commercial buildings

DOE PAGES

Luo, Na; Hong, Tianzhen; Li, Hui; ...

2017-07-25

Ice-based thermal energy storage (TES) systems can shift peak cooling demand and reduce operational energy costs (with time-of-use rates) in commercial buildings. The accurate prediction of the cooling load, and the optimal control strategy for managing the charging and discharging of a TES system, are two critical elements to improving system performance and achieving energy cost savings. This study utilizes data-driven analytics and modeling to holistically understand the operation of an ice–based TES system in a shopping mall, calculating the system’s performance using actual measured data from installed meters and sensors. Results show that there is significant savings potential whenmore » the current operating strategy is improved by appropriately scheduling the operation of each piece of equipment of the TES system, as well as by determining the amount of charging and discharging for each day. A novel optimal control strategy, determined by an optimization algorithm of Sequential Quadratic Programming, was developed to minimize the TES system’s operating costs. Three heuristic strategies were also investigated for comparison with our proposed strategy, and the results demonstrate the superiority of our method to the heuristic strategies in terms of total energy cost savings. Specifically, the optimal strategy yields energy costs of up to 11.3% per day and 9.3% per month compared with current operational strategies. A one-day-ahead hourly load prediction was also developed using machine learning algorithms, which facilitates the adoption of the developed data analytics and optimization of the control strategy in a real TES system operation.« less

Data analytics and optimization of an ice-based energy storage system for commercial buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luo, Na; Hong, Tianzhen; Li, Hui

Ice-based thermal energy storage (TES) systems can shift peak cooling demand and reduce operational energy costs (with time-of-use rates) in commercial buildings. The accurate prediction of the cooling load, and the optimal control strategy for managing the charging and discharging of a TES system, are two critical elements to improving system performance and achieving energy cost savings. This study utilizes data-driven analytics and modeling to holistically understand the operation of an ice–based TES system in a shopping mall, calculating the system’s performance using actual measured data from installed meters and sensors. Results show that there is significant savings potential whenmore » the current operating strategy is improved by appropriately scheduling the operation of each piece of equipment of the TES system, as well as by determining the amount of charging and discharging for each day. A novel optimal control strategy, determined by an optimization algorithm of Sequential Quadratic Programming, was developed to minimize the TES system’s operating costs. Three heuristic strategies were also investigated for comparison with our proposed strategy, and the results demonstrate the superiority of our method to the heuristic strategies in terms of total energy cost savings. Specifically, the optimal strategy yields energy costs of up to 11.3% per day and 9.3% per month compared with current operational strategies. A one-day-ahead hourly load prediction was also developed using machine learning algorithms, which facilitates the adoption of the developed data analytics and optimization of the control strategy in a real TES system operation.« less

Energy monitoring based on human activity in the workplace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustafa, N. H.; Husain, M. N.; Abd Aziz, M. Z. A.; Othman, M. A.; Malek, F.

2014-04-01

Human behavior is the most important factor in order to manage energy usage. Nowadays, smart house technology offers a better quality of life by introducing automated appliance control and assistive services. However, human behaviors will contribute to the efficiency of the system. This paper will focus on monitoring efficiency based on duration time in office hours around 8am until 5pm which depend on human behavior atb the workplace. Then, the correlation coefficient method is used to show the relation between energy consumption and energy saving based on the total hours of time energy spent. In future, the percentages of energy monitoring system usage will be increase to manage energy in efficient ways based on human behaviours. This scenario will lead to the positive impact in order to achieve the energy saving in the building and support the green environment.

Energy manager design for microgrids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Firestone, Ryan; Marnay, Chris

2005-01-01

On-site energy production, known as distributed energy resources (DER), offers consumers many benefits, such as bill savings and predictability, improved system efficiency, improved reliability, control over power quality, and in many cases, greener electricity. Additionally, DER systems can benefit electric utilities by reducing congestion on the grid, reducing the need for new generation and transmission capacity, and offering ancillary services such as voltage support and emergency demand response. Local aggregations of distributed energy resources (DER) that may include active control of on-site end-use energy devices can be called microgrids. Microgrids require control to ensure safe operation and to make dispatchmore » decisions that achieve system objectives such as cost minimization, reliability, efficiency and emissions requirements, while abiding by system constraints and regulatory rules. This control is performed by an energy manager (EM). Preferably, an EM will achieve operation reasonably close to the attainable optimum, it will do this by means robust to deviations from expected conditions, and it will not itself incur insupportable capital or operation and maintenance costs. Also, microgrids can include supervision over end-uses, such as curtailing or rescheduling certain loads. By viewing a unified microgrid as a system of supply and demand, rather than simply a system of on-site generation devices, the benefits of integrated supply and demand control can be exploited, such as economic savings and improved system energy efficiency.« less

Energy-Efficient Scheduling for Hybrid Tasks in Control Devices for the Internet of Things

PubMed Central

Gao, Zhigang; Wu, Yifan; Dai, Guojun; Xia, Haixia

2012-01-01

In control devices for the Internet of Things (IoT), energy is one of the critical restriction factors. Dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) has been proved to be an effective method for reducing the energy consumption of processors. This paper proposes an energy-efficient scheduling algorithm for IoT control devices with hard real-time control tasks (HRCTs) and soft real-time tasks (SRTs). The main contribution of this paper includes two parts. First, it builds the Hybrid tasks with multi-subtasks of different function Weight (HoW) task model for IoT control devices. HoW describes the structure of HRCTs and SRTs, and their properties, e.g., deadlines, execution time, preemption properties, and energy-saving goals, etc. Second, it presents the Hybrid Tasks' Dynamic Voltage Scaling (HTDVS) algorithm. HTDVS first sets the slowdown factors of subtasks while meeting the different real-time requirements of HRCTs and SRTs, and then dynamically reclaims, reserves, and reuses the slack time of the subtasks to meet their ideal energy-saving goals. Experimental results show HTDVS can reduce energy consumption about 10%–80% while meeting the real-time requirements of HRCTs, HRCTs help to reduce the deadline miss ratio (DMR) of systems, and HTDVS has comparable performance with the greedy algorithm and is more favorable to keep the subtasks' ideal speeds. PMID:23112659

Solar-energy-system performance evaluation: Honeywell OTS 44, Ocmulgee, Georgia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mathur, A. K.; Pederson, S.

1982-01-01

The operation and technical performance of the solar operational test site (OTS 44) are described, based on data collected between April, 1981 and August, 1981. The following topics are discussed: system description, performance assessment, operating energy, energy savings, system maintenance, and conclusions. The solar energy system at OTS 44 is a hydronic heating and cooling system consisting of 5040 square feet of liquid cooled flat plate collectors; a 4000 gallon thermal storage tank; one 25 ton capacity organic Rankine cycle engine assisted water chillers; a forced draft cooling tower; and associated piping, pumps, valves, controls and heat rejection equipment. The solar system has eight basic modes of operation and several combination modes for providing space conditioning and hot water to the building. Data monitored during the 4 months of the operational test period found that the solar system collected 285 MMBtu of thermal energy of the total incident solar energy of 1040 MMBtu and provided 210 MMBtu for cooling and 10 MMBtu for heating and hot water. The net electrical energy saving due to the solar system was approximately 2600 kWh(e), and fossil energy saving was about 20 million Btu (MMBtu).

Demonstration of Datacenter Automation Software and Hardware (DASH) at the California Franchise Tax Board

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, Geoffrey C.; Federspiel, Clifford

Control software and wireless sensors designed for closed-loop, monitoring and control of IT equipment's inlet air temperatures in datacenters were evaluated and tested while other datacenter cooling best practices were implemented. The controls software and hardware along with each best practice were installed sequentially and evaluated using a measurement and verification procedure between each measure. The results show that the overall project eliminates 475,239 kWh per year, which is 21.3percent of the baseline energy consumption of the data center. The total project, including the best practices will save $42,772 per year and cost $134,057 yielding a simple payback of 3.1more » years. However, the control system alone eliminates 59.6percent of the baseline energy used to move air in the datacenter and 13.6percent of the baseline cooling energy, which is 15.2percent of the baseline energy consumption (see Project Approach, Task 1, below, for additional information) while keeping temperatures substantially within the limits recommended by ASHRAE. Savings attributed to the control system are $30,564 per year with a cost $56,824 for a simple payback of 1.9 years.« less

Energy-Saving Opportunities for Manufacturing Enterprises (International English Fact Sheet)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This fact sheet provides information about the Industrial Technologies Program Save Energy Now energy audit process, software tools, training, energy management standards, and energy efficient technologies to help U.S. companies identify energy cost savings.

Conservation Is Job One.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatzai, Glen

1998-01-01

The University of Michigan, winner of a federal award for its campus energy conservation, has developed a building automation system that uses direct-digital-control technology to manage energy use. The project, undertaken in partnership with an energy management company, has saved over $10 million since its inception, and includes a revolving…

Paper Mill Pursues Five Projects Following Plant-Wide Assessment (Augusta Newsprint)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2003-06-01

Augusta Newsprint undertook a plant-wide energy efficiency assessment of its Augusta, Georgia, plant in 2001. The assessment helped the company decide to implement five energy efficiency projects. Four of the five projects will save the company 11,000 MWh of electrical energy (about $369,000) each year. The remaining project will produce more than $300,000 annually, from sale of the byproduct turpentine. The largest annual savings, $881,000, will come from eliminating Kraft pulp by using better process control. All of the projects could be applied to other paper mills and most of the projects could be applied in other industries.

Whole Building Efficiency for Whole Foods: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deru, M.; Doebber, I.; Hirsch, A.

2013-02-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory partnered with Whole Foods Market under the Commercial Building Partnership (CBP) program to design and implement a new store in Raleigh, North Carolina. The result was a design with a predicted energy savings of 40% over ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004, and 25% energy savings over their standard design. Measured performance of the as-built building showed that the building did not achieve the predicted performance. A detailed review of the project several months after opening revealed a series of several items in construction and controls items that were not implemented properly and were not fully corrected inmore » the commissioning process.« less

Energy Savings Measure Packages. Existing Homes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casey, Sean; Booten, Chuck

2011-11-01

This document presents the most cost effective Energy Savings Measure Packages (ESMP) for existing mixed-fuel and all electric homes to achieve 15% and 30% savings for each BetterBuildings grantee location across the United States. These packages are optimized for minimum cost to homeowners for source energy savings given the local climate and prevalent building characteristics (i.e. foundation types). Maximum cost savings are typically found between 30% and 50% energy savings over the reference home; this typically amounts to $300 - $700/year.

Carbon Dioxide Detection and Indoor Air Quality Control.

PubMed

Bonino, Steve

2016-04-01

When building ventilation is reduced, energy is saved because it is not necessary to heat or cool as much outside air. Reduced ventilation can result in higher levels of carbon dioxide, which may cause building occupants to experience symptoms. Heating or cooling for ventilation air can be enhanced by a DCV system, which can save energy while providing a comfortable environment. Carbon dioxide concentrations within a building are often used to indicate whether adequate fresh air is being supplied to the building. These DCV systems use carbon dioxide sensors in each space or in the return air and adjust the ventilation based on carbon dioxide concentration; the higher the concentration, the more people occupy the space relative to the ventilation rate. With a carbon dioxide sensor DCV system, the fresh air ventilation rate varies based on the number ofpeople in the space, saving energy while maintaining a safe and comfortable environment.

Assessment of energy-saving strategies and operational costs in full-scale membrane bioreactors.

PubMed

Gabarrón, S; Ferrero, G; Dalmau, M; Comas, J; Rodriguez-Roda, I

2014-02-15

The energy-saving strategies and operational costs of stand-alone, hybrid, and dual stream full-scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) with capacities ranging from 1100 to 35,000 m(3) day(-1) have been assessed for seven municipal facilities located in Northeast Spain. Although hydraulic load was found to be the main determinant factor for the energy consumption rates, several optimisation strategies have shown to be effective in terms of energy reduction as well as fouling phenomenon minimization or preservation. Specifically, modifications of the biological process (installation of control systems for biological aeration) and of the filtration process (reduction of the flux or mixed liquor suspended solids concentration and installation of control systems for membrane air scouring) were applied in two stand-alone MBRs. After implementing these strategies, the yearly specific energy demand (SED) in flat-sheet (FS) and hollow-fibre (HF) stand-alone MBRs was reduced from 1.12 to 0.71 and from 1.54 to 1.12 kW h(-1) m(-3), respectively, regardless of their similar yearly averaged hydraulic loads. The strategies applied in the hybrid MBR, namely, buffering the influent flow and optimisation of both biological aeration and membrane air-scouring, reduced the SED values by 14%. These results illustrate that it is possible to apply energy-saving strategies to significantly reduce MBR operational costs, highlighting the need to optimise MBR facilities to reconsider them as an energy-competitive option. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Green Tunnel Construction Technology and Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J. L.; Shi, P. X.; Huang, J.; Li, H. G.; Zhou, X. Q.

2018-05-01

With the dramatic growth of urban tunnels in recent years, energy saving and environmental protection have received intensive attention in tunnel construction and operation. As reference to the concept of green buildings, this paper proposes the concept of green tunnels. Combining with the key issues of tunnel design, construction, operation and maintenance, the major aspects of green tunnels including prefabricated construction, noise control, ventilation & lighting energy saving, and digital intelligent maintenance are discussed and the future development of green tunnels is outlined with the economic and social benefits as indicators.

Demonstration of Single Axis Combined Attitude Control and Energy Storage Using Two Flywheels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenny, Barbara H.; Jansen, Ralph; Kascak, Peter; Dever, Timothy; Santiago, Walter

2004-01-01

The energy storage and attitude control subsystems of the typical satellite are presently distinct and separate. Energy storage is conventionally provided by batteries, either NiCd or NiH, and active attitude control is accomplished with control moment gyros (CMGs) or reaction wheels. An overall system mass savings can be realized if these two subsystems are combined using multiple flywheels for simultaneous kinetic energy storage and momentum transfer. Several authors have studied the control of the flywheels to accomplish this and have published simulation results showing the feasibility and performance. This paper presents the first experimental results showing combined energy storage and momentum control about a single axis using two flywheels.

48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

Chapter 10: Peak Demand and Time-Differentiated Energy Savings Cross-Cutting Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurnik, Charles W; Stern, Frank; Spencer, Justin

Savings from electric energy efficiency measures and programs are often expressed in terms of annual energy and presented as kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/year). However, for a full assessment of the value of these savings, it is usually necessary to consider the measure or program's impact on peak demand as well as time-differentiated energy savings. This cross-cutting protocol describes methods for estimating the peak demand and time-differentiated energy impacts of measures implemented through energy efficiency programs.

Implementation of Energy Code Controls Requirements in New Commercial Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosenberg, Michael I.; Hart, Philip R.; Hatten, Mike

Most state energy codes in the United States are based on one of two national model codes; ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1 (Standard 90.1) or the International Code Council (ICC) International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Since 2004, covering the last four cycles of Standard 90.1 updates, about 30% of all new requirements have been related to building controls. These requirements can be difficult to implement and verification is beyond the expertise of most building code officials, yet the assumption in studies that measure the savings from energy codes is that they are implemented and working correctly. The objective of the current research ismore » to evaluate the degree to which high impact controls requirements included in commercial energy codes are properly designed, commissioned and implemented in new buildings. This study also evaluates the degree to which these control requirements are realizing their savings potential. This was done using a three-step process. The first step involved interviewing commissioning agents to get a better understanding of their activities as they relate to energy code required controls measures. The second involved field audits of a sample of commercial buildings to determine whether the code required control measures are being designed, commissioned and correctly implemented and functioning in new buildings. The third step includes compilation and analysis of the information gather during the first two steps. Information gathered during these activities could be valuable to code developers, energy planners, designers, building owners, and building officials.« less

Thermodynamics of greenhouse systems for the northern latitudes: analysis, evaluation and prospects for primary energy saving.

PubMed

Bronchart, Filip; De Paepe, Michel; Dewulf, Jo; Schrevens, Eddie; Demeyer, Peter

2013-04-15

In Flanders and the Netherlands greenhouse production systems produce economically important quantities of vegetables, fruit and ornamentals. Indoor environmental control has resulted in high primary energy use. Until now, the research on saving primary energy in greenhouse systems has been mainly based on analysis of energy balances. However, according to the thermodynamic theory, an analysis based on the concept of exergy (free energy) and energy can result in new insights and primary energy savings. Therefore in this paper, we analyse the exergy and energy of various processes, inputs and outputs of a general greenhouse system. Also a total system analysis is then performed by linking the exergy analysis with a dynamic greenhouse climate growth simulation model. The exergy analysis indicates that some processes ("Sources") lie at the origin of several other processes, both destroying the exergy of primary energy inputs. The exergy destruction of these Sources is caused primarily by heat and vapour loss. Their impact can be compensated by exergy input from heating, solar radiation, or both. If the exergy destruction of these Sources is reduced, the necessary compensation can also be reduced. This can be accomplished through insulating the greenhouse and making the building more airtight. Other necessary Sources, namely transpiration and loss of CO2, have a low exergy destruction compared to the other Sources. They are therefore the best candidate for "pump" technologies ("vapour heat pump" and "CO2 pump") designed to have a low primary energy use. The combination of these proposed technologies results in an exergy efficient greenhouse with the highest primary energy savings. It can be concluded that exergy analyses add additional information compared to only energy analyses and it supports the development of primary energy efficient greenhouse systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal Comfort Strategies: A Report on Cellulose Insulation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-12-01

comfort, saves energy, controls moisture, increases indoor air quality, and, in general, increases user satisfaction. Thermal comfort is an important...productivity could mean an annual savings of $1 billion. This report presents thermal comfort strategies relating to the use of cellulose insulation...insulation are described. The report also discusses technical issues involved in general thermal comfort strategies, including: (1) infiltration, (2

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Techniques for Drivers to Conserve Fuel

Science.gov Websites

techniques to save fuel and money. The amount of fuel your vehicle consumes depends heavily on how you drive and money. Vehicles use the most energy when accelerating. Using cruise control on the highway can trips can save you time and money by avoiding unnecessary stopping and starting of your vehicle, which

EnergySavers: Tips on Saving Money & Energy at Home (Brochure)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guide to saving money and energy at home and on the road. It consists of the following articles: (1) Save Money and Energy Today - Get started with things you can do now, and use the whole-house approach to ensure that your investments are wisely made to save you money and energy; (2) Your Home's Energy Use - Find out how your home uses energy, and where it's losing the most energy so you can develop a plan to save in the short and long term; (3) Air Leaks and Insulation - Seal airmore » leaks and insulate your home properly so your energy dollars don't seep through the cracks; (4) Heating and Cooling - Use efficient systems to heat and cool your home, and save money and increase comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading equipment; (5) Water Heating - Use the right water heater for your home, insulate it and lower its temperature, and use less water to avoid paying too much; (6) Windows - Enjoy light and views while saving money by installing energy-efficient windows, and use strategies to keep your current windows from losing energy; (7) Lighting - Choose today's energy-efficient lighting for some of the easiest and cheapest ways to reduce your electric bill; (8) Appliances - Use efficient appliances through-out your home, and get greater performance with lower energy bills; (9) Home Office and Electronics - Find out how much energy your electronics use, reduce their out-put when you're not using them, and choose efficient electronics to save money; (10) Renewable Energy - Use renewable energy at home such as solar and wind to save energy dollars while reducing environmental impact; (11) Transportation - Choose efficient transportation options and drive more efficiently to save at the gas pump; and (12) References - Use our reference list to learn more about energy efficiency and renewable energy.« less

Supermarket refrigeration assessment for the Commonwealth Electric Company

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsaros, T.L.; Walker, D.H.

The Commonwealth Electric Company (COM/Electric) has initiated an incentive program to promote electric energy conservation within its service territory. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has assisted COM/Electric in assessing the impact on the utility and its customers of implementing energy efficient supermarket refrigeration in retrofit applications. The primary task of this assessment was to contact the supermarket chains and refrigeration contractors and suppliers in the COM/Electric service territory to determine the type of refrigeration employed and standard or novel retrofit equipment implemented in supermarkets. With this information, estimates were made of the potential energy savings that COM/Electric and themore » supermarkets could realize if supermarkets were retrofitted with energy efficient refrigeration equipment. It was determined that the refrigerated display case features offering the greatest potential for savings through retrofit installations include doors for medium temperature multideck cases, high-efficiency fan motors, anti-sweat heater controls, and vinyl strip curtains for walk-in coolers. The retrofit components associated with the compressor machine room that offer the greatest potential for savings include the use of low heat pressure control, hot gas defrost, and external liquid-suction heat exchangers and remote evaporative subcoolers for low temperature refrigeration. 6 refs., 14 figs., 26 tabs.« less

Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana solar energy system performance evaluation, February 1981-June 1981

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Welch, K.M.

1981-01-01

The Loyola University site is a student dormitory in New Orleans, Louisiana whose active solar energy system is designed to supply 52% of the hot water demand. The system is equipped with 4590 square feet of flat-plate collectors, a 5000-gallon water tank, auxiliary water supplied at high temperature and pressure from a central heating plant with a gas-fired boiler, and a differential controller that selects from 5 operating modes. System performance data are given, including the solar fraction, solar savings ratio, conventional fuel savings, system performance factor, and system coefficient of performance. The solar fraction is well below the designmore » goal; this is attributed to great fluctuations in demand. Insolation, temperature, operation and solar energy utilization data are also presented. The performance of the collector, storage, and domestic hot water subsystems, the system operating energy, energy savings, and weather conditions are also evaluated. Appended are a system description, performance evaluation techniques and equations, site history, sensor technology, and typical monthly data. (LEW)« less

ACHP | Sustainability and Historic Preservation Links

Science.gov Websites

Energy) Realizing the Energy Efficiency Potential of Small Buildings: Saving Energy, Money and Jobs Improving the Energy Efficiency of Historic Buildings (National Park Service) Saving Windows, Saving Money

ResStock - Targeting Energy and Cost Savings for U.S. Homes | NREL

Science.gov Websites

ResStock - Targeting Energy and Cost Savings for U.S. Homes Science and Technology Highlights Highlights in Research & Development ResStock - Targeting Energy and Cost Savings for U.S. Homes Key discovered $49 billion in potential annual utility bill savings through cost-effective energy efficiency

Shared Savings Financing for College and University Energy Efficiency Investments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Business Officer, 1984

1984-01-01

Shared savings arrangements for campus energy efficient investments are discussed. Shared savings is a term for an agreement in which a private company offers to implement an energy efficiency program, including capital improvements, in exchange for a portion of the energy cost savings. Attention is directed to: types of shared savings…

An energy saving mechanism of EPON networks for real time video transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chien-Ping; Wu, Ho-Ting; Chiang, Yun-Ting; Chien, Shieh-Chieh; Ke, Kai-Wei

2015-07-01

Modern access networks are constructed widely by passive optical networks (PONs) to meet the growing bandwidth demand. However, higher bandwidth means more energy consumption. To save energy, a few research works propose the dual-mode energy saving mechanism that allows the ONU to operate between active and sleep modes periodically. However, such dual-mode energy saving design may induce unnecessary power consumption or packet delay increase in the case where only downstream data exist for most of the time. In this paper, we propose a new tri-mode energy saving scheme for Ethernet PON (EPON). The new tri-mode energy saving design, combining the dual-mode saving mechanism with the doze mode, allows the ONU to switch among these three modes alternatively. In the doze mode, the ONU may receive downstream data while keeping its transmitter close. Such scenario is often observed for real time video downstream transmission. Furthermore, the low packet delay of high priority upstream data can be attained through the use of early wake-up mechanism employed in both energy saving modes. The energy saving and system efficiency can thus be achieved jointly while maintaining the differentiated QoS for data with various priorities. Performance results via simulation have demonstrated the effectiveness of such mechanism.

Energy-Saving Melting and Revert Reduction Technology (E-SMARRT): Final Summary Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

White, Thornton C

2014-03-31

Energy-Saving Melting and Revert Reduction Technology (E-SMARRT) is a balanced portfolio of R&D tasks that address energy-saving opportunities in the metalcasting industry. E-SMARRT was created to: • Improve important capabilities of castings • Reduce carbon footprint of the foundry industry • Develop new job opportunities in manufacturing • Significantly reduce metalcasting process energy consumption and includes R&D in the areas of: • Improvements in Melting Efficiency • Innovative Casting Processes for Yield Improvement/Revert Reduction • Instrumentation and Control Improvement • Material properties for Casting or Tooling Design Improvement The energy savings and process improvements developed under E-SMARRT have been mademore » possible through the unique collaborative structure of the E-SMARRT partnership. The E-SMARRT team consisted of DOE’s Office of Industrial Technology, the three leading metalcasting technical associations in the U.S: the American Foundry Society; the North American Die Casting Association; and the Steel Founders’ Society of America; and SCRA Applied R&D, doing business as the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), a recognized leader in distributed technology management. This team provided collaborative leadership to a complex industry composed of approximately 2,000 companies, 80% of which employ less than 100 people, and only 4% of which employ more than 250 people. Without collaboration, these new processes and technologies that enable energy efficiencies and environment-friendly improvements would have been slow to develop and had trouble obtaining a broad application. The E-SMARRT R&D tasks featured low-threshold energy efficiency improvements that are attractive to the domestic industry because they do not require major capital investment. The results of this portfolio of projects are significantly reducing metalcasting process energy consumption while improving the important capabilities of metalcastings. Through June 2014, the E-SMARRT program predicts an average annual estimated savings of 59 Trillion BTUs per year over a 10 year period through Advanced Melting Efficiencies and Innovative Casting Processes. Along with these energy savings, an estimated average annual estimate of CO2 reduction per year over a ten year period is 3.56 Million Metric Tons of Carbon Equivalent (MM TCE).« less

How can we tackle energy efficiency in IoT based smart buildings?

PubMed

Moreno, M Victoria; Úbeda, Benito; Skarmeta, Antonio F; Zamora, Miguel A

2014-05-30

Nowadays, buildings are increasingly expected to meet higher and more complex performance requirements. Among these requirements, energy efficiency is recognized as an international goal to promote energy sustainability of the planet. Different approaches have been adopted to address this goal, the most recent relating consumption patterns with human occupancy. In this work, we analyze what are the main parameters that should be considered to be included in any building energy management. The goal of this analysis is to help designers to select the most relevant parameters to control the energy consumption of buildings according to their context, selecting them as input data of the management system. Following this approach, we select three reference smart buildings with different contexts, and where our automation platform for energy monitoring is deployed. We carry out some experiments in these buildings to demonstrate the influence of the parameters identified as relevant in the energy consumption of the buildings. Then, in two of these buildings are applied different control strategies to save electrical energy. We describe the experiments performed and analyze the results. The first stages of this evaluation have already resulted in energy savings of about 23% in a real scenario.

How can We Tackle Energy Efficiency in IoT Based Smart Buildings?

PubMed Central

Moreno, M. Victoria; Úbeda, Benito; Skarmeta, Antonio F.; Zamora, Miguel A.

2014-01-01

Nowadays, buildings are increasingly expected to meet higher and more complex performance requirements. Among these requirements, energy efficiency is recognized as an international goal to promote energy sustainability of the planet. Different approaches have been adopted to address this goal, the most recent relating consumption patterns with human occupancy. In this work, we analyze what are the main parameters that should be considered to be included in any building energy management. The goal of this analysis is to help designers to select the most relevant parameters to control the energy consumption of buildings according to their context, selecting them as input data of the management system. Following this approach, we select three reference smart buildings with different contexts, and where our automation platform for energy monitoring is deployed. We carry out some experiments in these buildings to demonstrate the influence of the parameters identified as relevant in the energy consumption of the buildings. Then, in two of these buildings are applied different control strategies to save electrical energy. We describe the experiments performed and analyze the results. The first stages of this evaluation have already resulted in energy savings of about 23% in a real scenario. PMID:24887040

Evaluating energy saving system of data centers based on AHP and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yingni

2018-03-01

Due to the high energy consumption of communication, energy saving of data centers must be enforced. But the lack of evaluation mechanisms has restrained the process on energy saving construction of data centers. In this paper, energy saving evaluation index system of data centers was constructed on the basis of clarifying the influence factors. Based on the evaluation index system, analytical hierarchy process was used to determine the weights of the evaluation indexes. Subsequently, a three-grade fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model was constructed to evaluate the energy saving system of data centers.

Alternative policies for the control of air pollution in Poland. World Bank Environment Paper 7

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bates, R.; Cofala, J.; Toman, M.

1994-05-01

Examines the costs of lowering air-polluting emissions and assesses the cost savings achieved from their abatement. Encourages the use of various economic incentives rather than rigid `command and control` measures. The analysis is based on a dynamic model of energy supply in Poland that allows a comparison of different pollution standards and policies (outlined in an appendix). Further economic restructuring and energy price reform are expected to generate significant reductions in air pollution, as are current policies calling for enforcement of tighter emissions standards. Incentive-based policies could offer significant cost savings over `command and control` approaches. The authors suggest thatmore » trading of emissions rights, as done in the United States, should be considered for Poland. To do so would require additional legal and regulatory reforms.« less

Data-driven reinforcement learning–based real-time energy management system for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

DOE PAGES

Qi, Xuewei; Wu, Guoyuan; Boriboonsomsin, Kanok; ...

2016-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) show great promise in reducing transportation-related fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Designing an efficient energy management system (EMS) for PHEVs to achieve better fuel economy has been an active research topic for decades. Most of the advanced systems rely either on a priori knowledge of future driving conditions to achieve the optimal but not real-time solution (e.g., using a dynamic programming strategy) or on only current driving situations to achieve a real-time but nonoptimal solution (e.g., rule-based strategy). This paper proposes a reinforcement learning–based real-time EMS for PHEVs to address the trade-off betweenmore » real-time performance and optimal energy savings. The proposed model can optimize the power-split control in real time while learning the optimal decisions from historical driving cycles. Here, a case study on a real-world commute trip shows that about a 12% fuel saving can be achieved without considering charging opportunities; further, an 8% fuel saving can be achieved when charging opportunities are considered, compared with the standard binary mode control strategy.« less

Data-driven reinforcement learning–based real-time energy management system for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qi, Xuewei; Wu, Guoyuan; Boriboonsomsin, Kanok

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) show great promise in reducing transportation-related fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Designing an efficient energy management system (EMS) for PHEVs to achieve better fuel economy has been an active research topic for decades. Most of the advanced systems rely either on a priori knowledge of future driving conditions to achieve the optimal but not real-time solution (e.g., using a dynamic programming strategy) or on only current driving situations to achieve a real-time but nonoptimal solution (e.g., rule-based strategy). This paper proposes a reinforcement learning–based real-time EMS for PHEVs to address the trade-off betweenmore » real-time performance and optimal energy savings. The proposed model can optimize the power-split control in real time while learning the optimal decisions from historical driving cycles. Here, a case study on a real-world commute trip shows that about a 12% fuel saving can be achieved without considering charging opportunities; further, an 8% fuel saving can be achieved when charging opportunities are considered, compared with the standard binary mode control strategy.« less

Proportional-integral and proportional-integral-derivative-based cyclic sleep controllers with anti-windup technique for energy-efficient and delay-aware passive optical networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kikuchi, Takahiro; Kubo, Ryogo

2016-08-01

In energy-efficient passive optical network (PON) systems, the increase in the queuing delays caused by the power-saving mechanism of optical network units (ONUs) is an important issue. Some researchers have proposed quality-of-service (QoS)-aware ONU cyclic sleep controllers in PON systems. We have proposed proportional (P) and proportional-derivative (PD)-based controllers to maintain the average queuing delay at a constant level regardless of the amount of downstream traffic. However, sufficient performance has not been obtained because of the sleep period limitation. In this paper, proportional-integral (PI) and proportional-integral-derivative (PID)-based controllers considering the sleep period limitation, i.e., using an anti-windup (AW) technique, are proposed to improve both the QoS and power-saving performance. Simulations confirm that the proposed controllers provide better performance than conventional controllers in terms of the average downstream queuing delay and the time occupancy of ONU active periods.

Research of home energy management system based on technology of PLC and ZigBee

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Qi; Shen, Jiaojiao

2015-12-01

In view of the problem of saving effectively energy and energy management in home, this paper designs a home energy intelligent control system based on power line carrier communication and wireless ZigBee sensor networks. The system is based on ARM controller, power line carrier communication and wireless ZigBee sensor network as the terminal communication mode, and realizes the centralized and intelligent control of home appliances. Through the combination of these two technologies, the advantages of the two technologies complement each other, and provide a feasible plan for the construction of energy-efficient, intelligent home energy management system.

Save Energy Now (SEN) Assessment Helps Expand Energy Management Program at Shaw Industries: Flooring Company Saves $872,000 Annually by Improving Steam System Efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This case study describes how the Shaw Industries plant #20 in Dalton, Georgia, achieved annual savings of $872,000 and 93,000 MMBtu after receiving a DOE Save Energy Now energy assessment and implementing recommendations to improve the efficiency of its steam system.

Adaptive chromogenic materials and devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sixou, Pierre; Guillard, H.; Labonne, L.; Gandolfo, V.

2003-03-01

Electrically controllable glasses can be used to control daylight and solar energy in buildings and in automotives in order to improve quality of life and to save energy spent on lighting, cooling and heating. The paper discusses the case of switchable glazings using liquid crystal/polymer micro-composites. A comparison with other technologies (like inorganic electrochromics, thermotropic gels and dispersed particles) is drawn.

Technical Resources for Energy Savings Plus Health

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Energy Savings Plus Health Guide equips school districts to integrate indoor air quality protections into school energy efficiency retrofits and other building upgrade projects. This page lists additional resources related to Energy Savings Plus Health

The Power of Flexibility: Autonomous Agents That Conserve Energy in Commercial Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwak, Jun-young

Agent-based systems for energy conservation are now a growing area of research in multiagent systems, with applications ranging from energy management and control on the smart grid, to energy conservation in residential buildings, to energy generation and dynamic negotiations in distributed rural communities. Contributing to this area, my thesis presents new agent-based models and algorithms aiming to conserve energy in commercial buildings. More specifically, my thesis provides three sets of algorithmic contributions. First, I provide online predictive scheduling algorithms to handle massive numbers of meeting/event scheduling requests considering flexibility , which is a novel concept for capturing generic user constraints while optimizing the desired objective. Second, I present a novel BM-MDP ( Bounded-parameter Multi-objective Markov Decision Problem) model and robust algorithms for multi-objective optimization under uncertainty both at the planning and execution time. The BM-MDP model and its robust algorithms are useful in (re)scheduling events to achieve energy efficiency in the presence of uncertainty over user's preferences. Third, when multiple users contribute to energy savings, fair division of credit for such savings to incentivize users for their energy saving activities arises as an important question. I appeal to cooperative game theory and specifically to the concept of Shapley value for this fair division. Unfortunately, scaling up this Shapley value computation is a major hindrance in practice. Therefore, I present novel approximation algorithms to efficiently compute the Shapley value based on sampling and partitions and to speed up the characteristic function computation. These new models have not only advanced the state of the art in multiagent algorithms, but have actually been successfully integrated within agents dedicated to energy efficiency: SAVES, TESLA and THINC. SAVES focuses on the day-to-day energy consumption of individuals and groups in commercial buildings by reactively suggesting energy conserving alternatives. TESLA takes a long-range planning perspective and optimizes overall energy consumption of a large number of group events or meetings together. THINC provides an end-to-end integration within a single agent of energy efficient scheduling, rescheduling and credit allocation. While SAVES, TESLA and THINC thus differ in their scope and applicability, they demonstrate the utility of agent-based systems in actually reducing energy consumption in commercial buildings. I evaluate my algorithms and agents using extensive analysis on data from over 110,000 real meetings/events at multiple educational buildings including the main libraries at the University of Southern California. I also provide results on simulations and real-world experiments, clearly demonstrating the power of agent technology to assist human users in saving energy in commercial buildings.

Computer simulation for optimizing windbreak placement to save energy for heating and cooling buildings

Treesearch

Gordon M. Heisler

1991-01-01

Saving energy has recently acquired new importance because of increased concern for dwindling fossil fuel supplies and for the problem of carbon dioxide contributions to global climate change. Many studies have indicated that windbreaks have the ability to save energy for heating buildings. Suggested savings have ranged up 40 percent; though more commonly savings of...

Chapter 21: Estimating Net Savings - Common Practices. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurnik, Charles W; Violette, Daniel M.; Rathbun, Pamela

This chapter focuses on the methods used to estimate net energy savings in evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM and V) studies for energy efficiency (EE) programs. The chapter provides a definition of net savings, which remains an unsettled topic both within the EE evaluation community and across the broader public policy evaluation community, particularly in the context of attribution of savings to a program. The chapter differs from the measure-specific Uniform Methods Project (UMP) chapters in both its approach and work product. Unlike other UMP resources that provide recommended protocols for determining gross energy savings, this chapter describes and comparesmore » the current industry practices for determining net energy savings but does not prescribe methods.« less

Energy Efficiency Model for Induction Furnace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dey, Asit Kr

2018-01-01

In this paper, a system of a solar induction furnace unit was design to find out a new solution for the existing AC power consuming heating process through Supervisory control and data acquisition system. This unit can be connected directly to the DC system without any internal conversion inside the device. The performance of the new system solution is compared with the existing one in terms of power consumption and losses. This work also investigated energy save, system improvement, process control model in a foundry induction furnace heating framework corresponding to PV solar power supply. The results are analysed for long run in terms of saving energy and integrated process system. The data acquisition system base solar foundry plant is an extremely multifaceted system that can be run over an almost innumerable range of operating conditions, each characterized by specific energy consumption. Determining ideal operating conditions is a key challenge that requires the involvement of the latest automation technologies, each one contributing to allow not only the acquisition, processing, storage, retrieval and visualization of data, but also the implementation of automatic control strategies that can expand the achievement envelope in terms of melting process, safety and energy efficiency.

Energy Saver: Tips on Saving Energy and Money in Your Home

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casey, Allison L

This guide shows you how easy it is to reduce your energy use at home and on the road. You'll find quick tips you can use to start saving today, as well as information on larger projects that will help save you money over the long term. Find even more information about saving money and energy at home by visiting our website, EnergySaver.gov.

Variable-Displacement Hydraulic Drive Unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, D. J.; Linton, D. J.; Markunas, A.

1986-01-01

Hydraulic power controlled through multiple feedback loops. In hydraulic drive unit, power closely matched to demand, thereby saving energy. Hydraulic flow to and from motor adjusted by motor-control valve connected to wobbler. Wobbler angle determines motor-control-valve position, which in turn determines motor displacement. Concept applicable to machine tools, aircraft controls, and marine controls.

Quantifying Behavior Driven Energy Savings for Hotels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong, Bing; Wang, Na; Hooks, Edward

2016-08-12

Hotel facilities present abundant opportunities for energy savings. In the United States, there are around 25,000 hotels that spend on an average of $2,196 on energy costs per room each year. This amounts to about 6% of the total annual hotel operating cost. However, unlike offices, there are limited studies on establishing appropriate baselines and quantifying hotel energy savings given the variety of services and amenities, unpredictable customer behaviors, and the around-the-clock operation hours. In this study, we investigate behavior driven energy savings for three medium-size (around 90,000 sf2) hotels that offer similar services in different climate zones. We firstmore » used Department of Energy Asset Scoring Tool to establish baseline models. We then conducted energy saving analysis in EnergyPlus based on a behavior model that defines the upper bound and lower bound of customer and hotel staff behavior. Lastly, we presented a probabilistic energy savings outlook for each hotel. The analysis shows behavior driven energy savings up to 25%. We believe this is the first study to incorporate behavioral factors into energy analysis for hotels. It also demonstrates a procedure to quickly create tailored baselines and identify improvement opportunities for hotels.« less

Development of energy-saving devices for a full slow-speed ship through improving propulsion performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jung-Hun; Choi, Jung-Eun; Choi, Bong-Jun; Chung, Seok-Ho; Seo, Heung-Won

2015-06-01

Energy-saving devices for 317K VLCC have been developed from a propulsion standpoint. Two ESD candidates were designed via computational tools. The first device WAFon composes of flow-control fins adapted for the ship wake to reduce the loss of rotational energy. The other is WAFon-D, which is a WAFon with a duct to obtain additional thrust and to distribute the inflow velocity on the propeller plane uniform. After selecting the candidates from the computed results, the speed performances were validated with model-tests. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the ESDs may be found in improved hull and propulsive efficiencies through increased wake fraction.

Reducing Operating Costs and Energy Consumption at Water Utilities

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Due to their unique combination of high energy usage and potential for significant savings, utilities are turning to energy-efficient technologies to help save money. Learn about cost and energy saving technologies from this brochure.

Evaluation of an LED Retrofit Project at Princeton University’s Carl Icahn Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davis, Robert G.; Murphy, Arthur L.; Perrin, Tess E.

The LED lighting retrofit at the Carl Icahn Laboratory of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics was the first building-wide interior LED project at Princeton University, following the University’s experiences from several years of exterior and small-scale interior LED implementation projects. The project addressed three luminaire types – recessed 2x2 troffers, cove and other luminaires using linear T8 fluorescent lamps, and CFL downlights - which combined accounted for over 564,000 kWh of annual energy, over 90% of the lighting energy used in the facility. The Princeton Facilities Engineering staff used a thorough process of evaluating product alternatives before selecting anmore » acceptable LED retrofit solution for each luminaire type. Overall, 815 2x2 luminaires, 550 linear fluorescent luminaires, and 240 downlights were converted to LED as part of this project. Based solely on the reductions in wattage in converting from the incumbent fluorescent lamps to LED retrofit kits, the annual energy savings from the project was over 190,000 kWh, a savings of 37%. An additional 125,000 kWh of energy savings is expected from the implementation of occupancy and task-tuning control solutions, which will bring the total savings for the project to 62%.« less

White Nail Radio Transmitter: Billion Dollar Savings through Energy Efficiency

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-10

increase efficiency and reduce overall energy consumption ashore by 50 percent CNO, Navy Energy Vision, P 10 White Nail Vision Your Cell Phone Cell...Estimated Total Number of transmitters 3,000,000 Estimated total power saved Watt 1,250,000,000 Cell Phone Transmitter Efficiency 1.25 Gigawatts saved...Greenhouse Gas Power 4 1 Energy Navy Use 7.3 Billion kWh White Nail Cell Phone Savings 11 Billion kWh One and a half times!!! Saves the output of four of

A multifunctional energy-saving magnetic field generator.

PubMed

Xiong, Hui; Sun, Wanpeng; Liu, Jinzhen; Shi, Jinhua

2018-03-01

To improve the energy utilization of magnetic field generators for biological applications, a multifunctional energy-saving magnetic field generator (ESMFG) is presented. It is capable of producing both an alternating magnetic field (AMF) and a bipolar pulse magnetic field (BPMF) with high energy-saving and energy-reuse rates. Based on a theoretical analysis of an RLC second-order circuit, the energy-saving and energy-reuse rates of both types of magnetic fields can be calculated and are found to have acceptable values. The results of an experimental study using the proposed generator show that for the BPMF, the peak current reaches 130 A and the intensity reaches 70.3 mT. For the AMF, the intensity is 11.0 mT and the RMS current is 20 A. The energy-saving and energy-reuse rates for the AMF generator are 61.3% and 63.5%, respectively, while for the BPMF generator, the energy-saving rate is 33.6%. Thus, the proposed ESMFG has excellent potential for use in biomedical applications.

A multifunctional energy-saving magnetic field generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Hui; Sun, Wanpeng; Liu, Jinzhen; Shi, Jinhua

2018-03-01

To improve the energy utilization of magnetic field generators for biological applications, a multifunctional energy-saving magnetic field generator (ESMFG) is presented. It is capable of producing both an alternating magnetic field (AMF) and a bipolar pulse magnetic field (BPMF) with high energy-saving and energy-reuse rates. Based on a theoretical analysis of an RLC second-order circuit, the energy-saving and energy-reuse rates of both types of magnetic fields can be calculated and are found to have acceptable values. The results of an experimental study using the proposed generator show that for the BPMF, the peak current reaches 130 A and the intensity reaches 70.3 mT. For the AMF, the intensity is 11.0 mT and the RMS current is 20 A. The energy-saving and energy-reuse rates for the AMF generator are 61.3% and 63.5%, respectively, while for the BPMF generator, the energy-saving rate is 33.6%. Thus, the proposed ESMFG has excellent potential for use in biomedical applications.

Basic Steps to Using the Energy Savings Plus Health Guidelines

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

he Energy Savings Plus Health Guide equips school districts to integrate indoor air quality protections into school energy efficiency retrofits and other building upgrade projects. This document describes steps to using the Energy Savings Plus Health guide

Heat pipes for low-humidity applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khattar, Mukesh K.

1989-01-01

A novel application of an air-to-air heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHX) in a cooling and dehumidification process of an air-conditioning system is described which provides significant energy savings in applications requiring reheat of cold supply air to maintain low humidity. The efficiency of the system has been demonstrated in an application requiring a humidity of 40 percent. The use of the HPHX and fine tuning of the air-conditioning system and controls has resulted in significant energy savings. The technology can be advantageously used in many low-humidity applications commonly encountered in high-tech and aerospace facilities.

Saving Energy. Managing School Facilities, Guide 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Education and Employment, London (England). Architects and Building Branch.

This guide offers information on how schools can implement an energy saving action plan to reduce their energy costs. Various low-cost energy-saving measures are recommended covering heating levels and heating systems, electricity demand reduction and lighting, ventilation, hot water usage, and swimming pool energy management. Additional…

Reported Energy and Cost Savings from the DOE ESPC Program: FY 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slattery, Bob S.

2017-01-01

The objective of this work was to determine the realization rate of energy and cost savings from the Department of Energy’s Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) program based on information reported by the energy services companies (ESCOs) that are carrying out ESPC projects at federal sites. Information was extracted from 151 Measurement and Verification (M&V) reports to determine reported, estimated, and guaranteed cost savings and reported and estimated energy savings for the previous contract year. Because the quality of the reports varied, it was not possible to determine all of these parameters for each project.

A Green Building on Campus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenbaum, Mark

2002-01-01

Describes how techniques such as occupant control, careful sizing of the HVAC equipment, and using a direct digital control (DDC) system have helped the James L. and Evelena S. Oakes Hall at Vermont Law School to be environmentally friendly and save energy. (EV)

Energy-Saving Inverter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rippel, W. E.; Edwards, D. B.

1984-01-01

Commutation by field-effect transistor allows more efficient operation. High voltage field-effect transistor (FET) controls silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR's). Circuit requires only one capacitor and one inductor in commutation circuit: simpler, more efficient, and more economical than conventional inverters. Adaptable to dc-to-dc converters.

EPA ENERGY STAR: Tackling Growth in Home Electronics and Small Appliances

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanchez, Marla Christine; Brown, Richard; Homan, Gregory

2008-11-17

Over a decade ago, the electricity consumption associated with home electronics and other small appliances emerged onto the global energy policy landscape as one of the fastest growing residential end uses with the opportunity to deliver significant energy savings. As our knowledge of this end use matures, it is essential to step back and evaluate the degree to which energy efficiency programs have successfully realized energy savings and where savings opportunities have been missed.For the past fifteen years, we have quantified energy, utility bill, and carbon savings for US EPA?s ENERGY STAR voluntary product labeling program. In this paper, wemore » present a unique look into the US residential program savings claimed to date for EPA?s ENERGY STAR office equipment, consumer electronics, and other small household appliances as well as EPA?s projected program savings over the next five years. We present a top-level discussion identifying program areas where EPA?s ENERGY STAR efforts have succeeded and program areas where ENERGY STAR efforts did not successfully address underlying market factors, technology issues and/or consumer behavior. We end by presenting the magnitude of ?overlooked? savings.« less

NREL and Army Validate Energy Savings for Net Zero Energy Installations |

Science.gov Websites

News | NREL and Army Validate Energy Savings for Net Zero Energy Installations News Release : NREL and Army Validate Energy Savings for Net Zero Energy Installations October 27, 2014 The U.S. Army (Army) has partnered with the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to

Influences on Energy Savings of Heavy Trucks Using Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lammert, Michael P; McAuliffe, Brian; Lu, Xiao-Yun

An integrated adaptive cruise control (ACC) and cooperative ACC (CACC) was implemented and tested on three heavy-duty tractor-trailer trucks on a closed test track. The first truck was always in ACC mode, and the followers were in CACC mode using wireless vehicle-vehicle communication to augment their radar sensor data to enable safe and accurate vehicle following at short gaps. The fuel consumption for each truck in the CACC string was measured using the SAE J1321 procedure while travelling at 65 mph and loaded to a gross weight of 65,000 lb, demonstrating the effects of: inter-vehicle gaps (ranging from 3.0 smore » or 87 m to 0.14 s or 4 m, covering a much wider range than previously reported tests), cut-in and cut-out maneuvers by other vehicles, speed variations, the use of mismatched vehicles (standard trailers mixed with aerodynamic trailers with boat tails and side skirts), and the presence of a passenger vehicle ahead of the platoon. The results showed that energy savings generally increased in a non-linear fashion as the gap was reduced. The middle truck saved the most fuel at gaps shorter than 12 m and the trailing truck saved the most at longer gaps, while lead truck saved the least at all gaps. The cut-in and cut-out maneuvers had only a marginal effect on fuel consumption even when repeated every two miles. The presence of passenger-vehicle traffic had a measurable impact. The fuel-consumption savings on the curves was less than on the straight sections.« less

Ahorre Energia: Consejos sobre el ahorro de dinero y energia en el hogar (Book)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

Learn how to save money with Energy Saver: Tips on Saving Money & Energy at Home, from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Energy Saver guide will help you reduce your monthly energy costs and live more efficiently. This guide takes you through the systems and appliances that consume the most energy in your home, and provides solutions to cut costs for you while saving the environment. The Energy Saver guide also includes transportation tips to help you save money at the pump.

Using cooperative control to manage uncertainties for Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaxa-Rozen, Marc; Rostampour, Vahab; Kwakkel, Jan; Bloemendal, Martin

2017-04-01

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) technology can lead to major reductions in energy demand for heating and cooling in buildings. ATES systems rely on shallow aquifers to seasonally store thermal energy and have become popular in the Netherlands, where a combination of easily accessible aquifers and strict energy regulations makes the technology especially relevant. However, this rapid adoption has made their management in dense urban areas more challenging. For instance, thermal interferences between neighboring systems can degrade storage efficiency. Policies for the permitting and spatial layout of ATES thus tend to be conservative to ensure the performance of individual systems, but this limits the space available for new systems - leading to a trade-off between individual system performance, and the overall energy savings obtained from ATES in a given area. Furthermore, recent studies show that operational uncertainties contribute to poor outcomes under current planning practices; systems in the Netherlands typically use less than half of their permitted water volume. This further reduces energy savings compared to expectations and also leads to an over-allocation of subsurface space. In this context, this work investigates the potential of a more flexible approach for ATES planning and operation, under which neighboring systems coordinate their operation. This is illustrated with a three-building idealized case, using a model predictive control approach for two control schemes: a decoupled formulation, and a centralized scheme that aims to avoid interferences between neighboring systems (assuming perfect information exchange). These control schemes are compared across a range of scenarios for spatial layout, building energy demand, and climate, using a coupled agent-based/geohydrological simulation. The simulation indicates that centralized operation could significantly improve the spatial layout efficiency of ATES systems, by allowing systems to be placed more densely without penalizing their individual performance. This effectively relaxes the trade-off between individual system performance and collective energy savings as observed in the decoupled case. The continued adoption of ATES technology provides a window of opportunity to revisit existing practices for the layout and operation of urban ATES systems, as information exchange - supported by appropriate spatial planning - could offer significant potential towards improved performance under operational uncertainties.

Methods for assessing the energy-saving efficiency of industrial symbiosis in industrial parks.

PubMed

Li, Wenfeng; Cui, Zhaojie; Han, Feng

2015-01-01

The available energy resources are being depleted worldwide. Industrial symbiosis (IS) provides a promising approach for increasing the efficiency of energy utilization, with numerous studies reporting the superiority of this technology. However, studies quantifying the energy-saving efficiency of IS remain insufficient. This paper proposes an index system for the quantitative evaluation of the energy-saving efficiency of IS. Both energy-saving and financial indexes were selected, the former include the IS energy-saving index, the contribution rate of energy saved through IS, fractional energy savings, and cut rate of energy consumption per total output value; and the latter include the IS investment payback period, IS input-output ratio, net present value (NPV), and internal rate of return (IRR) of IS. The proposed methods were applied to a case study on the XF Industrial Park (XF IP), in the city of Liaocheng in Shandong Province of China. Three energy-saving channels using IS were found in the XF IP: (a) utilizing the energy of high-temperature materials among industrial processes, (b) recovering waste heat and steam between different processes, and (c) saving energy by sharing infrastructures. The results showed that the energy efficiency index of IS was 0.326, accounting for 34.6% of the comprehensive energy-saving index in 2011, and the fractional energy-savings were 12.42%. The index of energy consumption per total industrial output value varied from 90.9 tce/MRMB to 51.6 tce/MRMB. Thus, the cut rate of energy consumption per total industrial output value was 43.42%. The average values of the IS input-output ratio was 406.2 RMB/tce, 57.2% lower than the price of standard coal. Static investment payback period in the XF IP was 8.5 months, indicating that the XF IP began to earn profit 8.5 months after the construction of all IS modes. The NVP and IRR of each IS mode in the XF IP were greater than zero, with average values equal to 1,789.96 MRMB and 140.96%, respectively. The computation result for each indicator revealed that IS could lead to the use of energy with high efficiency and lighten the financial burden of enterprises in the XF IP. And the proposed index system may help IPs and EIPs to make strategic decisions when designing IS modes.

Air transportation energy efficiency - Alternatives and implications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, L. J.

1976-01-01

Results from recent studies of air transportation energy efficiency alternatives are discussed, along with some of the implications of these alternatives. The fuel-saving alternatives considered include aircraft operation, aircraft modification, derivative aircraft, and new aircraft. In the near-term, energy efficiency improvements should be possible through small improvements in fuel-saving flight procedures, higher density seating, and higher load factors. Additional small near-term improvements could be obtained through aircraft modifications, such as the relatively inexpensive drag reduction modifications. Derivatives of existing aircraft could meet the requirements for new aircraft and provide energy improvements until advanced technology is available to justify the cost of a completely new design. In order to obtain significant improvements in energy efficiency, new aircraft must truly exploit advanced technology in such areas as aerodynamics, composite structures, active controls, and advanced propulsion.

Plugging into Energy Savings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrigan, Merrilee

1999-01-01

The nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy has been helping schools reduce energy consumption through a combination of retrofits, classroom instruction, and behavior. Lists eight small steps to big energy savings, among them: involve the whole school, stop leaks, turn off computers, and recycle. (MLF)

Innovative Phase Change Approach for Significant Energy Savings

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

September 2016 Innovative Phase Change Approach For Significant Energy Savings September 2016 8 After conducting a market survey...FINAL REPORT Innovative Phase Change Approach for Significant Energy Savings ESTCP Project EW-201138 SEPTEMBER 2016 Dr. Aly H Shaaban Applied...5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W912HQ-11-C-0011 Innovative Phase Change Approach for Significant Energy Savings 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM

Energy implications of mechanical and mechanical–biological treatment compared to direct waste-to-energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cimpan, Ciprian, E-mail: cic@kbm.sdu.dk; Wenzel, Henrik

2013-07-15

Highlights: • Compared systems achieve primary energy savings between 34 and 140 MJ{sub primary}/100 MJ{sub input} {sub waste.} • Savings magnitude is foremost determined by chosen primary energy and materials production. • Energy consumption and process losses can be upset by increased technology efficiency. • Material recovery accounts for significant shares of primary energy savings. • Direct waste-to-energy is highly efficient if cogeneration (CHP) is possible. - Abstract: Primary energy savings potential is used to compare five residual municipal solid waste treatment systems, including configurations with mechanical (MT) and mechanical–biological (MBT) pre-treatment, which produce waste-derived fuels (RDF and SRF), biogasmore » and/or recover additional materials for recycling, alongside a system based on conventional mass burn waste-to-energy and ash treatment. To examine the magnitude of potential savings we consider two energy efficiency levels (state-of-the-art and best available technology), the inclusion/exclusion of heat recovery (CHP vs. PP) and three different background end-use energy production systems (coal condensing electricity and natural gas heat, Nordic electricity mix and natural gas heat, and coal CHP energy quality allocation). The systems achieved net primary energy savings in a range between 34 and 140 MJ{sub primary}/100 MJ{sub input} {sub waste}, in the different scenario settings. The energy footprint of transportation needs, pre-treatment and reprocessing of recyclable materials was 3–9.5%, 1–18% and 1–8% respectively, relative to total energy savings. Mass combustion WtE achieved the highest savings in scenarios with CHP production, nonetheless, MBT-based systems had similarly high performance if SRF streams were co-combusted with coal. When RDF and SRF was only used in dedicated WtE plants, MBT-based systems totalled lower savings due to inherent system losses and additional energy costs. In scenarios without heat recovery, the biodrying MBS-based system achieved the highest savings, on the condition of SRF co-combustion. As a sensitivity scenario, alternative utilisation of SRF in cement kilns was modelled. It supported similar or higher net savings for all pre-treatment systems compared to mass combustion WtE, except when WtE CHP was possible in the first two background energy scenarios. Recovery of plastics for recycling before energy recovery increased net energy savings in most scenario variations, over those of full stream combustion. Sensitivity to assumptions regarding virgin plastic substitution was tested and was found to mostly favour plastic recovery.« less

Study on a Simple Method for Controlling the Engine Output Power of Hybrid Powered Railway Vehicles with Electric Double Layer Capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okano, Shota; Shibuya, Hiroyuki; Kondo, Keiichiro

This paper presents a simple and energy-saving method for controlling hybrid powered railway vehicles that run on rural non-electrified railway lines and have diesel engine and electrical double layer capacitors (EDLCs). The aim this study is to reduce both the fuel consumption and the capacitance of EDLCs. A basic idea proposed in this paper is that EDLCs supply and absorb the kinetic energy of the vehicle and the engine output compensates supply the energy loss with the vehicle running. Thus, the energy loss is not taken into consideration while expressing the EDLC voltage reference (equation 1); energy loss is considered when the engine is in operating mode. The proposed method is examined by performing numerical simulations for various values of engine operation time, load, and grade section. The results of this study reveal the relationship between the capacitance of the EDLCs and the fuel consumption. Using this proposed control methods, excessive charging of EDLCs can be avoided. The results of this study are expected to expedite the development of energy-saving railway vehicles for the non-electrified lines. Finally, the results of this study increase the possibility of developing hybrid powered railway vehicles.

Advertising energy saving programs: The potential environmental cost of emphasizing monetary savings.

PubMed

Schwartz, Daniel; Bruine de Bruin, Wändi; Fischhoff, Baruch; Lave, Lester

2015-06-01

Many consumers have monetary or environmental motivations for saving energy. Indeed, saving energy produces both monetary benefits, by reducing energy bills, and environmental benefits, by reducing carbon footprints. We examined how consumers' willingness and reasons to enroll in energy-savings programs are affected by whether advertisements emphasize monetary benefits, environmental benefits, or both. From a normative perspective, having 2 noteworthy kinds of benefit should not decrease a program's attractiveness. In contrast, psychological research suggests that adding external incentives to an intrinsically motivating task may backfire. To date, however, it remains unclear whether this is the case when both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are inherent to the task, as with energy savings, and whether removing explicit mention of extrinsic motivation will reduce its importance. We found that emphasizing a program's monetary benefits reduced participants' willingness to enroll. In addition, participants' explanations about enrollment revealed less attention to environmental concerns when programs emphasized monetary savings, even when environmental savings were also emphasized. We found equal attention to monetary motivations in all conditions, revealing an asymmetric attention to monetary and environmental motives. These results also provide practical guidance regarding the positioning of energy-saving programs: emphasize intrinsic benefits; the extrinsic ones may speak for themselves. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Energy Conservation: Implementing an Effective Campus Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsee, Jeff

After reviewing the physical plant environment and temperature control equipment at Eastfield College (Texas), this paper explains how redirected efforts toward energy conservation can result in important cost/usage savings. Electricity billing rates are explained to provide a stronger usage strategy for cost effectiveness. Two methods of reducing…

Optimization control of LNG regasification plant using Model Predictive Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahid, A.; Adicandra, F. F.

2018-03-01

Optimization of liquified natural gas (LNG) regasification plant is important to minimize costs, especially operational costs. Therefore, it is important to choose optimum LNG regasification plant design and maintaining the optimum operating conditions through the implementation of model predictive control (MPC). Optimal tuning parameter for MPC such as P (prediction horizon), M (control of the horizon) and T (sampling time) are achieved by using fine-tuning method. The optimal criterion for design is the minimum amount of energy used and for control is integral of square error (ISE). As a result, the optimum design is scheme 2 which is developed by Devold with an energy savings of 40%. To maintain the optimum conditions, required MPC with P, M and T as follows: tank storage pressure: 90, 2, 1; product pressure: 95, 2, 1; temperature vaporizer: 65, 2, 2; and temperature heater: 35, 6, 5, with ISE value at set point tracking respectively 0.99, 1792.78, 34.89 and 7.54, or improvement of control performance respectively 4.6%, 63.5%, 3.1% and 58.2% compared to PI controller performance. The energy savings that MPC controllers can make when there is a disturbance in temperature rise 1°C of sea water is 0.02 MW.

[Energy policy rather than climate policy].

PubMed

Kroonenberg, Salomon B

2009-01-01

Energy policy and climate policy are two different issues and should not be treated as if they were the same. Whether the climate gets warmer or colder, saving energy and developing sustainable forms of energy production remain of paramount importance because fossil hydrocarbons are likely to be exhausted soon. But climate policy is a fallacy: it is human arrogance to think we can control the climate by reducing emissions and by storing CO2 underground. In spite of rising CO2 levels, the climate has cooled down slightly over the past decade. Since the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) did not predict this, it is questionable whether they can reliably predict warming. Other factors such as solar activity are probably more important for climate than greenhouse gases. The danger of coupling energy policy to climate policy is evident: if the climate cools down, people will lose belief in the greenhouse effect and therefore also lose interest in saving energy.

Optimized efficiency of all-electric ships by dc hybrid power systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahedi, Bijan; Norum, Lars E.; Ludvigsen, Kristine B.

2014-06-01

Hybrid power systems with dc distribution are being considered for commercial marine vessels to comply with new stringent environmental regulations, and to achieve higher fuel economy. In this paper, detailed efficiency analysis of a shipboard dc hybrid power system is carried out. An optimization algorithm is proposed to minimize fuel consumption under various loading conditions. The studied system includes diesel engines, synchronous generator-rectifier units, a full-bridge bidirectional converter, and a Li-Ion battery bank as energy storage. In order to evaluate potential fuel saving provided by such a system, an online optimization strategy for fuel consumption is implemented. An Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) is simulated over different operating modes using the online control strategy. The resulted consumed fuel in the simulation is compared to that of a conventional ac power system, and also a dc power system without energy storage. The results show that while the dc system without energy storage provides noticeable fuel saving compared to the conventional ac system, optimal utilization of the energy storage in the dc system results in twice as much fuel saving.

Control Strategies to Reduce the Energy Consumption of Central Domestic Hot Water Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dentz, Jordan; Ansanelli, Eric; Henderson, Hugh

Domestic hot water (DHW) heating is the second largest energy end use in U.S. buildings, exceeded only by space conditioning. Recirculation systems consisting of a pump and piping loop(s) are commonly used in multifamily buildings to reduce wait time for hot water at faucets; however, constant pumping increases energy consumption by exposing supply and return line piping to continuous heat loss, even during periods when there is no demand for hot water. In this study, ARIES installed and tested two types of recirculation controls in a pair of buildings in order to evaluate their energy savings potential. Demand control, temperaturemore » modulation controls, and the simultaneous operation of both were compared to the baseline case of constant recirculation. Additionally, interactive effects between DHW control fuel reductions and space conditioning (heating and cooling) were estimated in order to make more realistic predictions of the payback and financial viability of retrofitting DHW systems with these controls. Results showed that DHW fuel consumption reduced by 7% after implementing the demand control technique, 2% after implementing temperature modulation, and 15% after implementing demand control and temperature modulation techniques simultaneously; recirculation pump runtime was reduced to 14 minutes or less per day. With space heating and cooling interactions included, the estimated annual cost savings were 8%, 1%, and 14% for the respective control techniques. Possible complications in the installation, commissioning and operation of the controls were identified and solutions offered.« less

Energy-saving scheme based on downstream packet scheduling in ethernet passive optical networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lincong; Liu, Yejun; Guo, Lei; Gong, Xiaoxue

2013-03-01

With increasing network sizes, the energy consumption of Passive Optical Networks (PONs) has grown significantly. Therefore, it is important to design effective energy-saving schemes in PONs. Generally, energy-saving schemes have focused on sleeping the low-loaded Optical Network Units (ONUs), which tends to bring large packet delays. Further, the traditional ONU sleep modes are not capable of sleeping the transmitter and receiver independently, though they are not required to transmit or receive packets. Clearly, this approach contributes to wasted energy. Thus, in this paper, we propose an Energy-Saving scheme that is based on downstream Packet Scheduling (ESPS) in Ethernet PON (EPON). First, we design both an algorithm and a rule for downstream packet scheduling at the inter- and intra-ONU levels, respectively, to reduce the downstream packet delay. After that, we propose a hybrid sleep mode that contains not only ONU deep sleep mode but also independent sleep modes for the transmitter and the receiver. This ensures that the energy consumed by the ONUs is minimal. To realize the hybrid sleep mode, a modified GATE control message is designed that involves 10 time points for sleep processes. In ESPS, the 10 time points are calculated according to the allocated bandwidths in both the upstream and the downstream. The simulation results show that ESPS outperforms traditional Upstream Centric Scheduling (UCS) scheme in terms of energy consumption and the average delay for both real-time and non-real-time packets downstream. The simulation results also show that the average energy consumption of each ONU in larger-sized networks is less than that in smaller-sized networks; hence, our ESPS is better suited for larger-sized networks.

Energy efficiency in California laboratory-type facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mills, E.; Bell, G.; Sartor, D.

The central aim of this project is to provide knowledge and tools for increasing the energy efficiency and performance of new and existing laboratory-type facilities in California. We approach the task along three avenues: (1) identification of current energy use and savings potential, (2) development of a {ital Design guide for energy- Efficient Research Laboratories}, and (3) development of a research agenda for focused technology development and improving out understanding of the market. Laboratory-type facilities use a considerable amount of energy resources. They are also important to the local and state economy, and energy costs are a factor in themore » overall competitiveness of industries utilizing laboratory-type facilities. Although the potential for energy savings is considerable, improving energy efficiency in laboratory-type facilities is no easy task, and there are many formidable barriers to improving energy efficiency in these specialized facilities. Insufficient motivation for individual stake holders to invest in improving energy efficiency using existing technologies as well as conducting related R&D is indicative of the ``public goods`` nature of the opportunity to achieve energy savings in this sector. Due to demanding environmental control requirements and specialized processes, laboratory-type facilities epitomize the important intersection between energy demands in the buildings sector and the industrial sector. Moreover, given the high importance and value of the activities conducted in laboratory-type facilities, they represent one of the most powerful contexts in which energy efficiency improvements stand to yield abundant non-energy benefits if properly applied.« less

Design and Implementation of Green Construction Scheme for a High-rise Residential Building Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yong; Huang, You Zhen

2018-06-01

This paper mainly studies the green construction scheme of a high-rise residential building project. From "four sections one environmental protection", saving material, water saving, energy saving, economical use of land and environmental protection conduct analysis and research. Adopting scientific, advanced, reasonable and economical construction technology measures, implementing green construction method. Promoting energy-saving technologies in buildings, ensuring the sustainable use of resources, Maximum savings of resources and energy, increase energy efficiency, to reduce pollution, reducing the adverse environmental impact of construction activities, ensure construction safety, build sustainable buildings.

Back to the Earth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abnee, Conn

1999-01-01

Discusses how schools can use geothermal technology to conserve energy and save money. How geothermal climate control works and its payback are examined, and examples of development and use are highlighted. (GR)

To make people save energy tell them what others do but also who they are: a preliminary study

PubMed Central

Graffeo, Michele; Ritov, Ilana; Bonini, Nicolao; Hadjichristidis, Constantinos

2015-01-01

A way to make people save energy is by informing them that “comparable others” save more. We investigated whether, one can further improve this nudge by manipulating Who the “comparable others” are. We asked participants to imagine receiving feedback stating that their energy consumption exceeded that of “comparable others” by 10%. We varied Who the “comparable others” were in a 2 × 2 design: they were a household that was located either in the same neighborhood as themselves or in a different neighborhood, and its members were either identified (by names and a photograph) or unidentified. We also included two control conditions: one where no feedback was provided, and one where only statistical feedback was provided (feedback about an average household). We found that it matters Who the “comparable others” are. The most effective feedback was when the referent household was from the same neighborhood as the individual's and its members were not identified. PMID:26379603

Energy-Saving Control of a Novel Hydraulic Drive System for Field Walking Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Delei; Shang, Jianzhong; Xue, Yong; Yang, Junhong; Wang, Zhuo

2018-01-01

To improve the efficiency of the hydraulic drive system in field walking robot, this paper proposed a novel hydraulic system based on two-stage pressure source. Based on the analysis of low efficiency of robot single-stage hydraulic system, the paper firstly introduces the concept and design of two-stage pressure source drive system. Then, the new hydraulic system energy-saving control is planned according to the characteristics of walking robot. The feasibility of the new hydraulic system is proved by the simulation of the walking robot squatting. Finally, the efficiencies of two types hydraulic system are calculated, indicating that the novel hydraulic system can increase the efficiency by 41.5%, which can contribute to enhance knowledge about hydraulic drive system for field walking robot.

Measured energy savings and performance of power-managed personal computers and monitors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nordman, B.; Piette, M.A.; Kinney, K.

1996-08-01

Personal computers and monitors are estimated to use 14 billion kWh/year of electricity, with power management potentially saving $600 million/year by the year 2000. The effort to capture these savings is lead by the US Environmental Protection Agency`s Energy Star program, which specifies a 30W maximum demand for the computer and for the monitor when in a {open_quote}sleep{close_quote} or idle mode. In this paper the authors discuss measured energy use and estimated savings for power-managed (Energy Star compliant) PCs and monitors. They collected electricity use measurements of six power-managed PCs and monitors in their office and five from two othermore » research projects. The devices are diverse in machine type, use patterns, and context. The analysis method estimates the time spent in each system operating mode (off, low-, and full-power) and combines these with real power measurements to derive hours of use per mode, energy use, and energy savings. Three schedules are explored in the {open_quotes}As-operated,{close_quotes} {open_quotes}Standardized,{close_quotes} and `Maximum` savings estimates. Energy savings are established by comparing the measurements to a baseline with power management disabled. As-operated energy savings for the eleven PCs and monitors ranged from zero to 75 kWh/year. Under the standard operating schedule (on 20% of nights and weekends), the savings are about 200 kWh/year. An audit of power management features and configurations for several dozen Energy Star machines found only 11% of CPU`s fully enabled and about two thirds of monitors were successfully power managed. The highest priority for greater power management savings is to enable monitors, as opposed to CPU`s, since they are generally easier to configure, less likely to interfere with system operation, and have greater savings. The difficulties in properly configuring PCs and monitors is the largest current barrier to achieving the savings potential from power management.« less

A comparison of a novel robust decentralised control strategy and MPC for industrial high purity, high recovery, multicomponent distillation.

PubMed

Udugama, Isuru A; Wolfenstetter, Florian; Kirkpatrick, Robert; Yu, Wei; Young, Brent R

2017-07-01

In this work we have developed a novel, robust practical control structure to regulate an industrial methanol distillation column. This proposed control scheme is based on a override control framework and can manage a non-key trace ethanol product impurity specification while maintaining high product recovery. For comparison purposes, a MPC with a discrete process model (based on step tests) was also developed and tested. The results from process disturbance testing shows that, both the MPC and the proposed controller were capable of maintaining both the trace level ethanol specification in the distillate (X D ) and high product recovery (β). Closer analysis revealed that the MPC controller has a tighter X D control, while the proposed controller was tighter in β control. The tight X D control allowed the MPC to operate at a higher X D set point (closer to the 10ppm AA grade methanol standard), allowing for savings in energy usage. Despite the energy savings of the MPC, the proposed control scheme has lower installation and running costs. An economic analysis revealed a multitude of other external economic and plant design factors, that should be considered when making a decision between the two controllers. In general, we found relatively high energy costs favour MPC. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predictive Optimal Control of Active and Passive Building Thermal Storage Inventory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gregor P. Henze; Moncef Krarti

2005-09-30

Cooling of commercial buildings contributes significantly to the peak demand placed on an electrical utility grid. Time-of-use electricity rates encourage shifting of electrical loads to off-peak periods at night and weekends. Buildings can respond to these pricing signals by shifting cooling-related thermal loads either by precooling the building's massive structure or the use of active thermal energy storage systems such as ice storage. While these two thermal batteries have been engaged separately in the past, this project investigated the merits of harnessing both storage media concurrently in the context of predictive optimal control. To pursue the analysis, modeling, and simulationmore » research of Phase 1, two separate simulation environments were developed. Based on the new dynamic building simulation program EnergyPlus, a utility rate module, two thermal energy storage models were added. Also, a sequential optimization approach to the cost minimization problem using direct search, gradient-based, and dynamic programming methods was incorporated. The objective function was the total utility bill including the cost of reheat and a time-of-use electricity rate either with or without demand charges. An alternative simulation environment based on TRNSYS and Matlab was developed to allow for comparison and cross-validation with EnergyPlus. The initial evaluation of the theoretical potential of the combined optimal control assumed perfect weather prediction and match between the building model and the actual building counterpart. The analysis showed that the combined utilization leads to cost savings that is significantly greater than either storage but less than the sum of the individual savings. The findings reveal that the cooling-related on-peak electrical demand of commercial buildings can be considerably reduced. A subsequent analysis of the impact of forecasting uncertainty in the required short-term weather forecasts determined that it takes only very simple short-term prediction models to realize almost all of the theoretical potential of this control strategy. Further work evaluated the impact of modeling accuracy on the model-based closed-loop predictive optimal controller to minimize utility cost. The following guidelines have been derived: For an internal heat gain dominated commercial building, reasonable geometry simplifications are acceptable without a loss of cost savings potential. In fact, zoning simplification may improve optimizer performance and save computation time. The mass of the internal structure did not show a strong effect on the optimization. Building construction characteristics were found to impact building passive thermal storage capacity. It is thus advisable to make sure the construction material is well modeled. Zone temperature setpoint profiles and TES performance are strongly affected by mismatches in internal heat gains, especially when they are underestimated. Since they are a key factor in determining the building cooling load, efforts should be made to keep the internal gain mismatch as small as possible. Efficiencies of the building energy systems affect both zone temperature setpoints and active TES operation because of the coupling of the base chiller for building precooling and the icemaking TES chiller. Relative efficiencies of the base and TES chillers will determine the balance of operation of the two chillers. The impact of mismatch in this category may be significant. Next, a parametric analysis was conducted to assess the effects of building mass, utility rate, building location and season, thermal comfort, central plant capacities, and an economizer on the cost saving performance of optimal control for active and passive building thermal storage inventory. The key findings are: (1) Heavy-mass buildings, strong-incentive time-of-use electrical utility rates, and large on-peak cooling loads will likely lead to attractive savings resulting from optimal combined thermal storage control. (2) By using economizer to take advantage of the cool fresh air during the night, the building electrical cost can be reduced by using less mechanical cooling. (3) Larger base chiller and active thermal storage capacities have the potential of shifting more cooling loads to off-peak hours and thus higher savings can be achieved. (4) Optimal combined thermal storage control with a thermal comfort penalty included in the objective function can improve the thermal comfort levels of building occupants when compared to the non-optimized base case. Lab testing conducted in the Larson HVAC Laboratory during Phase 2 showed that the EnergyPlus-based simulation was a surprisingly accurate prediction of the experiment. Therefore, actual savings of building energy costs can be expected by applying optimal controls from simulation results.« less

Making the Business Case for Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for School Building Upgrades

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Energy Savings Plus Health Guide equips school districts to integrate indoor air quality protections into school energy efficiency retrofits and other building upgrade projects. This page describes the business case for energy savings in schools.

Calendar Year 2007 Program Benefits for U.S. EPA Energy Star Labeled Products: Expanded Methodology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanchez, Marla; Homan, Gregory; Lai, Judy

2009-09-24

This report provides a top-level summary of national savings achieved by the Energy Star voluntary product labeling program. To best quantify and analyze savings for all products, we developed a bottom-up product-based model. Each Energy Star product type is characterized by product-specific inputs that result in a product savings estimate. Our results show that through 2007, U.S. EPA Energy Star labeled products saved 5.5 Quads of primary energy and avoided 100 MtC of emissions. Although Energy Star-labeled products encompass over forty product types, only five of those product types accounted for 65percent of all Energy Star carbon reductions achieved tomore » date, including (listed in order of savings magnitude)monitors, printers, residential light fixtures, televisions, and furnaces. The forecast shows that U.S. EPA?s program is expected to save 12.2 Quads of primary energy and avoid 215 MtC of emissions over the period of 2008?2015.« less

An Energy Saving System for a Beam Pumping Unit

PubMed Central

Lv, Hongqiang; Liu, Jun; Han, Jiuqiang; Jiang, An

2016-01-01

Beam pumping units are widely used in the oil production industry, but the energy efficiency of this artificial lift machinery is generally low, especially for the low-production well and high-production well in the later stage. There are a number of ways for energy savings in pumping units, with the periodic adjustment of stroke speed and rectification of balance deviation being two important methods. In the paper, an energy saving system for a beam pumping unit (ESS-BPU) based on the Internet of Things (IoT) was proposed. A total of four types of sensors, including load sensor, angle sensor, voltage sensor, and current sensor, were used to detect the operating conditions of the pumping unit. Data from these sensors was fed into a controller installed in an oilfield to adjust the stroke speed automatically and estimate the degree of balance in real-time. Additionally, remote supervision could be fulfilled using a browser on a computer or smartphone. Furthermore, the data from a practical application was recorded and analyzed, and it can be seen that ESS-BPU is helpful in reducing energy loss caused by unnecessarily high stroke speed and a poor degree of balance. PMID:27187402

A Novel Sensor Platform Matching the Improved Version of IPMVP Option C for Measuring Energy Savings

PubMed Central

Tseng, Yen-Chieh; Lee, Da-Sheng; Lin, Cheng-Fang; Chang, Ching-Yuan

2013-01-01

It is easy to measure energy consumption with a power meter. However, energy savings cannot be directly computed by the powers measured using existing power meter technologies, since the power consumption only reflects parts of the real energy flows. The International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) was proposed by the Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO) to quantify energy savings using four different methodologies of A, B, C and D. Although energy savings can be estimated following the IPMVP, there are limitations on its practical implementation. Moreover, the data processing methods of the four IPMVP alternatives use multiple sensors (thermometer, hygrometer, Occupant information) and power meter readings to simulate all facilities, in order to determine an energy usage benchmark and the energy savings. This study proposes a simple sensor platform to measure energy savings. Using usually the Electronic Product Code (EPC) global standard, an architecture framework for an information system is constructed that integrates sensors data, power meter readings and occupancy conditions. The proposed sensor platform is used to monitor a building with a newly built vertical garden system (VGS). A VGS shields solar radiation and saves on energy that would be expended on air-conditioning. With this platform, the amount of energy saved in the whole facility is measured and reported in real-time. The data are compared with those obtained from detailed measurement and verification (M&V) processes. The discrepancy is less than 1.565%. Using measurements from the proposed sensor platform, the energy savings for the entire facility are quantified, with a resolution of ±1.2%. The VGS gives an 8.483% daily electricity saving for the building. Thus, the results show that the simple sensor platform proposed by this study is more widely applicable than the four complicated IPMVP alternatives and the VGS is an effective tool in reducing the carbon footprint of a building. PMID:23698273

Advanced Sensors and Controls for Building Applications: Market Assessment and Potential R&D Pathways

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brambley, Michael R.; Haves, Philip; McDonald, Sean C.

2005-04-13

Significant energy savings can be achieved in commercial building operation, along with increased comfort and control for occupants, through the implementation of advanced technologies. This document provides a market assessment of existing building sensors and controls and presents a range of technology pathways (R&D options) for pursuing advanced sensors and building control strategies. This paper is actually a synthesis of five other white papers: the first describes the market assessment including estimates of market potential and energy savings for sensors and control strategies currently on the market as well as a discussion of market barriers to these technologies. The othermore » four cover technology pathways: (1) current applications and strategies for new applications, (2) sensors and controls, (3) networking, security, and protocols and standards, and (4) automated diagnostics, performance monitoring, commissioning, optimal control and tools. Each technology pathway chapter gives an overview of the technology or application. This is followed by a discussion of needs and the current status of the technology. Finally, a series of research topics is proposed.« less

Biomechanical pulping : a mill-scale evaluation

Treesearch

Masood Akhtar; Gary M. Scott; Ross E. Swaney; Mike J. Lentz; Eric G. Horn; Marguerite S. Sykes; Gary C. Myers

1999-01-01

Mechanical pulping process is electrical energy intensive and results in low paper strength. Biomechanical pulping, defined as the fungal treatment of lignocellulosic materials prior to mechanical pulping, has shown at least 30% savings in electrical energy consumption, and significant improvements in paper strength properties compared to the control at a laboratory...

Energy Retrofit Creates an Efficient Building.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Laurie

1997-01-01

After 20 years of inadequate heating and cooling, an Indiana school district took advantage of a 1994 state law that allows school districts to bypass the "low-bidder wins" restriction. The district established a guaranteed energy-saving contract for a climate-control-improvements package to retrofit the junior-senior high school. (MLF)

Behaviour: The net effect of green lifestyles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubacek, Klaus; Guan, Dabo

2011-08-01

It is often argued that saving energy helps the environment and saves money. An analysis of three energy-saving measures shows that decisions on how the saved money is spent affect the size of the environmental benefit.

Good news on skylight performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewis, D.

1983-02-01

The effects of skylights on heating, cooling and lighting loads are examined using both winter and summer energy analysis. It is concluded that, in mild climates, skylights can save energy in summer and winter; in colder and cloudier climates, there may be a loss of energy in the winter but a savings in summer. The optimum skylight area is discussed for home and commercial applications. Glazing options (single, double, or triple), heat loss, air leakage, and condensation control are considered as well as ratio of glazing area to roof opening area, installation requirements, operation, and cleaning. An example skylight analysismore » is carried out for a Safeway supermarket in Tempe, Arizona. A list of skylight manufacturers and a source of additional information are provided. (MJJ)« less

The optimal dissolved oxygen profile in a nitrifying activated sludge process - comparisons with ammonium feedback control.

PubMed

Amand, L; Carlsson, B

2013-01-01

Ammonium feedback control is increasingly used to determine the dissolved oxygen (DO) set-point in aerated activated sludge processes for nitrogen removal. This study compares proportional-integral (PI) ammonium feedback control with a DO profile created from a mathematical minimisation of the daily air flow rate. All simulated scenarios are set to reach the same treatment level of ammonium, based on a daily average concentration. The influent includes daily variations only and the model has three aerated zones. Comparisons are made at different plant loads and DO concentrations, and the placement of the ammonium sensor is investigated. The results show that ammonium PI control can achieve the best performance if the DO set-point is limited at a maximum value and with little integral action in the controller. Compared with constant DO control the best-performing ammonium controller can achieve 1-3.5% savings in the air flow rate, while the optimal solution can achieve a 3-7% saving. Energy savings are larger when operating at higher DO concentrations.

Commercialization of the power factor controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The purpose of the Motor Power Controller, also known as the Power Factor Controller, is to improve power factor and reduce power dissipation in induction motors operating below full load. These purposes were studied and tested in detail. The Motor Power Controller is capable of raising power factors from 0.2 to 0.8 and results in energy savings. It was found that many motors, in their present operating applications, are classified as unstable. The electronic nature of the controller vs. the electrical nature of the motor, compound this problem due to the differences in response time of the two devices. Many tests were successfully completed, the most indicating greater savings than anticipated. Also, there was an effect on efficiency which was not included in the calculations.

Design and implementation of a simple acousto optic dual control circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Biqing; Li, Zhao

2017-04-01

This page proposed a simple light control circuit which designed by using power supply circuit, sonic circuits, electric circuit and delay circuit four parts. The main chip for CD4011, have inside of the four and to complete the sonic or circuit, electric, delay logic circuit. During the day, no matter how much a pedestrian voice, is ever shine light bulb. Dark night, circuit in a body to make the microphone as long as testing noise, and will automatically be bright for pedestrians lighting, several minutes after the automatic and put out, effective energy saving. Applicable scope and the working principle of the circuit principle diagram and given device parameters selection, power saving effect is obvious, at the same time greatly reduce the maintenance quantity, saving money, use effect is good.

Model-based optimal design of active cool thermal energy storage for maximal life-cycle cost saving from demand management in commercial buildings

DOE PAGES

Cui, Borui; Gao, Dian-ce; Xiao, Fu; ...

2016-12-23

This article provides a method in comprehensive evaluation of cost-saving potential of active cool thermal energy storage (CTES) integrated with HVAC system for demand management in non-residential building. The active storage is beneficial by shifting peak demand for peak load management (PLM) as well as providing longer duration and larger capacity of demand response (DR). In this research, a model-based optimal design method using genetic algorithm is developed to optimize the capacity of active CTES aiming for maximizing the life-cycle cost saving concerning capital cost associated with storage capacity as well as incentives from both fast DR and PLM. Inmore » the method, the active CTES operates under a fast DR control strategy during DR events while under the storage-priority operation mode to shift peak demand during normal days. The optimal storage capacities, maximum annual net cost saving and corresponding power reduction set-points during DR event are obtained by using the proposed optimal design method. Lastly, this research provides guidance in comprehensive evaluation of cost-saving potential of CTES integrated with HVAC system for building demand management including both fast DR and PLM.« less

Model-based optimal design of active cool thermal energy storage for maximal life-cycle cost saving from demand management in commercial buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cui, Borui; Gao, Dian-ce; Xiao, Fu

This article provides a method in comprehensive evaluation of cost-saving potential of active cool thermal energy storage (CTES) integrated with HVAC system for demand management in non-residential building. The active storage is beneficial by shifting peak demand for peak load management (PLM) as well as providing longer duration and larger capacity of demand response (DR). In this research, a model-based optimal design method using genetic algorithm is developed to optimize the capacity of active CTES aiming for maximizing the life-cycle cost saving concerning capital cost associated with storage capacity as well as incentives from both fast DR and PLM. Inmore » the method, the active CTES operates under a fast DR control strategy during DR events while under the storage-priority operation mode to shift peak demand during normal days. The optimal storage capacities, maximum annual net cost saving and corresponding power reduction set-points during DR event are obtained by using the proposed optimal design method. Lastly, this research provides guidance in comprehensive evaluation of cost-saving potential of CTES integrated with HVAC system for building demand management including both fast DR and PLM.« less

Chapter 19: HVAC Controls (DDC/EMS/BAS) Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurnik, Charles W.; Romberger, Jeff

The HVAC Controls Evaluation Protocol is designed to address evaluation issues for direct digital controls/energy management systems/building automation systems (DDC/EMS/BAS) that are installed to control heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment in commercial and institutional buildings. (This chapter refers to the DDC/EMS/BAS measure as HVAC controls.) This protocol may also be applicable to industrial facilities such as clean rooms and labs, which have either significant HVAC equipment or spaces requiring special environmental conditions.

Mathematical modeling for resource and energy saving control of extruders in multi-assortment productions of polymeric films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polosin, A. N.; Chistyakova, T. B.

2018-05-01

In this article, the authors describe mathematical modeling of polymer processing in extruders of various types used in extrusion and calender productions of film materials. The method consists of the synthesis of a static model for calculating throughput, energy consumption of the extruder, extrudate quality indices, as well as a dynamic model for evaluating polymer residence time in the extruder, on which the quality indices depend. Models are adjusted according to the extruder type (single-screw, reciprocating, twin-screw), its screw and head configuration, extruder’s work temperature conditions, and the processed polymer type. Models enable creating extruder screw configurations and determining extruder controlling action values that provide the extrudate of required quality while satisfying extruder throughput and energy consumption requirements. Model adequacy has been verified using polyolefins’ and polyvinylchloride processing data in different extruders. The program complex, based on mathematical models, has been developed in order to control extruders of various types in order to ensure resource and energy saving in multi-assortment productions of polymeric films. Using the program complex in the control system for the extrusion stage of the polymeric film productions enables improving film quality, reducing spoilage, lessening the time required for production line change-over to other throughput and film type assignment.

Cache Energy Optimization Techniques For Modern Processors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mittal, Sparsh

2013-01-01

Modern multicore processors are employing large last-level caches, for example Intel's E7-8800 processor uses 24MB L3 cache. Further, with each CMOS technology generation, leakage energy has been dramatically increasing and hence, leakage energy is expected to become a major source of energy dissipation, especially in last-level caches (LLCs). The conventional schemes of cache energy saving either aim at saving dynamic energy or are based on properties specific to first-level caches, and thus these schemes have limited utility for last-level caches. Further, several other techniques require offline profiling or per-application tuning and hence are not suitable for product systems. In thismore » book, we present novel cache leakage energy saving schemes for single-core and multicore systems; desktop, QoS, real-time and server systems. Also, we present cache energy saving techniques for caches designed with both conventional SRAM devices and emerging non-volatile devices such as STT-RAM (spin-torque transfer RAM). We present software-controlled, hardware-assisted techniques which use dynamic cache reconfiguration to configure the cache to the most energy efficient configuration while keeping the performance loss bounded. To profile and test a large number of potential configurations, we utilize low-overhead, micro-architecture components, which can be easily integrated into modern processor chips. We adopt a system-wide approach to save energy to ensure that cache reconfiguration does not increase energy consumption of other components of the processor. We have compared our techniques with state-of-the-art techniques and have found that our techniques outperform them in terms of energy efficiency and other relevant metrics. The techniques presented in this book have important applications in improving energy-efficiency of higher-end embedded, desktop, QoS, real-time, server processors and multitasking systems. This book is intended to be a valuable guide for both newcomers and veterans in the field of cache power management. It will help graduate students, CAD tool developers and designers in understanding the need of energy efficiency in modern computing systems. Further, it will be useful for researchers in gaining insights into algorithms and techniques for micro-architectural and system-level energy optimization using dynamic cache reconfiguration. We sincerely believe that the ``food for thought'' presented in this book will inspire the readers to develop even better ideas for designing ``green'' processors of tomorrow.« less

A statistical analysis of the energy policy act of 2005, its changes to the daylight saving program, and impact on residential energy consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, Patrick L.

Government programs designed to decrease resource consumption, improve productivity and capitalize on extended daylight hours in the summer have been developed and implemented throughout the world for nearly three hundred years. In 2005, The United States government adopted an extended daylight savings program that increases the number of weeks where the country observes Daylight Saving Time (DST) from 31 to 35 weeks. The program took effect in March 2007. Arguments in support of DST programs highlight the portion of electricity consumption attributed to residential lighting in the evening hours. Adjusting clocks forward by one hour in summer months is believed to reduce electricity consumption due to lighting and therefore significantly reduce residential energy consumption during the period of DST. This paper evaluates the efficacy of the changes to DST resulting from the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The study focuses on changes to household electricity consumption during the extended four weeks of DST. Arizona, one of two states that continue to opt out of DST serves as the study's control for a comparison with neighboring states, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. Results from the regression analysis of a Difference in Difference model indicate that contrary to evaluations by Congress and the Department of Energy, the four week period of Extended Daylight Saving Time does not produce a significant decrease in per capita electricity consumption in Southwestern states.

Energy and Economic Impacts of U.S. Federal Energy and Water Conservation Standards Adopted From 1987 Through 2010

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyers, Stephen; Williams, Alison; Chan, Peter

This paper presents estimates of the key impacts of the energy and water conservation standards that have been adopted from 1987 through 2010. The standards covered include those set by legislation as well as standards adopted by DOE through rulemaking. We estimate that energy efficiency standards for consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment that have been adopted from 1987 through 2010 saved 3.0 quads in 2010, have had a cumulative energy savings of 25.9 quads through 2010 and will achieve cumulative energy savings of 158 quads over the period 1990-2070. Thus, the majority of the savings are stillmore » to come as products subject to standards enter the stock. Furthermore, the standards will have a cumulative net present value (NPV) of consumer benefit of between $851 billion and $1,103 billion, using 7 percent and 3 percent discount rates, respectively. In addition, we estimate the water conservation standards, together with those energy conservation standards that also save water, saved residential consumers 1.5 trillion gallons of water in 2010, have had cumulative water savings of 11.7 trillion gallons through 2010, and will achieve cumulative water savings by 2040 of 51.4 trillion gallons.« less

Formation of the priority directions of innovative strategic energy management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mottaeva, Asiiat; Minnullina, Anna

2017-10-01

Article is devoted to the matter of the ensuring long-term potential of dynamic growth of the Russian economy, its sustainable development in which the special role is assigned to the energy industry. Inclusion of the stage of management of the human capital, which becomes one of priority levers in the field of management of the industrial enterprises, into the in structure of strategy of planning subsequently represents one of innovative steps at the heart of power management. In work the algorithm of the development of the key performance indicators of the human capital on the basis of stage-by-stage problem definition of energy saving, search of the centers of responsibility in energy consumption and quality control of the involved productions is offered in the article. The application of the offered innovative algorithm might promote the formation of high culture of energy saving and the decrease in the level of resistance to organizational changes.

Determining Energy Saving Behavior and Energy Awareness of Secondary School Students According to Socio-Demographic Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aktamis, Hilal

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine energy saving behavior and energy awareness of secondary school students and the effects of socio-demographic characteristics (gender, residential area and grade level) on energy saving and energy awareness. The research is a survey model with an approach that aims to describe the current status. A total of…

Exploring efficacy of residential energy efficiency programs in Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Nicholas Wade

Electric utilities, government agencies, and private interests in the U.S. have committed and continue to invest substantial resources in the pursuit of energy efficiency and conservation through demand-side management (DSM) programs. Program investments, and the demand for impact evaluations that accompany them, are projected to grow in coming years due to increased pressure from state-level energy regulation, costs and challenges of building additional production capacity, fuel costs and potential carbon or renewable energy regulation. This dissertation provides detailed analyses of ex-post energy savings from energy efficiency programs in three key sectors of residential buildings: new, single-family, detached homes; retrofits to existing single-family, detached homes; and retrofits to existing multifamily housing units. Each of the energy efficiency programs analyzed resulted in statistically significant energy savings at the full program group level, yet savings for individual participants and participant subgroups were highly variable. Even though savings estimates were statistically greater than zero, those energy savings did not always meet expectations. Results also show that high variability in energy savings among participant groups or subgroups can negatively impact overall program performance and can undermine marketing efforts for future participation. Design, implementation, and continued support of conservation programs based solely on deemed or projected savings is inherently counter to the pursuit of meaningful energy conservation and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. To fully understand and optimize program impacts, consistent and robust measurement and verification protocols must be instituted in the design phase and maintained over time. Furthermore, marketing for program participation must target those who have the greatest opportunity for savings. In most utility territories it is not possible to gain access to the type of large scale datasets that would facilitate robust program analysis. Along with measuring and optimizing energy conservation programs, utilities should provide public access to historical consumption data. Open access to data, program optimization, consistent measurement and verification and transparency in reported savings are essential to reducing energy use and its associated environmental impacts.

Utilities Expense Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Deborah P.

2001-01-01

Examines how deregulation has affected school district utility costs. Offers ideas that can help school districts save money and energy. Provides several examples of state-wide initiatives intended to help school districts control utility costs. (GR)

Save Energy Now Assessments Results 2008 Summary Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wright, Anthony L; Martin, Michaela A; Nimbalkar, Sachin U

In October 2005, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Bodman launched his Easy Ways to Save Energy campaign with a promise to provide energy assessments to 200 of the largest U.S. manufacturing plants. DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) responded to the Secretary's campaign with its Save Energy Now initiative, featuring a new and highly cost-effective form of energy savings assessment. The approach for these assessments drew heavily on the existing resources of ITP's technology delivery component. Over the years, ITP Technology Delivery has worked with industry partners to assemble a suite of respected software tools, proven assessment protocols, training curricula, certified energy experts, and strong partnerships for deployment. The Save Energy Now assessments conducted in calendar year 2006 focused on natural gas savings and targeted many of the nation's largest manufacturing plants - those that consume at least 1 TBtu of energy annually. The 2006 Save Energy Now assessments focused primarily on assessments of steam and process heating systems, which account for an estimated 74% of all natural gas use by U.S. manufacturing plants. Because of the success of the Save Energy Now assessments conducted in 2006 and 2007, the program was expanded and enhanced in two major ways in 2008: (1) a new goal was set to perform at least 260 assessments; and (2) the assessment focus was expanded to include pumping, compressed air, and fan systems in addition to steam and process heating. DOE ITP also has developed software tools to assess energy efficiency improvement opportunities in pumping, compressed air, and fan systems. The Save Energy Now assessments integrate a strong training component designed to teach industrial plant personnel how to use DOE's opportunity assessment software tools. This approach has the advantages of promoting strong buy-in of plant personnel for the assessment and its outcomes and preparing them better to independently replicate the assessment process at the company's other facilities. Another important element of the Save Energy Now assessment process is the follow-up process used to identify how many of the recommended savings opportunities from individual assessments have been implemented in the industrial plants. Plant personnel involved with the Save Energy Now assessments are contacted 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after individual assessments are completed to determine implementation results. A total of 260 Save Energy Now assessments were successfully completed in calendar year 2008. This means that a total of 718 assessments were completed in 2006, 2007, and 2008. As of July 2009, we have received a total of 239 summary reports from the ESAs that were conducted in year 2008. Hence, at the time that this report was prepared, 680 final assessment reports were completed (200 from year 2006, 241 from year 2007, and 239 from year 2008). The total identified potential cost savings from these 680 assessments ismore » $$1.1 billion per year, including natural gas savings of about 98 TBtu per year. These results, if fully implemented, could reduce CO{sub 2} emissions by about 8.9 million metric tons annually. When this report was prepared, data on implementation of recommended energy and cost savings measures from 488 Save Energy Now assessments were available. For these 488 plants, measures saving a total of $$147 million per year have been implemented, measures that will save $169 million per year are in the process of being implemented, and plants are planning implementation of measures that will save another $239 million per year. The implemented recommendations are already achieving total CO{sub 2} reductions of about 1.8 million metric tons per year. This report provides a summary of the key results for the Save Energy Now assessments completed in 2008; details of the 6-month, 12-month, and 24-month implementation results obtained to date; and an evaluation of these implementation results. This report also summarizes key accomplishments, findings, and lessons learned from all the Save Energy Now assessments completed to date. A separate report (Wright et al. 2010) provides more detailed information on key results for all of the 2008 assessments of steam, process heating, pumping, compressed air, and fan systems. Two prior reports (Wright et al. 2007 and Wright et al. 2009) detail the results from the 2006 and 2007 assessments and discuss the major components of the assessment process and improvements in the process made in 2007.« less

Save Energy Now Assessments Results 2008 Detailed Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wright, Anthony L; Martin, Michaela A; Nimbalkar, Sachin U

In October 2005, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Bodman launched his Easy Ways to Save Energy campaign with a promise to provide energy assessments to 200 of the largest U.S. manufacturing plants. DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) responded to the Secretary's campaign with its Save Energy Now initiative, featuring a new and highly cost-effective form of energy savings assessment. The approach for these assessments drew heavily on the existing resources of ITP's technology delivery component. Over the years, ITP Technology Delivery has worked with industry partners to assemble a suite of respected software tools, proven assessment protocols, training curricula, certified energy experts, and strong partnerships for deployment. The Save Energy Now assessments conducted in calendar year 2006 focused on natural gas savings and targeted many of the nation's largest manufacturing plants - those that consume at least 1 TBtu of energy annually. The 2006 Save Energy Now assessments focused primarily on assessments of steam and process heating systems, which account for an estimated 74% of all natural gas use by U.S. manufacturing plants. Because of the success of the Save Energy Now assessments conducted in 2006 and 2007, the program was expanded and enhanced in two major ways in 2008: (1) a new goal was set to perform at least 260 assessments; and (2) the assessment focus was expanded to include pumping, compressed air, and fan systems in addition to steam and process heating. DOE ITP also has developed software tools to assess energy efficiency improvement opportunities in pumping, compressed air, and fan systems. The Save Energy Now assessments integrate a strong training component designed to teach industrial plant personnel how to use DOE's opportunity assessment software tools. This approach has the advantages of promoting strong buy-in of plant personnel for the assessment and its outcomes and preparing them better to independently replicate the assessment process at the company's other facilities. Another important element of the Save Energy Now assessment process is the follow-up process used to identify how many of the recommended savings opportunities from individual assessments have been implemented in the industrial plants. Plant personnel involved with the Save Energy Now assessments are contacted 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after individual assessments are completed to determine implementation results. A total of 260 Save Energy Now assessments were successfully completed in calendar year 2008. This means that a total of 718 assessments were completed in 2006, 2007, and 2008. As of July 2009, we have received a total of 239 summary reports from the ESAs that were conducted in year 2008. Hence, at the time that this report was prepared, 680 final assessment reports were completed (200 from year 2006, 241 from year 2007, and 239 from year 2008). The total identified potential cost savings from these 680 assessments ismore » $$1.1 billion per year, including natural gas savings of about 98 TBtu per year. These results, if fully implemented, could reduce CO{sub 2} emissions by about 8.9 million metric tons annually. When this report was prepared, data on implementation of recommended energy and cost savings measures from 488 Save Energy Now assessments were available. For these 488 plants, measures saving a total of $$147 million per year have been implemented, measures that will save $169 million per year are in the process of being implemented, and plants are planning implementation of measures that will save another $239 million per year. The implemented recommendations are already achieving total CO{sub 2} reductions of about 1.8 million metric tons per year. This report provides a summary of the key results for the Save Energy Now assessments completed in 2008; details of the 6-month, 12-month, and 24-month implementation results obtained to date; and an evaluation of these implementation results. This report also summarizes key accomplishments, findings, and lessons learned from all the Save Energy Now assessments completed to date. A separate report (Wright et al. 2010) provides more detailed information on key results for all of the 2008 assessments of steam, process heating, pumping, compressed air, and fan systems. Two prior reports (Wright et al. 2007 and Wright et al. 2009) detail the results from the 2006 and 2007 assessments and discuss the major components of the assessment process and improvements in the process made in 2007.« less

Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings

PubMed Central

Attari, Shahzeen Z.; DeKay, Michael L.; Davidson, Cliff I.; Bruine de Bruin, Wändi

2010-01-01

In a national online survey, 505 participants reported their perceptions of energy consumption and savings for a variety of household, transportation, and recycling activities. When asked for the most effective strategy they could implement to conserve energy, most participants mentioned curtailment (e.g., turning off lights, driving less) rather than efficiency improvements (e.g., installing more efficient light bulbs and appliances), in contrast to experts’ recommendations. For a sample of 15 activities, participants underestimated energy use and savings by a factor of 2.8 on average, with small overestimates for low-energy activities and large underestimates for high-energy activities. Additional estimation and ranking tasks also yielded relatively flat functions for perceived energy use and savings. Across several tasks, participants with higher numeracy scores and stronger proenvironmental attitudes had more accurate perceptions. The serious deficiencies highlighted by these results suggest that well-designed efforts to improve the public's understanding of energy use and savings could pay large dividends. PMID:20713724

Existing Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Cascade Apartments - Deep Energy Multifamily Retrofit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2014-02-01

In December of 2009-10, King County Housing Authority (KCHA) implemented energy retrofit improvements in the Cascade multifamily community, located in Kent, Washington, which resulted in annual energy cost savings of 22%, improved comfort and air quality for residents, and increased durability of the units. This research effort involved significant coordination from stakeholders KCHA, WA State Department of Commerce, utility Puget Sound Energy, and Cascade tenants. This report focuses on the following three primary Building America research questions: 1. What are the modeled energy savings using DOE low income weatherization approved TREAT software? 2. How did the modeled energy savings comparemore » with measured energy savings from aggregate utility billing analysis? 3. What is the Savings to Investment Ratio of the retrofit package after considering utility window incentives and KCHA capital improvement funding.« less

Energy conservation through sealing technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stair, W. K.; Ludwig, L. P.

1978-01-01

Improvements in fluid film sealing resulting from a proposed research program could lead to an annual energy saving, on a national basis, equivalent to about 37 million bbl of oil or 0.3% of the total U.S. energy consumption. Further, the application of known sealing technology can result in an annual saving of an additional 10 million bbl of oil. The energy saving would be accomplished by reduction in process heat energy loss, reduction of frictional energy generated, and minimization of energy required to operate ancillary equipment associated with the seal system. In addition to energy saving, cost effectiveness is further enhanced by reduction in maintenance and in minimization of equipment for collecting leakage and for meeting environmental pollution standards.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Xiaobing; Zheng, O'Neill; Niu, Fuxin

Most commercial ground source heat pump systems (GSHP) in the United States are in a distributed configuration. These systems circulate water or an anti-freeze solution through multiple heat pump units via a central pumping system, which usually uses variable speed pump(s). Variable speed pumps have potential to significantly reduce pumping energy use; however, the energy savings in reality could be far away from its potential due to improper pumping system design and controls. In this paper, a simplified hydronic pumping system was simulated with the dynamic Modelica models to evaluate three different pumping control strategies. This includes two conventional controlmore » strategies, which are to maintain a constant differential pressure across either the supply and return mains, or at the most hydraulically remote heat pump; and an innovative control strategy, which adjusts system flow rate based on the demand of each heat pump. The simulation results indicate that a significant overflow occurs at part load conditions when the variable speed pump is controlled to main a constant differential pressure across the supply and return mains of the piping system. On the other hand, an underflow occurs at part load conditions when the variable speed pump is controlled to maintain a constant differential pressure across the furthest heat pump. The flow-demand-based control can provide needed flow rate to each heat pump at any given time, and with less pumping energy use than the two conventional controls. Finally, a typical distributed GSHP system was studied to evaluate the energy saving potential of applying the flow-demand-based pumping control strategy. This case study shows that the annual pumping energy consumption can be reduced by 62% using the flow-demand-based control compared with that using the conventional pressure-based control to maintain a constant differential pressure a cross the supply and return mains.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dentz, Jordan; Ansanelli, Eric; Henderson, Hugh

Domestic hot water (DHW) heating is the second largest energy end use in U.S. buildings, exceeded only by space conditioning. Recirculation systems consisting of a pump and piping loop(s) are commonly used in multifamily buildings to reduce wait time for hot water at faucets; however, constant pumping increases energy consumption by exposing supply and return line piping to continuous heat loss, even during periods when there is no demand for hot water. In this study, ARIES installed and tested two types of recirculation controls in a pair of buildings in order to evaluate their energy savings potential. Demand control, temperaturemore » modulation controls, and the simultaneous operation of both were compared to the baseline case of constant recirculation. Additionally, interactive effects between DHW control fuel reductions and space conditioning (heating and cooling) were estimated in order to make more realistic predictions of the payback and financial viability of retrofitting DHW systems with these controls. Results showed that DHW fuel consumption reduced by 7% after implementing the demand control technique, 2% after implementing temperature modulation, and 15% after implementing demand control and temperature modulation techniques simultaneously; recirculation pump runtime was reduced to 14 minutes or less per day. With space heating and cooling interactions included, the estimated annual cost savings were 8%, 1%, and 14% for the respective control techniques. Possible complications in the installation, commissioning and operation of the controls were identified and solutions offered.« less

Center for the Built Environment: Setpoint Energy Savings Calculator

Science.gov Websites

. Arens, and H. Zhang, 2014. Extending air temperature setpoints: Simulated energy savings and design Near-ZNE Buildings Setpoint Energy Savings Calculator UFAD Case Studies UFAD Cooling Design Tool UFAD Cost Analysis UFAD Design Guide UFAD East End UFAD Energy Modeling UFAD Plenum Performance UFAD

Municipal Complex Solar Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sher, Jono; Toth, Andrew

2015-02-12

This project is a great benefit to the City of Perth Amboy by saving energy and savings costs. The project serves as a great example to city residents about the importance of renewable energy, energy conservation and other environmental topics. An electronic display in the City Hall shows how much energy was generated on that day, how much energy is saved, and environmental benefits. The project serves to educate people of environmental concerns and may spark the interest of individuals in other environmental topics. Hopefully, other residents will be encouraged to use solar energy. The project is also saving moneymore » for the City and its taxpayers. Anywhere we can save money means that residents can pay less in taxes and/or the City can provide improved services.« less

Facilitating Energy Savings through Enhanced Usability of Thermostats

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meier, Alan; Aragon, Cecilia; Peffer, Therese

2011-05-23

Residential thermostats play a key role in controlling heating and cooling systems. Occupants often find the controls of programmable thermostats confusing, sometimes leading to higher heating consumption than when the buildings are controlled manually. A high degree of usability is vital to a programmable thermostat's effectiveness because, unlike a more efficient heating system, occupants must engage in specific actions after installation to obtain energy savings. We developed a procedure for measuring the usability of thermostats and tested this methodology with 31 subjects on five thermostats. The procedure requires first identifying representative tasks associated with the device and then testing themore » subjects ability to accomplish those tasks. The procedure was able to demonstrate the subjects wide ability to accomplish tasks and the influence of a device's usability on success rates. A metric based on the time to accomplish the tasks and the fraction of subjects actually completing the tasks captured the key aspects of each thermostat's usability. The procedure was recently adopted by the Energy Star Program for its thermostat specification. The approach appears suitable for quantifying usability of controls in other products, such as heat pump water heaters and commercial lighting.« less

Impact of Extended Daylight Saving Time on National Energy Consumption Report to Congress

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belzer, D. B.; Hadley, S. W.; Chin, S-M.

2008-10-01

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. No. 109-58; EPAct 2005) amended the Uniform Time Act of 1966 (Pub. L. No. 89-387) to increase the portion of the year that is subject to Daylight Saving Time. (15 U.S.C. 260a note) EPAct 2005 extended the duration of Daylight Saving Time in the spring by changing its start date from the first Sunday in April to the second Sunday in March, and in the fall by changing its end date from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November. (15 U.S.C. 260a note) EPAct 2005 also called formore » the Department of Energy to evaluate the impact of Extended Daylight Saving Time on energy consumption in the United States and to submit a report to Congress. (15 U.S.C. 260a note) This report presents the results of impacts of Extended Daylight Saving Time on the national energy consumption in the United States. The key findings are: (1) The total electricity savings of Extended Daylight Saving Time were about 1.3 Tera Watt-hour (TWh). This corresponds to 0.5 percent per each day of Extended Daylight Saving Time, or 0.03 percent of electricity consumption over the year. In reference, the total 2007 electricity consumption in the United States was 3,900 TWh. (2) In terms of national primary energy consumption, the electricity savings translate to a reduction of 17 Trillion Btu (TBtu) over the spring and fall Extended Daylight Saving Time periods, or roughly 0.02 percent of total U.S. energy consumption during 2007 of 101,000 TBtu. (3) During Extended Daylight Saving Time, electricity savings generally occurred over a three- to five-hour period in the evening with small increases in usage during the early-morning hours. On a daily percentage basis, electricity savings were slightly greater during the March (spring) extension of Extended Daylight Saving Time than the November (fall) extension. On a regional basis, some southern portions of the United States exhibited slightly smaller impacts of Extended Daylight Saving Time on energy savings compared to the northern regions, a result possibly due to a small, offsetting increase in household air conditioning usage. (4) Changes in national traffic volume and motor gasoline consumption for passenger vehicles in 2007 were determined to be statistically insignificant and therefore, could not be attributed to Extended Daylight Saving Time.« less

ERIP Project No. 670, Nevada Energy Control Systems, Inc.. Final techincal progress report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kimber, D.J.

1998-02-11

In order to gauge the effectiveness of the ERIP Project No. 670, Nevada Energy Control Systems, Inc., Grant Number DE-FG01-96EE15670, the Statement of Work must be compared to the achievements by NECSI during the grant period. The following report reflects the aforementioned statement and is coordinated directly with it. The project goal is to gather data and test in order to validate earlier tests of energy savings,safety,reliability and practicality of the NECSI Evaporator Fan Controller in order to fully commercialize and market the product.

Transaction-Based Building Controls Framework, Volume 1: Reference Guide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Somasundaram, Sriram; Pratt, Robert G.; Akyol, Bora A.

This document proposes a framework concept to achieve the objectives of raising buildings’ efficiency and energy savings potential benefitting building owners and operators. We call it a transaction-based framework, wherein mutually-beneficial and cost-effective market-based transactions can be enabled between multiple players across different domains. Transaction-based building controls are one part of the transactional energy framework. While these controls realize benefits by enabling automatic, market-based intra-building efficiency optimizations, the transactional energy framework provides similar benefits using the same market -based structure, yet on a larger scale and beyond just buildings, to the society at large.

Aerodynamic Drag and Drag Reduction: Energy and Energy Savings (Invited)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Richard M.

2003-01-01

An assessment of the role of fluid dynamic resistance and/or aerodynamic drag and the relationship to energy use in the United States is presented. Existing data indicates that up to 25% of the total energy consumed in the United States is used to overcome aerodynamic drag, 27% of the total energy used in the United States is consumed by transportation systems, and 60% of the transportation energy or 16% of the total energy consumed in the United States is used to overcome aerodynamic drag in transportation systems. Drag reduction goals of 50% are proposed and discussed which if realized would produce a 7.85% total energy savings. This energy savings correlates to a yearly cost savings in the $30Billion dollar range.

Energy Assessment Helps Kaiser Aluminum Save Energy and Improve Productivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2008-07-01

The Kaiser Aluminum plant in Sherman, Texas, adjusted controls and made repairs to a furnace for a simple payback of 1 month. Kaiser adopted DOE's Process Heating Assessment and Survey Tool (PHAST) software as the corporate diagnostic tool and has used it to evaluate process heating systems at five other aluminum plants.

Bluetooth-based wireless sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Ke; Liu, Rui Qiang

2007-11-01

In this work a Bluetooth-based wireless sensor network is proposed. In this bluetooth-based wireless sensor networks, information-driven star topology and energy-saved mode are used, through which a blue master node can control more than seven slave node, the energy of each sensor node is reduced and secure management of each sensor node is improved.

Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Highway Lodging Buildings: Development of 50% Energy Savings Design Technology Packages

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang, Wei; Gowri, Krishnan; Thornton, Brian A.

2010-06-30

This paper presents the process, methodology, and assumptions for development of the 50% Energy Savings Design Technology Packages for Highway Lodging Buildings, a design guidance document that provides specific recommendations for achieving 50% energy savings in roadside motels (highway lodging) above the requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004. This 50% solution represents a further step toward realization of the U.S. Department of Energy’s net-zero energy building goal, and go beyond the 30% savings in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series (upon which this work was built). This work can serve as the technical feasibility study for the development of a 50%more » saving Advanced Energy Design Guide for highway lodging, and thus should greatly expedite the development process. The purpose of this design package is to provide user-friendly design assistance to designers, developers, and owners of highway lodging properties. It is intended to encourage energy-efficient design by providing prescriptive energy-efficiency recommendations for each climate zone that attains the 50% the energy savings target. This paper describes the steps that were taken to demonstrate the technical feasibility of achieving a 50% reduction in whole-building energy use with practical and commercially available technologies. The energy analysis results are presented, indicating the recommended energy-efficient measures achieved a national-weighted average energy savings of 55%, relative to Standard 90.1-2004. The cost-effectiveness of the recommended technology package is evaluated and the result shows an average simple payback of 11.3 years.« less

Effect of a constant-level lighting control system on small offices with windows. Final technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edgar, L.

To reduce energy consumption stemming from lighting, some of the fixtures in Army office buildings have been delamped and building energy managers have instituted the policy of turning lights off when not in use. Even with these measures, lighting is still one of the largest consumers of electricity. The current problem is to find ways to reduce the energy consumption of lighting systems when they are in use. The objectives of this research was to provide information on the performance and energy savings potential of constant level lighting (CLL) controls. Based on a review of product information, researchers selected themore » Conservolite Plus 20 for testing and installed it in 10 office spaces. After 4 months of operation, a survey of the office occupants revealed that they were satisfied with the CLL system. Although electrical cost savings were realized, the payback period varied greatly, depending on the cost of replacing old or inoperable lamps and ballasts. Before large scale installation of CLL systems, it is recommended that the power factor and harmonic distortion be monitored at a large facility.« less

A regression-based approach to estimating retrofit savings using the Building Performance Database

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walter, Travis; Sohn, Michael D.

Retrofitting building systems is known to provide cost-effective energy savings. This article addresses how the Building Performance Database is used to help identify potential savings. Currently, prioritizing retrofits and computing their expected energy savings and cost/benefits can be a complicated, costly, and an uncertain effort. Prioritizing retrofits for a portfolio of buildings can be even more difficult if the owner must determine different investment strategies for each of the buildings. Meanwhile, we are seeing greater availability of data on building energy use, characteristics, and equipment. These data provide opportunities for the development of algorithms that link building characteristics and retrofitsmore » empirically. In this paper we explore the potential of using such data for predicting the expected energy savings from equipment retrofits for a large number of buildings. We show that building data with statistical algorithms can provide savings estimates when detailed energy audits and physics-based simulations are not cost- or time-feasible. We develop a multivariate linear regression model with numerical predictors (e.g., operating hours, occupant density) and categorical indicator variables (e.g., climate zone, heating system type) to predict energy use intensity. The model quantifies the contribution of building characteristics and systems to energy use, and we use it to infer the expected savings when modifying particular equipment. We verify the model using residual analysis and cross-validation. We demonstrate the retrofit analysis by providing a probabilistic estimate of energy savings for several hypothetical building retrofits. We discuss the ways understanding the risk associated with retrofit investments can inform decision making. The contributions of this work are the development of a statistical model for estimating energy savings, its application to a large empirical building dataset, and a discussion of its use in informing building retrofit decisions.« less

Quantifying the benefits of a building retrofit using an integrated system approach: A case study

DOE PAGES

Regnier, Cynthia; Sun, Kaiyu; Hong, Tianzhen; ...

2017-11-11

Building retrofits provide a large opportunity to significantly reduce energy consumption in the buildings sector. Traditional building retrofits focus on equipment upgrades, often at the end of equipment life or failure, and result in replacement with marginally improved similar technology and limited energy savings. The Integrated System (IS) retrofit approach enables much greater energy savings by leveraging interactive effects between end use systems, enabling downsized or lower energy technologies. This work presents a case study in Hawaii quantifying the benefits of an IS retrofit approach compared to two traditional retrofit approaches: a Standard Practice of upgrading equipment to meet minimummore » code requirements, and an Improved Practice of upgrading equipment to a higher efficiency. The IS approach showed an energy savings of 84% over existing building energy use, much higher than the traditional approaches of 13% and 33%. The IS retrofit also demonstrated the greatest energy cost savings potential. While the degree of savings realized from the IS approach will vary by building and climate, these findings indicate that savings on the order of 50% and greater are not possible without an IS approach. It is therefore recommended that the IS approach be universally adopted to achieve deep energy savings.« less

Quantifying the benefits of a building retrofit using an integrated system approach: A case study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Regnier, Cynthia; Sun, Kaiyu; Hong, Tianzhen

Building retrofits provide a large opportunity to significantly reduce energy consumption in the buildings sector. Traditional building retrofits focus on equipment upgrades, often at the end of equipment life or failure, and result in replacement with marginally improved similar technology and limited energy savings. The Integrated System (IS) retrofit approach enables much greater energy savings by leveraging interactive effects between end use systems, enabling downsized or lower energy technologies. This work presents a case study in Hawaii quantifying the benefits of an IS retrofit approach compared to two traditional retrofit approaches: a Standard Practice of upgrading equipment to meet minimummore » code requirements, and an Improved Practice of upgrading equipment to a higher efficiency. The IS approach showed an energy savings of 84% over existing building energy use, much higher than the traditional approaches of 13% and 33%. The IS retrofit also demonstrated the greatest energy cost savings potential. While the degree of savings realized from the IS approach will vary by building and climate, these findings indicate that savings on the order of 50% and greater are not possible without an IS approach. It is therefore recommended that the IS approach be universally adopted to achieve deep energy savings.« less

Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Money & Energy at Home

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

Provides consumers with home energy and money savings tips such as insulation, weatherization, heating, cooling, water heating, energy efficient windows, landscaping, lighting, and energy efficient appliances.

Energy Saver: Tips on Saving Money & Energy at Home

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

Provides consumers with home energy and money savings tips such as insulation, weatherization, heating, cooling, water heating, energy efficient windows, landscaping, lighting, and energy efficient appliances.

Field Test of Boiler Primary Loop Temperature Controller

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Glanville, P.; Rowley, P.; Schroeder, D.

Beyond these initial system efficiency upgrades are an emerging class of Advanced Load Monitoring (ALM) aftermarket controllers that dynamically respond to the boiler load, with claims of 10% to 30% of fuel savings over a heating season. For hydronic boilers specifically, these devices perform load monitoring, with continuous measurement of supply and, in some cases, return water temperatures. Energy savings from these ALM controllers are derived from dynamic management of the boiler differential, where a microprocessor with memory of past boiler cycles prevents the boiler from firing for a period of time, to limit cycling losses and inefficient operation duringmore » perceived low load conditions. These differ from OTR controllers, which vary boiler setpoint temperatures with ambient conditions while maintaining a fixed differential.« less

Saving Millions without Spending a Dime.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raman, Elizabeth

2003-01-01

Describes how the University of Hawaii at Hilo is using the $2.7 million it saved on utility bills during the past 5 years to repay campus energy improvements financed, installed, and maintained by an energy services company; the method is called energy savings performance contracting. (EV)

Achieving Deeper Energy Savings in Federal Energy Performance Contracts

DOE PAGES

Shonder, John A.; Nasseri, Cyrus

2015-01-01

Legislation requires each agency of the US federal government to reduce the aggregate energy use index of its buildings by 30% by 2015, with respect to a 2003 baseline. The declining availability of appropriated funding means that energy performance contracting will be key to achieving this goal. Historically however, energy performance contracts have been able to reduce energy use by only about 20% over baseline. Achieving 30% energy reductions using performance contracting will require new approaches and a specific focus on achieving higher energy savings, both by ESCOs and by agencies. This paper describes some of the ways federal agenciesmore » are meeting this challenge, and presents results from the efforts of one agency the US General Services Administration -- to achieve deeper energy savings in conventional energy savings performance contracts.« less

Energy Assessment Helps Kaiser Aluminum Save Energy and Improve Productivity; DOE Software Adopted as Standard for Analyzing Plant Process Heating Systems Company-Wide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2008-07-01

This case study describes how the Kaiser Aluminum plant in Sherman, Texas, achieved annual savings of $360,000 and 45,000 MMBtu, and improved furnace energy intensity by 11.1% after receiving a DOE Save Energy Now energy assessment and implementing recommendations to improve the efficiency of its process heating system.

Parade of Homes Display Features Energy-Saving Ideas

Science.gov Websites

Parade of Homes Display Features Energy-Saving Ideas For more information contact: George Douglas Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory will showcase energy efficient and solar energy ideas

Dynamic Power-Saving Method for Wi-Fi Direct Based IoT Networks Considering Variable-Bit-Rate Video Traffic.

PubMed

Jin, Meihua; Jung, Ji-Young; Lee, Jung-Ryun

2016-10-12

With the arrival of the era of Internet of Things (IoT), Wi-Fi Direct is becoming an emerging wireless technology that allows one to communicate through a direct connection between the mobile devices anytime, anywhere. In Wi-Fi Direct-based IoT networks, all devices are categorized by group of owner (GO) and client. Since portability is emphasized in Wi-Fi Direct devices, it is essential to control the energy consumption of a device very efficiently. In order to avoid unnecessary power consumed by GO, Wi-Fi Direct standard defines two power-saving methods: Opportunistic and Notice of Absence (NoA) power-saving methods. In this paper, we suggest an algorithm to enhance the energy efficiency of Wi-Fi Direct power-saving, considering the characteristics of multimedia video traffic. Proposed algorithm utilizes the statistical distribution for the size of video frames and adjusts the lengths of awake intervals in a beacon interval dynamically. In addition, considering the inter-dependency among video frames, the proposed algorithm ensures that a video frame having high priority is transmitted with higher probability than other frames having low priority. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms the traditional NoA method in terms of average delay and energy efficiency.

Dynamic Power-Saving Method for Wi-Fi Direct Based IoT Networks Considering Variable-Bit-Rate Video Traffic

PubMed Central

Jin, Meihua; Jung, Ji-Young; Lee, Jung-Ryun

2016-01-01

With the arrival of the era of Internet of Things (IoT), Wi-Fi Direct is becoming an emerging wireless technology that allows one to communicate through a direct connection between the mobile devices anytime, anywhere. In Wi-Fi Direct-based IoT networks, all devices are categorized by group of owner (GO) and client. Since portability is emphasized in Wi-Fi Direct devices, it is essential to control the energy consumption of a device very efficiently. In order to avoid unnecessary power consumed by GO, Wi-Fi Direct standard defines two power-saving methods: Opportunistic and Notice of Absence (NoA) power-saving methods. In this paper, we suggest an algorithm to enhance the energy efficiency of Wi-Fi Direct power-saving, considering the characteristics of multimedia video traffic. Proposed algorithm utilizes the statistical distribution for the size of video frames and adjusts the lengths of awake intervals in a beacon interval dynamically. In addition, considering the inter-dependency among video frames, the proposed algorithm ensures that a video frame having high priority is transmitted with higher probability than other frames having low priority. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms the traditional NoA method in terms of average delay and energy efficiency. PMID:27754315

Building Performance Optimization while Empowering Occupants Toward Environmentally Sustainable Behavior through Continuous Monitoring and Diagnostics

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

investment at the PaANG installation. In compliance with the NIST handbook’s guidelines, the team used the actual energy prices of the buildings...Costing Manual for the Federal Energy Management Program. For example, the team used the actual energy price and the measured energy consumption at the...least 30% of a DOD building’s HVAC and plug load annual energy consumption can be saved through continuous diagnostics and controls, while empowering

10 CFR 810.16 - Effective date and savings clause.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Effective date and savings clause. 810.16 Section 810.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.16 Effective date and savings clause. Except for actions that may be taken by DOE pursuant to § 810.11, the regulations in this...

10 CFR 810.16 - Effective date and savings clause.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Effective date and savings clause. 810.16 Section 810.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.16 Effective date and savings clause. Except for actions that may be taken by DOE pursuant to § 810.11, the regulations in this...

10 CFR 810.16 - Effective date and savings clause.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Effective date and savings clause. 810.16 Section 810.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.16 Effective date and savings clause. Except for actions that may be taken by DOE pursuant to § 810.11, the regulations in this...

10 CFR 810.16 - Effective date and savings clause.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Effective date and savings clause. 810.16 Section 810.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.16 Effective date and savings clause. Except for actions that may be taken by DOE pursuant to § 810.11, the regulations in this...

10 CFR 810.16 - Effective date and savings clause.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Effective date and savings clause. 810.16 Section 810.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN ATOMIC ENERGY ACTIVITIES § 810.16 Effective date and savings clause. Except for actions that may be taken by DOE pursuant to § 810.11, the regulations in this...

Improved Planning and Programming for Energy Efficient New Army Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-01

setpoints to occupant comfort must be considered carefully. Cutting off the HVAC system to the bedrooms during the day produced only small savings...functions of a building and minimizing the energy usage through optimization . It includes thermostats, time switches, programmable con- trollers...microprocessor systems, computers, and sensing devices that are linked with control and power components to manage energy use. This system optimizes load

Effect of aircraft technology improvements on intercity energy use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

An examination of the growth or decline in energy consumption in short haul, high density intercity transportation is made in relation to changes in aeronautical technology. Improvements or changes in the technology of competitive modes are also included. Certain improvements in air traffic control procedures were included to determine their effectiveness in saving energy along with a fuel efficient turboprop short haul aircraft concept.

Estimating the Energy, Demand and Cost Savings from a Geothermal Heat Pump ESPC Project at Fort Polk, LA Through Utility Bill Analysis.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shonder, John A; Hughes, Patrick

2006-01-01

Energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) are a method of financing energy conservation projects using the energy cost savings generated by the conservation measures themselves. Ideally, reduced energy costs are visible as reduced utility bills, but in fact this is not always the case. On large military bases, for example, a single electric meter typically covers hundreds of individual buildings. Savings from an ESPC involving only a small number of these buildings will have little effect on the overall utility bill. In fact, changes in mission, occupancy, and energy prices could cause substantial increases in utility bills. For this reason, other,more » more practical, methods have been developed to measure and verify savings in ESPC projects. Nevertheless, increasing utility bills--when ESPCs are expected to be reducing them--are problematic and can lead some observers to question whether savings are actually being achieved. In this paper, the authors use utility bill analysis to determine energy, demand, and cost savings from an ESPC project that installed geothermal heat pumps in the family housing areas of the military base at Fort Polk, Louisiana. The savings estimates for the first year after the retrofits were found to be in substantial agreement with previous estimates that were based on submetered data. However, the utility bills also show that electrical use tended to increase as time went on. Since other data show that the energy use in family housing has remained about the same over the period, the authors conclude that the savings from the ESPC have persisted, and increases in electrical use must be due to loads unassociated with family housing. This shows that under certain circumstances, and with the proper analysis, utility bills can be used to estimate savings from ESPC projects. However, these circumstances are rare and over time the comparison may be invalidated by increases in energy use in areas unaffected by the ESPC.« less

Energy Savings Analysis of the Proposed Revision of the Washington D.C. Non-Residential Energy Code

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosenberg, Michael I.; Athalye, Rahul A.; Hart, Philip R.

This report presents the results of an assessment of savings for the proposed Washington D.C. energy code relative to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010. It includes annual and life cycle savings for site energy, source energy, energy cost, and carbon dioxide emissions that would result from adoption and enforcement of the proposed code for newly constructed buildings in Washington D.C. over a five year period.

Status and Opportunities for Improving the Consistency of Technical Reference Manuals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jayaweera, Tina; Velonis, Aquila; Haeri, Hossein

Across the United States, energy-efficiency program administrators rely on Technical Reference Manuals (TRMs) as sources for calculations and deemed savings values for specific, well-defined efficiency measures. TRMs play an important part in energy efficiency program planning by providing a common and consistent source for calculation of ex ante and often ex post savings. They thus help reduce energy-efficiency resource acquisition costs by obviating the need for extensive measurement and verification and lower performance risk for program administrators and implementation contractors. This paper considers the benefits of establishing region-wide or national TRMs and considers the challenges of such undertaking due tomore » the difficulties in comparing energy savings across jurisdictions. We argue that greater consistency across TRMs in the approaches used to determine deemed savings values, with more transparency about assumptions, would allow better comparisons in savings estimates across jurisdictions as well as improve confidence in reported efficiency measure savings. To support this thesis, we review approaches for the calculation of savings for select measures in TRMs currently in use in 17 jurisdictions. The review reveals differences in the saving methodologies, technical assumptions, and input variables used for estimating deemed savings values. These differences are described and their implications are summarized, using four, common energy-efficiency measures as examples. Recommendations are then offered for establishing a uniform approach for determining deemed savings values.« less

Etude experimentale et optimisation d'un systeme hybride hydraulique pour camions a ordures et amelioration des performances par raffinement de sa logique de controle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacroix, Benoit

The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate experimentally the operation of a hydraulic hybrid system specifically dedicated to the application of refuse trucks in addition to proposing solutions to improve its control strategy. The developed hybrid system recovers the vehicle's kinetic energy during braking. A variable displacement hydraulic motor then uses the energy stored in a hydraulic accumulator to assist the internal combustion engine (ICE) at suitable times. The particular aspect of this system is that assistance to the ICE can occur when it operates at idle and drives the auxiliary hydraulic equipment of the refuse truck. Essentially, the control strategy initially developed maximizes the recovery of braking energy and uses that energy to minimize the solicitation of the ICE at idle. The experimental results obtained with two prototypes tested in real operating conditions show that the hybrid system can recover a significant portion of braking energy. In addition, the results show that it is possible to reduce the load on the ICE during idle with the application of an assisting torque. However, the advantage of assisting the ICE in specific areas of the operating range is slim since the ICE's gross efficiency varies only slightly depending on conditions of operation. This is confirmed by the optimization of the control logic using deterministic dynamic programming. Indeed, by managing the pressure in the accumulator to maximize the amount of energy recovered during braking and by dosing the assistance to the ICE in an ideal fashion, the optimal control only managed to improve fuel savings by 6% in comparison to the original control. Therefore, since the efforts that would be required to emulate the ideal behavior in real time are significant for a relatively small and uncertain gain, the initial control logic is considered near optimal. Finally, this thesis proposes an improved version of the torque assisting hybrid system that could shut down the ICE when the vehicle is stopped while maintaining functional the auxiliary hydraulic equipment. An optimization of the control logic indicates that proper management of the pressure in the accumulator would allow turning off the ICE most of the time at stop and thus, would increase the fuel savings by over 40% compared to the original system. The simulation of a basic control strategy shows that such pressure management may be feasible in real time and that the potential gain in fuel savings is achievable. Keywords: hybrid system, hydraulic, control, refuse truck.

Phase 1 of the near term hybrid passenger vehicle development program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montalenti, P.; Piccolo, R.

1979-01-01

In order to meet project requirements and be competitive in the 1985 market, the proposed six-passenger vehicle incorporates a high power type Ni-Zn battery, which by making electric-only traction possible, permits the achievement of an optimized control strategy based on electric-only traction to a set battery depth of discharge, followed by hybrid operation with thermal primary energy. This results in a highly efficient hybrid propulsion subsystem. Technical solutions are available to contain energy waste by reducing vehicle weight, rolling resistance, and drag coefficient. Reproaching new 1985 full size vehicles of the conventional type with hybrids of the proposed type would result in a U.S. average gasoline saving per vehicle of 1,261 liters/year and an average energy saving per vehicle of 27,133 MJ/year.

Longest-Serving Active Paper Mill in the Western United States Uncovers New Ways to Save Energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2008-03-01

This case study describes how West Linn Paper Company's coated paper mill in West Linn, Oregon, saves nearly 58,200 MMBtu and $379,000 annually after receiving a DOE Save Energy Now energy assessment and implementing those recommendations.

Energy demand hourly simulations and energy saving strategies in greenhouses for the Mediterranean climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priarone, A.; Fossa, M.; Paietta, E.; Rolando, D.

2017-01-01

This research has been devoted to the selection of the most favourable plant solutions for ventilation, heating and cooling, thermo-hygrometric control of a greenhouse, in the framework of the energy saving and the environmental protection. The identified plant solutions include shading of glazing surfaces, natural ventilation by means of controlled opening windows, forced convection of external air and forced convection of air treated by the HVAC system for both heating and cooling. The selected solution combines HVAC system to a Ground Coupled Heat Pump (GCHP), which is an innovative renewable technology applied to greenhouse buildings. The energy demand and thermal loads of the greenhouse to fulfil the requested internal design conditions have been evaluated through an hourly numerical simulation, using the Energy Plus (E-plus) software. The overall heat balance of the greenhouse also includes the latent heat exchange due to crop evapotranspiration, accounted through an original iterative calculation procedure that combines the E-plus dynamic simulations and the FAO Penman-Monteith method. The obtained hourly thermal loads have been used to size the borehole field for the geothermal heat pump by using a dedicated GCHP hourly simulation tool.

Wisdom Appliance Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendrick; Jheng, Jyun-Teng; Tsai, Chen-Chai; Liou, Jia-Wei; Wang, Zhi-Hao; Jong, Gwo-Jia

2017-07-01

Intelligent appliances wisdom involves security, home care, convenient and energy saving, but the home automation system is still one of the core unit, and also using micro-processing electronics technology to centralized and control the home electrical products and systems, such as: lighting, television, fan, air conditioning, stereo, it composed of front-controller systems and back-controller panels, user using front-controller to control command, and then through the back-controller to powered the device.

Energy implications of mechanical and mechanical-biological treatment compared to direct waste-to-energy.

PubMed

Cimpan, Ciprian; Wenzel, Henrik

2013-07-01

Primary energy savings potential is used to compare five residual municipal solid waste treatment systems, including configurations with mechanical (MT) and mechanical-biological (MBT) pre-treatment, which produce waste-derived fuels (RDF and SRF), biogas and/or recover additional materials for recycling, alongside a system based on conventional mass burn waste-to-energy and ash treatment. To examine the magnitude of potential savings we consider two energy efficiency levels (state-of-the-art and best available technology), the inclusion/exclusion of heat recovery (CHP vs. PP) and three different background end-use energy production systems (coal condensing electricity and natural gas heat, Nordic electricity mix and natural gas heat, and coal CHP energy quality allocation). The systems achieved net primary energy savings in a range between 34 and 140 MJprimary/100 MJinput waste, in the different scenario settings. The energy footprint of transportation needs, pre-treatment and reprocessing of recyclable materials was 3-9.5%, 1-18% and 1-8% respectively, relative to total energy savings. Mass combustion WtE achieved the highest savings in scenarios with CHP production, nonetheless, MBT-based systems had similarly high performance if SRF streams were co-combusted with coal. When RDF and SRF was only used in dedicated WtE plants, MBT-based systems totalled lower savings due to inherent system losses and additional energy costs. In scenarios without heat recovery, the biodrying MBS-based system achieved the highest savings, on the condition of SRF co-combustion. As a sensitivity scenario, alternative utilisation of SRF in cement kilns was modelled. It supported similar or higher net savings for all pre-treatment systems compared to mass combustion WtE, except when WtE CHP was possible in the first two background energy scenarios. Recovery of plastics for recycling before energy recovery increased net energy savings in most scenario variations, over those of full stream combustion. Sensitivity to assumptions regarding virgin plastic substitution was tested and was found to mostly favour plastic recovery. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dryland Agrivoltaics: A novel approach to collocating food production and solar renewable energy to maximize food production, water savings, and energy generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barron-Gafford, G.; Escobedo, E. B.; Smith, J.; Raub, H.; Jimenez, J. R.; Sutter, L., Jr.; Barnett-Moreno, I.; Blackett, D. T.; Thompson, M. S.; Minor, R. L.; Pavao-Zuckerman, M.

2017-12-01

Conventional understanding of land use asserts an inherent "zero-sum-game" of competition between renewable energy and agricultural food production. This discourse is so fundamentally entrenched that it drives most current policy around conservation practices, land and water allotments for agriculture, and permitting for large-scale renewable energy installations. We are investigating a novel approach to solve a problem key to our environment and economy in drylands by creating a hybrid of collocated "green" agriculture and "grey" solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure to maximize agricultural production while improving renewable energy production. We are monitoring atmospheric microclimatic conditions, soil moisture, plant ecophysiological function, and biomass production within both this novel "agrivoltaics" ecosystem and in traditional PV installations and agricultural settings (control plot) to quantify tradeoffs associated with this approach. We have found that levels of soil moisture remained higher after each irrigation event within the soils under the agrivoltaics installation than the traditional agricultural setting due to the shading provided by the PV panels overhead. We initiated a drought treatment, which underscored the water-savings under the agrivoltaics installation and increased water use efficiency in this system. We hypothesized that we will see more temperature and drought stresses on photosynthetic capacity and water use efficiency in the control plants relative to the agrivoltaic installation, and we found that several food crops either experienced significantly more production within the agrivoltaics area, whereas others resulted in nearly equal production but at significant water savings. Combined with localized cooling of the PV panels resulting from the transpiration from the vegetative "understory", we are finding a win-win-win at the food-water-energy nexus. photo credit: Bob Demers/UANews

State-dependent metabolic partitioning and energy conservation: A theoretical framework for understanding the function of sleep.

PubMed

Schmidt, Markus H; Swang, Theodore W; Hamilton, Ian M; Best, Janet A

2017-01-01

Metabolic rate reduction has been considered the mechanism by which sleep conserves energy, similar to torpor or hibernation. This mechanism of energy savings is in conflict with the known upregulation (compared to wake) of diverse functions during sleep and neglects a potential role in energy conservation for partitioning of biological operations by behavioral state. Indeed, energy savings as derived from state-dependent resource allocations have yet to be examined. A mathematical model is presented based on relative rates of energy deployment for biological processes upregulated during either wake or sleep. Using this model, energy savings from sleep-wake cycling over constant wakefulness is computed by comparing stable limit cycles for systems of differential equations. A primary objective is to compare potential energy savings derived from state-dependent metabolic partitioning versus metabolic rate reduction. Additionally, energy conservation from sleep quota and the circadian system are also quantified in relation to a continuous wake condition. As a function of metabolic partitioning, our calculations show that coupling of metabolic operations with behavioral state may provide comparatively greater energy savings than the measured decrease in metabolic rate, suggesting that actual energy savings derived from sleep may be more than 4-fold greater than previous estimates. A combination of state-dependent metabolic partitioning and modest metabolic rate reduction during sleep may enhance energy savings beyond what is achievable through metabolic partitioning alone; however, the relative contribution from metabolic partitioning diminishes as metabolic rate is decreased during the rest phase. Sleep quota and the circadian system further augment energy savings in the model. Finally, we propose that state-dependent resource allocation underpins both sleep homeostasis and the optimization of daily energy conservation across species. This new paradigm identifies an evolutionary selective advantage for the upregulation of central and peripheral biological processes during sleep, presenting a unifying construct to understand sleep function.

78 FR 20097 - Energy Savings Performance Contracts

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-03

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Energy Savings Performance Contracts AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI). SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks comments and information...

Energy Efficiency Resources to Support State Energy Planning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Office of Strategic Programs, Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Team

An early step for most energy efficiency planning is to identify and quantify energy savings opportunities, and then to understand how to access this potential. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy offers resources that can help with both of these steps. This fact sheet presents those resources. The resources are also available on the DOE State and Local Solution Center on the "Energy Efficiency: Savings Opportunities and Benefits" page: https://energy.gov/eere/slsc/energy-efficiency-savings-opportunities-and-benefits.

Technical Support Document: 50% Energy Savings Design Technology Packages for Highway Lodging Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang, Wei; Gowri, Krishnan; Lane, Michael D.

2009-09-28

This Technical Support Document (TSD) describes the process, methodology and assumptions for development of the 50% Energy Savings Design Technology Packages for Highway Lodging Buildings, a design guidance document intended to provide recommendations for achieving 50% energy savings in highway lodging properties over the energy-efficiency levels contained in ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

Investigating energy-saving potentials in the cloud.

PubMed

Lee, Da-Sheng

2014-02-20

Collecting webpage messages can serve as a sensor for investigating the energy-saving potential of buildings. Focusing on stores, a cloud sensor system is developed to collect data and determine their energy-saving potential. The owner of a store under investigation must register online, report the store address, area, and the customer ID number on the electric meter. The cloud sensor system automatically surveys the energy usage records by connecting to the power company website and calculating the energy use index (EUI) of the store. Other data includes the chain store check, company capital, location price, and the influence of weather conditions on the store; even the exposure frequency of store under investigation may impact the energy usage collected online. After collecting data from numerous stores, a multi-dimensional data array is constructed to determine energy-saving potential by identifying stores with similarity conditions. Similarity conditions refer to analyzed results that indicate that two stores have similar capital, business scale, weather conditions, and exposure frequency on web. Calculating the EUI difference or pure technical efficiency of stores, the energy-saving potential is determined. In this study, a real case study is performed. An 8-dimensional (8D) data array is constructed by surveying web data related to 67 stores. Then, this study investigated the savings potential of the 33 stores, using a site visit, and employed the cloud sensor system to determine the saving potential. The case study results show good agreement between the data obtained by the site visit and the cloud investigation, with errors within 4.17%. Among 33 the samples, eight stores have low saving potentials of less than 5%. The developed sensor on the cloud successfully identifies them as having low saving potential and avoids wasting money on the site visit.

Investigating Energy-Saving Potentials in the Cloud

PubMed Central

Lee, Da-Sheng

2014-01-01

Collecting webpage messages can serve as a sensor for investigating the energy-saving potential of buildings. Focusing on stores, a cloud sensor system is developed to collect data and determine their energy-saving potential. The owner of a store under investigation must register online, report the store address, area, and the customer ID number on the electric meter. The cloud sensor system automatically surveys the energy usage records by connecting to the power company website and calculating the energy use index (EUI) of the store. Other data includes the chain store check, company capital, location price, and the influence of weather conditions on the store; even the exposure frequency of store under investigation may impact the energy usage collected online. After collecting data from numerous stores, a multi-dimensional data array is constructed to determine energy-saving potential by identifying stores with similarity conditions. Similarity conditions refer to analyzed results that indicate that two stores have similar capital, business scale, weather conditions, and exposure frequency on web. Calculating the EUI difference or pure technical efficiency of stores, the energy-saving potential is determined. In this study, a real case study is performed. An 8-dimensional (8D) data array is constructed by surveying web data related to 67 stores. Then, this study investigated the savings potential of the 33 stores, using a site visit, and employed the cloud sensor system to determine the saving potential. The case study results show good agreement between the data obtained by the site visit and the cloud investigation, with errors within 4.17%. Among 33 the samples, eight stores have low saving potentials of less than 5%. The developed sensor on the cloud successfully identifies them as having low saving potential and avoids wasting money on the site visit. PMID:24561405

FLASTAR: Florida Alliance for Saving Taxes and Energy Resources. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherwin, John R.; Parker, Danny S.

A study of the Florida Public Building Loan Concept pilot program determined its effectiveness in helping to upgrade building energy systems. The pilot program, termed FLASTAR (Florida Alliance for Saving Taxes and Resources), involved the comprehensive metering of an elementary school to demonstrate energy savings potential after retrofitting…

Review of the Application of Green Building and Energy Saving Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Zhineng

2017-12-01

The use of energy-saving technologies in green buildings should run through the entire process of building design, construction and use, enabling green energy-saving technologies to maximize their effectiveness in construction. Realize the sustainable development of green building, reduce energy consumption, reduce people’s interference with the natural environment, suitable for people living in “green” building.

Is Passive or Active House Needed In Face of Global Warming?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamosaitis, Romualdas

2017-10-01

The article aims to determine how effective the stricter current requirements for the building envelope insolation are from the economic energy savings perspective. The article deals with a mathematical method for economic assessment of optimal building thermal insulation. The mathematical methods used in this article are based on evaluating the break-even point between the construction expenditures and the economic profit. Recent research shows that energy savings achieved solely through stricter standards applied to the building envelopes are limited in their ability to achieve maximum results. As the ratio of building volume to building envelope increases, further energy saving measures applied to the building envelope produce lower energy saving effects. Energy savings achieved using renewable energy resources, recuperation systems are much more effective. Research shows that much greater effect can be achieved by combining optimal building envelope energy efficiency measures with new requirements related to renewable energy sources and recuperating systems, such as solar batteries, wind turbines or heat pumps.

Maximizing Energy Savings Reliability in BC Hydro Industrial Demand-side Management Programs: An Assessment of Performance Incentive Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gosman, Nathaniel

For energy utilities faced with expanded jurisdictional energy efficiency requirements and pursuing demand-side management (DSM) incentive programs in the large industrial sector, performance incentive programs can be an effective means to maximize the reliability of planned energy savings. Performance incentive programs balance the objectives of high participation rates with persistent energy savings by: (1) providing financial incentives and resources to minimize constraints to investment in energy efficiency, and (2) requiring that incentive payments be dependent on measured energy savings over time. As BC Hydro increases its DSM initiatives to meet the Clean Energy Act objective to reduce at least 66 per cent of new electricity demand with DSM by 2020, the utility is faced with a higher level of DSM risk, or uncertainties that impact the costeffective acquisition of planned energy savings. For industrial DSM incentive programs, DSM risk can be broken down into project development and project performance risks. Development risk represents the project ramp-up phase and is the risk that planned energy savings do not materialize due to low customer response to program incentives. Performance risk represents the operational phase and is the risk that planned energy savings do not persist over the effective measure life. DSM project development and performance risks are, in turn, a result of industrial economic, technological and organizational conditions, or DSM risk factors. In the BC large industrial sector, and characteristic of large industrial sectors in general, these DSM risk factors include: (1) capital constraints to investment in energy efficiency, (2) commodity price volatility, (3) limited internal staffing resources to deploy towards energy efficiency, (4) variable load, process-based energy saving potential, and (5) a lack of organizational awareness of an operation's energy efficiency over time (energy performance). This research assessed the capacity of alternative performance incentive program models to manage DSM risk in BC. Three performance incentive program models were assessed and compared to BC Hydro's current large industrial DSM incentive program, Power Smart Partners -- Transmission Project Incentives, itself a performance incentive-based program. Together, the selected program models represent a continuum of program design and implementation in terms of the schedule and level of incentives provided, the duration and rigour of measurement and verification (M&V), energy efficiency measures targeted and involvement of the private sector. A multi criteria assessment framework was developed to rank the capacity of each program model to manage BC large industrial DSM risk factors. DSM risk management rankings were then compared to program costeffectiveness, targeted energy savings potential in BC and survey results from BC industrial firms on the program models. The findings indicate that the reliability of DSM energy savings in the BC large industrial sector can be maximized through performance incentive program models that: (1) offer incentives jointly for capital and low-cost operations and maintenance (O&M) measures, (2) allow flexible lead times for project development, (3) utilize rigorous M&V methods capable of measuring variable load, process-based energy savings, (4) use moderate contract lengths that align with effective measure life, and (5) integrate energy management software tools capable of providing energy performance feedback to customers to maximize the persistence of energy savings. While this study focuses exclusively on the BC large industrial sector, the findings of this research have applicability to all energy utilities serving large, energy intensive industrial sectors.

Optimal control, investment and utilization schemes for energy storage under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirhosseini, Niloufar Sadat

Energy storage has the potential to offer new means for added flexibility on the electricity systems. This flexibility can be used in a number of ways, including adding value towards asset management, power quality and reliability, integration of renewable resources and energy bill savings for the end users. However, uncertainty about system states and volatility in system dynamics can complicate the question of when to invest in energy storage and how best to manage and utilize it. This work proposes models to address different problems associated with energy storage within a microgrid, including optimal control, investment, and utilization. Electric load, renewable resources output, storage technology cost and electricity day-ahead and spot prices are the factors that bring uncertainty to the problem. A number of analytical methodologies have been adopted to develop the aforementioned models. Model Predictive Control and discretized dynamic programming, along with a new decomposition algorithm are used to develop optimal control schemes for energy storage for two different levels of renewable penetration. Real option theory and Monte Carlo simulation, coupled with an optimal control approach, are used to obtain optimal incremental investment decisions, considering multiple sources of uncertainty. Two stage stochastic programming is used to develop a novel and holistic methodology, including utilization of energy storage within a microgrid, in order to optimally interact with energy market. Energy storage can contribute in terms of value generation and risk reduction for the microgrid. The integration of the models developed here are the basis for a framework which extends from long term investments in storage capacity to short term operational control (charge/discharge) of storage within a microgrid. In particular, the following practical goals are achieved: (i) optimal investment on storage capacity over time to maximize savings during normal and emergency operations; (ii) optimal market strategy of buy and sell over 24-hour periods; (iii) optimal storage charge and discharge in much shorter time intervals.

David Grant Medical Center energy use baseline and integrated resource assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richman, E.E.; Hoshide, R.K.; Dittmer, A.L.

1993-04-01

The US Air Mobility Command (AMC) has tasked Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) with supporting the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program`s (FEMP) mission to identify, evaluate, and assist in acquiring all cost-effective energy resource opportunities (EROs) at the David Grant Medical Center (DGMC). This report describes the methodology used to identify and evaluate the EROs at DGMC, provides a life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis for each ERO, and prioritizes any life-cycle cost-effective EROs based on their net present value (NPV), value index (VI), and savings to investment ratio (SIR or ROI). Analysis results are presented for 17 EROsmore » that involve energy use in the areas of lighting, fan and pump motors, boiler operation, infiltration, electric load peak reduction and cogeneration, electric rate structures, and natural gas supply. Typical current energy consumption is approximately 22,900 MWh of electricity (78,300 MBtu), 87,600 kcf of natural gas (90,300 MBtu), and 8,300 gal of fuel oil (1,200 MBtu). A summary of the savings potential by energy-use category of all independent cost-effective EROs is shown in a table. This table includes the first cost, yearly energy consumption savings, and NPV for each energy-use category. The net dollar savings and NPV values as derived by the life-cycle cost analysis are based on the 1992 federal discount rate of 4.6%. The implementation of all EROs could result in a yearly electricity savings of more than 6,000 MWh or 26% of current yearly electricity consumption. More than 15 MW of billable load (total billed by the utility for a 12-month period) or more than 34% of current billed demand could also be saved. Corresponding natural gas savings would be 1,050 kcf (just over 1% of current consumption). Total yearly net energy cost savings for all options would be greater than $343,340. This value does not include any operations and maintenance (O&M) savings.« less

David Grant Medical Center energy use baseline and integrated resource assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richman, E.E.; Hoshide, R.K.; Dittmer, A.L.

1993-04-01

The US Air Mobility Command (AMC) has tasked Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) with supporting the US Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program's (FEMP) mission to identify, evaluate, and assist in acquiring all cost-effective energy resource opportunities (EROs) at the David Grant Medical Center (DGMC). This report describes the methodology used to identify and evaluate the EROs at DGMC, provides a life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis for each ERO, and prioritizes any life-cycle cost-effective EROs based on their net present value (NPV), value index (VI), and savings to investment ratio (SIR or ROI). Analysis results are presented for 17 EROsmore » that involve energy use in the areas of lighting, fan and pump motors, boiler operation, infiltration, electric load peak reduction and cogeneration, electric rate structures, and natural gas supply. Typical current energy consumption is approximately 22,900 MWh of electricity (78,300 MBtu), 87,600 kcf of natural gas (90,300 MBtu), and 8,300 gal of fuel oil (1,200 MBtu). A summary of the savings potential by energy-use category of all independent cost-effective EROs is shown in a table. This table includes the first cost, yearly energy consumption savings, and NPV for each energy-use category. The net dollar savings and NPV values as derived by the life-cycle cost analysis are based on the 1992 federal discount rate of 4.6%. The implementation of all EROs could result in a yearly electricity savings of more than 6,000 MWh or 26% of current yearly electricity consumption. More than 15 MW of billable load (total billed by the utility for a 12-month period) or more than 34% of current billed demand could also be saved. Corresponding natural gas savings would be 1,050 kcf (just over 1% of current consumption). Total yearly net energy cost savings for all options would be greater than $343,340. This value does not include any operations and maintenance (O M) savings.« less

Window performance and building energy use: Some technical options for increasing energy efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selkowitz, Stephen

1985-11-01

Window system design and operation has a major impact on energy use in buildings as well as on occupants' thermal and visual comfort. Window performance will be a function of optical and thermal properties, window management strategies, climate and orientation, and building type and occupancy. In residences, heat loss control is a primary concern, followed by sun control in more southerly climates. In commercial buildings, the daylight provided by windows may be the major energy benefits but solar gain must be controlled so that increased cooling loads do not exceed daylighting savings. Reductions in peak electrical demand and HVAC system size may also be possible in well-designed daylighted buildings.

Performance analysis of TCP traffic and its influence on ONU's energy saving in energy efficient TDM-PON

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaelddin, Fuad Yousif Mohammed; Newaz, S. H. Shah; Lee, Joohyung; Uddin, Mohammad Rakib; Lee, Gyu Myoung; Choi, Jun Kyun

2015-12-01

The majority of the traffic over the Internet is TCP based, which is very sensitive to packet loss and delay. Existing research efforts in TDM-Passive Optical Networks (TDM-PONs) mostly evaluate energy saving and traffic delay performances under different energy saving solutions. However, to the best of our knowledge, how energy saving mechanisms could affect TCP traffic performance in TDM-PONs has hardly been studied. In this paper, by means of our state-of-art OPNET Modular based TDM-PON simulator, we evaluate TCP traffic delay, throughput, and Optical Network Unit (ONU) energy consumption performances in a TDM-PON where energy saving mechanisms are employed in ONUs. Here, we study the performances under commonly used energy saving mechanisms defined in standards for TDM-PONs: cyclic sleep and doze mode. In cyclic sleep mode, we evaluate the performances under two well-known sleep interval length deciding algorithms (i.e. fixed sleep interval (FSI) and exponential sleep interval deciding (ESID)) that an OLT uses to decide sleep interval lengths for an ONU. Findings in this paper put forward the strong relationship among TCP traffic delay, throughput and ONU energy consumption under different sleep interval lengths. Moreover, we reveal that under high TCP traffic, both FSI and ESID will end up showing similar delay, energy and throughput performance. Our findings also show that doze mode can offer better TCP throughput and delay performance at the price of consuming more energy than cyclic sleep mode. In addition, our results provide a glimpse on understanding at what point doze mode becomes futile in improving energy saving of an ONU under TCP traffic. Furthermore, in this paper, we highlight important research issues that should be studied in future research to maximize energy saving in TDM-PONs while meeting traffic Quality of Service requirements.

The Impact of Sustainable Development Technology on a Small Economy-The Case of Energy-Saving Technology.

PubMed

Chen, Xiding; Huang, Qinghua; Huang, Weilun; Li, Xue

2018-02-08

We investigated the impact of a sustainable development technology on the macroeconomic variables in a small economy utilizing a case study with a stochastically improving energy saving technology and a stochastically increasing energy price. The results show the technological displacement effects of energy saving technology are stronger, but there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns to physical capital. However, the energy saving technology's displacement effects might not affect the conditions under which the Harberger-Laursen-Metzler (HLM) effect holds. The effects of rising energy prices on bonds are stronger, and there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns, but the conditions under which the HLM effect holds are different.

Cascade Apartments: Deep Energy Multifamily Retrofit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gordon, A.; Mattheis, L.; Kunkle, R.

2014-02-01

In December of 2009-10, King County Housing Authority (KCHA) implemented energy retrofit improvements in the Cascade multifamily community, located in Kent, Washington (marine climate.)This research effort involved significant coordination from stakeholders KCHA, WA State Department of Commerce, utility Puget Sound Energy, and Cascade tenants. This report focuses on the following three primary BA research questions : 1. What are the modeled energy savings using DOE low income weatherization approved TREAT software? 2. How did the modeled energy savings compare with measured energy savings from aggregate utility billing analysis? 3. What is the Savings to Investment Ratio (SIR) of the retrofitmore » package after considering utility window incentives and KCHA capitol improvement funding.« less

Cascade Apartments - Deep Energy Multifamily Retrofit , Kent, Washington (Fact Sheet)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

2014-02-01

In December of 2009-10, King County Housing Authority (KCHA) implemented energy retrofit improvements in the Cascade multifamily community, located in Kent, Washington (marine climate.)This research effort involved significant coordination from stakeholders KCHA, WA State Department of Commerce, utility Puget Sound Energy, and Cascade tenants. This report focuses on the following three primary BA research questions : 1. What are the modeled energy savings using DOE low income weatherization approved TREAT software? 2. How did the modeled energy savings compare with measured energy savings from aggregate utility billing analysis? 3. What is the Savings to Investment Ratio (SIR) of the retrofitmore » package after considering utility window incentives and KCHA capitol improvement funding.« less

Cascade Apartments: Deep Energy Multifamily Retrofit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gordon, A.; Mattheis, L.; Kunkle, R.

2014-02-01

In December of 2009-10, King County Housing Authority (KCHA) implemented energy retrofit improvements in the Cascade multifamily community, located in Kent, Washington (marine climate.)This research effort involved significant coordination from stakeholders KCHA, WA State Department of Commerce, utility Puget Sound Energy, and Cascade tenants. This report focuses on the following three primary BA research questions: 1. What are the modeled energy savings using DOE low income weatherization approved TREAT software? 2. How did the modeled energy savings compare with measured energy savings from aggregate utility billing analysis? 3. What is the Savings to Investment Ratio (SIR) of the retrofit packagemore » after considering utility window incentives and KCHA capitol improvement funding.« less

Michigan Energy and Cost Savings for New Single- and Multifamily Homes: 2012 IECC as Compared to the Michigan Uniform Energy Code

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lucas, Robert G.; Taylor, Zachary T.; Mendon, Vrushali V.

2012-07-03

The 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) yields positive benefits for Michigan homeowners. Moving to the 2012 IECC from the Michigan Uniform Energy Code is cost-effective over a 30-year life cycle. On average, Michigan homeowners will save $10,081 with the 2012 IECC. Each year, the reduction to energy bills will significantly exceed increased mortgage costs. After accounting for up-front costs and additional costs financed in the mortgage, homeowners should see net positive cash flows (i.e., cumulative savings exceeding cumulative cash outlays) in 1 year for the 2012 IECC. Average annual energy savings are $604 for the 2012 IECC.

The Impact of Sustainable Development Technology on a Small Economy—The Case of Energy-Saving Technology

PubMed Central

Huang, Qinghua; Huang, Weilun; Li, Xue

2018-01-01

We investigated the impact of a sustainable development technology on the macroeconomic variables in a small economy utilizing a case study with a stochastically improving energy saving technology and a stochastically increasing energy price. The results show the technological displacement effects of energy saving technology are stronger, but there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns to physical capital. However, the energy saving technology’s displacement effects might not affect the conditions under which the Harberger-Laursen-Metzler (HLM) effect holds. The effects of rising energy prices on bonds are stronger, and there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns, but the conditions under which the HLM effect holds are different. PMID:29419788

Least square based sliding mode control for a quad-rotor helicopter and energy saving by chattering reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumantri, Bambang; Uchiyama, Naoki; Sano, Shigenori

2016-01-01

In this paper, a new control structure for a quad-rotor helicopter that employs the least squares method is introduced. This proposed algorithm solves the overdetermined problem of the control input for the translational motion of a quad-rotor helicopter. The algorithm allows all six degrees of freedom to be considered to calculate the control input. The sliding mode controller is applied to achieve robust tracking and stabilization. A saturation function is designed around a boundary layer to reduce the chattering phenomenon that is a common problem in sliding mode control. In order to improve the tracking performance, an integral sliding surface is designed. An energy saving effect because of chattering reduction is also evaluated. First, the dynamics of the quad-rotor helicopter is derived by the Newton-Euler formulation for a rigid body. Second, a constant plus proportional reaching law is introduced to increase the reaching rate of the sliding mode controller. Global stability of the proposed control strategy is guaranteed based on the Lyapunov's stability theory. Finally, the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed control system are demonstrated experimentally under wind gusts, and are compared with a regular sliding mode controller, a proportional-differential controller, and a proportional-integral-differential controller.

Analysis of IECC (2003, 2006, 2009) and ASHRAE 90.1-2007 Commercial Energy Code Requirements for Mesa, AZ.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Yunzhi; Gowri, Krishnan

2011-02-28

This report summarizes code requirements and energy savings of commercial buildings in Climate Zone 2B built to the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 when compared to the 2003 IECC and the 2006 IECC. In general, the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 have higher insulation requirements for exterior walls, roof, and windows and have higher efficiency requirements for HVAC equipment. HVAC equipment efficiency requirements are governed by National Appliance Conversion Act of 1987 (NAECA), and are applicable irrespective of the IECC version adopted. The energy analysis results show that commercial buildings meeting the 2009 IECC requirements save 4.4% tomore » 9.5% site energy and 4.1% to 9.9% energy cost when compared to the 2006 IECC; and save 10.6% to 29.4% site energy and 10.3% to 29.3% energy cost when compared to the 2003 IECC. Similar analysis comparing ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 requirements to the 2006 IECC shows that the energy savings are in the 4.0% to 10.7% for multi-family and retail buildings, but less than 2% for office buildings. Further comparison of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 requirements to the 2003 IECC show site energy savings in the range of 7.7% to 30.6% and energy cost savings range from 7.9% to 30.3%. Both the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 have the potential to save energy by comparable levels for most building types.« less

Occupancy-driven smart register for building energy saving (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhangjie; Wang, Ya S.

2017-04-01

The new era in energy-efficiency building is to integrate automatic occupancy detection with automated heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC), the largest source of building energy consumption. By closing off some air vents, during certain hours of the day, up to 7.5% building energy consumption could be saved. In the past, smart vent has received increasing attention and several products have been developed and introduced to the market for building energy saving. For instance, Ecovent Systems Inc. and Keen Home Inc. have both developed smart vent registers capable of turning the vent on and off through smart phone apps. However, their products do not have on-board occupancy sensors and are therefore open-loop. Their vent control was achieved by simply positioning the vent blade through a motor and a controller without involving any smart actuation. This paper presents an innovative approach for automated vent control and automatic occupancy (human subjects) detection. We devise this approach in a smart register that has polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) frame with embedded Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators. SMAs belong to a class of shape memory materials (SMMs), which have the ability to `memorise' or retain their previous form when subjected to certain stimulus such as thermomechanical or magnetic variations. And it can work as actuators and be applied to vent control. Specifically, a Ni-Ti SMA strip will be pre-trained to a circular shape, wrapped with a Ni-Cr resistive wire that is coated with thermally conductive and electrically isolating material. Then, the SMA strip along with an antagonistic SMA strip will be bonded with PZT sensor and thermal sensors, to be inserted into a 3D printed mould which will be filled with silicone rubber materials. In the end, a demoulding process yields a fully integrated blade of the smart register. Several blades are installed together to form the smart register. The PZT sensors can feedback the shape of the actuator for precise shape and air flow control. The performance and the specification of the smart registers will be characterized experimentally. Its capacity of regulating airflow, forming air curtain will be demonstrated.

Cyber-physical system for a water reclamation plant: Balancing aeration, energy, and water quality to maintain process resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Junjie

Aeration accounts for a large fraction of energy consumption in conventional water reclamation plants (WRPs). Although process operations at older WRPs can satisfy effluent permit requirements, they typically operate with excess aeration. More effective process controls at older WRPs can be challenging as operators work to balance higher energy costs and more stringent effluent limitations while managing fluctuating loads. Therefore, understandings of process resilience or ability to quickly return to original operation conditions at a WRP are important. A state-of-art WRP should maintain process resilience to deal with different kinds of perturbations even after optimization of energy demands. This work was to evaluate the applicability and feasibility of cyber-physical system (CPS) for improving operation at Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) Calumet WRP. In this work, a process model was developed and used to better understand the conditions of current Calumet WRP, with additional valuable information from two dissolved oxygen field measurements. Meanwhile, a classification system was developed to reveal the pattern of historical influent scenario based on cluster analysis and cross-tabulation analysis. Based on the results from the classification, typical process control options were investigated. To ensure the feasibility of information acquisition, the reliability and flexibility of soft sensors were assessed to typical influent conditions. Finally, the process resilience was investigated to better balance influent perturbations, energy demands, and effluent quality for long-term operations. These investigations and evaluations show that although the energy demands change as the influent conditions and process controls. In general, aeration savings could be up to 50% from the level of current consumption; with a more complex process controls, the saving could be up to 70% in relatively steady-state conditions and at least 40% in relatively challenging transient conditions. The soft sensors can provide reliable and flexible performance on target predictions. The plant can still maintain at a similar level of process resilience after 50% aeration saving, even during long-term perturbations. Overall, this work shows that it is well feasible to provide more cost-effective operations at the Calumet WRP, and meanwhile influent perturbations, effluent quality, and process resilience are well in balance.

Innovative project management on the basis of programme-and-target approach for energy saving in the construction complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mottaeva, Angela

2017-10-01

Article is devoted to the consideration of the existing approaches to energy saving. According to the author’s opinion,the system approach is not enough for the achievement of the goal of the increase in energy efficiency and economy of energy, which is quite relevant for the world scientific community today, when the mankind has reached the certain power and ecological threshold. The author reasons the need of programme-and-target approach to energy saving and the increase in energy efficiency of buildings. The problems of the energy saving in current conditions are revealed. The provisional algorithm of the programme-and-target approach to energy efficiency. The expected results from introduction of the programme-and-target approach are presented in the article.

Building America Case Study: Control Retrofits for Multifamily Domestic Hot Water Recirculation Systems, Brooklyn, New York

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Domestic hot water (DHW) heating is the second largest energy end use in U.S. buildings, exceeded only by space conditioning. Recirculation systems consisting of a pump and piping loop(s) are commonly used in multifamily buildings to reduce wait time for hot water at faucets; however, constant pumping increases energy consumption by exposing supply and return line piping to continuous heat loss, even during periods when there is no demand for hot water. In this study, ARIES installed and tested two types of recirculation controls in a pair of buildings in order to evaluate their energy savings potential. Demand control, temperaturemore » modulation controls, and the simultaneous operation of both were compared to the baseline case of constant recirculation. Additionally, interactive effects between DHW control fuel reductions and space conditioning (heating and cooling) were estimated in order to make more realistic predictions of the payback and financial viability of retrofitting DHW systems with these controls. Results showed that DHW fuel consumption reduced by 7 percent after implementing the demand control technique, 2 percent after implementing temperature modulation, and 15 percent after implementing demand control and temperature modulation techniques simultaneously; recirculation pump runtime was reduced to 14 minutes or less per day. With space heating and cooling interactions included, the estimated annual cost savings were 8 percent, 1 percent, and 14 percent for the respective control techniques. Possible complications in the installation, commissioning and operation of the controls were identified and solutions offered.« less

Building America Case Study: Control Retrofits for Multifamily Domestic Hot Water Recirculation Systems, Brooklyn, New York

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J. Dentz; E. Ansanelli, H. Henderson, Jr.; K. Varshney

Domestic hot water (DHW) heating is the second largest energy end use in U.S. buildings, exceeded only by space conditioning. Recirculation systems consisting of a pump and piping loop(s) are commonly used in multifamily buildings to reduce wait time for hot water at faucets; however, constant pumping increases energy consumption by exposing supply and return line piping to continuous heat loss, even during periods when there is no demand for hot water. In this study, ARIES installed and tested two types of recirculation controls in a pair of buildings in order to evaluate their energy savings potential. Demand control, temperaturemore » modulation controls, and the simultaneous operation of both were compared to the baseline case of constant recirculation. Additionally, interactive effects between DHW control fuel reductions and space conditioning (heating and cooling) were estimated in order to make more realistic predictions of the payback and financial viability of retrofitting DHW systems with these controls. Results showed that DHW fuel consumption reduced by 7% after implementing the demand control technique, 2% after implementing temperature modulation, and 15% after implementing demand control and temperature modulation techniques simultaneously; recirculation pump runtime was reduced to 14 minutes or less per day. With space heating and cooling interactions included, the estimated annual cost savings were 8%, 1%, and 14% for the respective control techniques. Possible complications in the installation, commissioning and operation of the controls were identified and solutions offered.« less

Field Demonstration of Active Desiccant Modules Designed to Integrate with Standard Unitary Rooftop Package Equipment - Final Report: Phase 3

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fischer, J

2004-03-15

This report summarizes the investigation of two active desiccant module (ADM) pilot site installations initiated in 2001. Both pilot installations were retrofits at existing facilities served by conventional heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems that had encountered frequent humidity control, indoor air quality (IAQ), and other operational problems. Each installation involved combining a SEMCO, Inc., ADM (as described in Fischer and Sand 2002) with a standard packaged rooftop unit built by the Trane Company. A direct digital control (DDC) system integral to the ADM performed the dual function of controlling the ADM/rooftop combination and facilitating data collection, trending, and remotemore » performance monitoring. The first installation involved providing preconditioned outdoor air to replace air exhausted from the large kitchen hood and bathrooms of a Hooters restaurant located in Rome, Georgia. This facility had previously added an additional rooftop unit in an attempt to achieve occupant comfort without success. The second involved conditioning the outdoor air delivered to each room of a wing of the Mountain Creek Inn at the Callaway Gardens resort. This hotel, designed in the ''motor lodge'' format with each room opening to the outdoors, is located in southwest Georgia. Controlling the space humidity always presented a serious challenge. Uncomfortable conditions and musty odors had caused many guests to request to move to other areas within the resort. This is the first field demonstration performed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory where significant energy savings, operating cost savings, and dramatically improved indoor environmental conditions can all be claimed as the results of a retrofit desiccant equipment field installation. The ADM/rooftop combination installed at the restaurant resulted in a reduction of about 34% in the electricity used by the building's air-conditioning system. This represents a reduction of approximately 15% in overall electrical energy consumption and a 12.5-kW reduction in peak demand. The cost of gas used for regeneration of the desiccant wheel over this period of time is estimated to be only $740, using a gas cost of $0.50 per therm--the summer rate in 2001. The estimated net savings is $5400 annually, resulting in a 1-2 year payback. It is likely that similar energy/cost savings were realized at the Callaway Gardens hotel. In this installation, however, a central plant supplied the chilled water serving fan coil units in the hotel wing retrofitted with the ADM, so it was not metered separately. Consequently, the owner could not provide actual energy consumption data specific to the facility. The energy and operating cost savings at both sites are directly attributable to higher cooling-season thermostat settings and decreased conventional system run times. These field installations were selected as an immediate and appropriate response to correct indoor humidity and fresh air ventilation problems being experienced by building occupants and owners, so no rigorous baseline-building vs. test-building energy use/operating cost savings results can be presented. The report presents several simulated comparisons between the ADM/roof HVAC approach and other equipment combinations, where both desiccant and conventional systems are modeled to provide comparable fresh air ventilation rates and indoor humidity levels. The results obtained from these simulations demonstrate convincingly the energy and operating cost savings obtainable with this hybrid desiccant/vapor-compression technology, verifying those actually seen at the pilot installations. The ADM approach is less expensive than conventional alternatives providing similar performance and indoor air quality and provides a very favorable payback (1 year or so) compared with oversized rooftop units that cannot be operated effectively with the necessary high outdoor air percentages.« less

Diesel Goes Digital to Save Energy, Lower Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Forty years ago, actuators requiring constant energy to help power the Apollo spacecraft in space were replaced by magnetically holding and releasing, electronically controlled valves. Today, these same magnetic, electronic valves are on the verge of replacing entire camshaft systems in cars and trucks on Earth, thus leading to a whole new generation of low-emission engines.

Estimating customer electricity savings from projects installed by the U.S. ESCO industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carvallo, Juan Pablo; Larsen, Peter H.; Goldman, Charles A.

The U.S. energy service company (ESCO) industry has a well-established track record of delivering substantial energy and dollar savings in the public and institutional facilities sector, typically through the use of energy savings performance contracts (ESPC) (Larsen et al. 2012; Goldman et al. 2005; Hopper et al. 2005, Stuart et al. 2013). This ~$6.4 billion industry, which is expected to grow significantly over the next five years, may play an important role in achieving demand-side energy efficiency under local/state/federal environmental policy goals. To date, there has been little or no research in the public domain to estimate electricity savings formore » the entire U.S. ESCO industry. Estimating these savings levels is a foundational step in order to determine total avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from demand-side energy efficiency measures installed by U.S. ESCOs. We introduce a method to estimate the total amount of electricity saved by projects implemented by the U.S. ESCO industry using the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) /National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) database of projects and LBNL’s biennial industry survey. We report two metrics: incremental electricity savings and savings from ESCO projects that are active in a given year (e.g., 2012). Overall, we estimate that in 2012 active U.S. ESCO industry projects generated about 34 TWh of electricity savings—15 TWh of these electricity savings were for MUSH market customers who did not rely on utility customer-funded energy efficiency programs (see Figure 1). This analysis shows that almost two-thirds of 2012 electricity savings in municipal, local and state government facilities, universities/colleges, K-12 schools, and healthcare facilities (i.e., the so-called “MUSH” market) were not supported by a utility customer-funded energy efficiency program.« less

A Case Analysis of Energy Savings Performance Contract Projects and Photovoltaic Energy at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY AND FORT BLISS CASE BACKGROUND A. PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY The use of photovoltaic power systems is nothing new in the Department...against the Outback MPPT charge controller . This test will be done over a one month timeframe. The Arizona Power ISG test plan is contained in...cost-benefit analysis of conventional power versus emerging photovoltaic energy for the Army’s Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX. The project will also analyze

Mobil`s Energy Management Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schoeneborn, F.C.

1997-06-01

Mobil`s Facilities Management Network sponsored a cross-divisional team to reduce energy costs. This team developed an Energy Management Plan to reduce energy costs by $25 million annually throughout all Mobil divisions over the next five years (total of $125 million committed savings). The core of this plan is the belief that energy costs are controllable and should be managed with the expertise that Mobil manages other parts of the business. Areas of focus are economic procurement, efficient consumption, and expertise sharing.

Building energy information systems: Synthesis of costs, savings, and best-practice uses

DOE PAGES

Granderson, Jessica; Lin, Guanjing

2016-02-19

Building energy information systems (EIS) are a powerful customer-facing monitoring and analytical technology that can enable up to 20% site energy savings for buildings. Few technologies are as heavily marketed, but in spite of their potential, EIS remain an under-adopted emerging technology. One reason is the lack of information on purchase costs and associated energy savings. While insightful, the growing body of individual case studies has not provided industry the information needed to establish the business case for investment. Vastly different energy and economic metrics prevent generalizable conclusions. This paper addresses three common questions concerning EIS use: what are themore » costs, what have users saved, and which best practices drive deeper savings? We present a large-scale assessment of the value proposition for EIS use based on data from over two-dozen organizations. Participants achieved year-over-year median site and portfolio savings of 17% and 8%, respectively; they reported that this performance would not have been possible without the EIS. The median five-year cost of EIS software ownership (up-front and ongoing costs) was calculated to be $1,800 per monitoring point (kilowatt meter points were most common), with a median portfolio-wide implementation size of approximately 200 points. In this paper, we present an analysis of the relationship between key implementation factors and achieved energy reductions. Extent of efficiency projects, building energy performance prior to EIS installation, depth of metering, and duration of EIS were strongly correlated with greater savings. As a result, we also identify the best practices use of EIS associated with greater energy savings.« less

Energy and Economic Impacts of U.S. Federal Energy and Water Conservation Standards Adopted From 1987 Through 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyers, Stephen; Williams, Alison; Chan, Peter

This paper presents estimates of the key impacts of Federal energy and water conservation standards adopted from 1987 through 2015. The standards for consumer products and commercial and industrial equipment include those set by legislation as well as standards adopted by DOE through rulemaking. In 2015, the standards saved an estimated 4.49 quads of primary energy, which is equivalent to 5% of total U.S. energy consumption. The savings in operating costs for households and businesses totaled $63.4 billion. The average household saved $320 in operating costs as a result of residential appliance standards. The estimated reduction in CO2 emissions associatedmore » with the standards in 2015 was 238 million metric tons, which is equivalent to 4.3% of total U.S. CO2 emissions. The estimated cumulative energy savings over the period 1990-2090 amount to 216.9 quads. Accounting for the increased upfront costs of more-efficient products and the operating cost (energy and water) savings over the products’ lifetime, the standards have a cumulative net present value (NPV) of consumer benefit of between $1,627 billion and $1,887 billion, using 7 percent and 3 percent discount rates, respectively. The water conservation standards, together with energy conservation standards that also save water, reduced water use by 1.9 trillion gallons in 2015 and estimated cumulative water savings by 2090 amount to 55 trillion gallons. The estimated consumer savings in 2015 from reduced water use amounted to $12 billon.« less

Building energy information systems: Synthesis of costs, savings, and best-practice uses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Granderson, Jessica; Lin, Guanjing

Building energy information systems (EIS) are a powerful customer-facing monitoring and analytical technology that can enable up to 20% site energy savings for buildings. Few technologies are as heavily marketed, but in spite of their potential, EIS remain an under-adopted emerging technology. One reason is the lack of information on purchase costs and associated energy savings. While insightful, the growing body of individual case studies has not provided industry the information needed to establish the business case for investment. Vastly different energy and economic metrics prevent generalizable conclusions. This paper addresses three common questions concerning EIS use: what are themore » costs, what have users saved, and which best practices drive deeper savings? We present a large-scale assessment of the value proposition for EIS use based on data from over two-dozen organizations. Participants achieved year-over-year median site and portfolio savings of 17% and 8%, respectively; they reported that this performance would not have been possible without the EIS. The median five-year cost of EIS software ownership (up-front and ongoing costs) was calculated to be $1,800 per monitoring point (kilowatt meter points were most common), with a median portfolio-wide implementation size of approximately 200 points. In this paper, we present an analysis of the relationship between key implementation factors and achieved energy reductions. Extent of efficiency projects, building energy performance prior to EIS installation, depth of metering, and duration of EIS were strongly correlated with greater savings. As a result, we also identify the best practices use of EIS associated with greater energy savings.« less

Energy and Economic Impacts of U.S. Federal Energy and Water Conservation Standards Adopted From 1987 Through 2013

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyers, Stephen; Williams, Alison; Chan, Peter

This paper presents estimates of the key impacts of Federal energy and water conservation standards adopted from 1987 through 2013. The standards for consumer products and commercial and industrial equipment include those set by legislation as well as standards adopted by DOE through rulemaking. In 2013, the standards saved an estimated 4.05 quads of primary energy, which is equivalent to 4% of total U.S. energy consumption. The savings in operating costs for households and businesses totaledmore » $56 billion. The average household saved $$361 in operating costs as a result of residential and plumbing product standards. The estimated reduction in CO{sub 2} emissions associated with the standards in 2013 was 218 million metric tons, which is equivalent to 4% of total U.S. CO{sub 2} emissions. The estimated cumulative energy savings over the period 1990-2090 amount to 181 quads. Accounting for the increased upfront costs of more-efficient products and the operating cost (energy and water) savings over the products’ lifetime, the standards have a past and projected cumulative net present value (NPV) of consumer benefit of between $$1,271 billion and $1,487 billion, using 7 percent and 3 percent discount rates, respectively. The water conservation standards, together with energy conservation standards that also save water, reduced water use by 1.9 trillion gallons in 2013, and will achieve cumulative water savings by 2090 of 55 trillion gallons. The estimated consumer savings in 2013 from reduced water use amounted to $16 billon.« less

Energy and Economic Impacts of U.S. Federal Energy and Water Conservation Standards Adopted From 1987 through 2012

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyers, Stephen; Williams, Alison; Chan, Peter

This paper presents estimates of the key impacts of Federal energy and water conservation standards adopted from 1987 through 2012. The standards for consumer products and commercial and industrial equipment include those set by legislation as well as standards adopted by DOE through rulemaking. In 2012, the standards saved an estimated 3.6 quads of primary energy, which is equivalent to 3% of total U.S. energy consumption. The savings in operating costs for households and businesses totaled $51.4 billion. The average household saved $347 in operating costs as a result of residential and plumbing product standards. The estimated reduction in CO2more » emissions associated with the standards in 2012 was 198 million metric tons, which is equivalent to 3% of total U.S. CO2 emissions. The estimated cumulative energy savings over the period 1990-2070 amount to 179 quads. Accounting for the increased upfront costs of more-efficient products and the operating cost (energy and water) savings over the products’ lifetime, the standards have a past and projected cumulative net present value (NPV) of consumer benefit of between $1,104 billion and $1,390 billion, using 7 percent and 3 percent discount rates, respectively. The water conservation standards, together with energy conservation standards that also save water, reduced water use by 1.8 trillion gallons in 2012, and will achieve cumulative water savings by 2040 of 54 trillion gallons. The estimated consumer savings in 2012 from reduced water use amounted to $13 billon.« less

Small Body Hopper Mobility Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howe, A. Scott; Gernhardt, Michael L.; Lee, Dave E.; Crues, E. Zack; Dexter, Dan E.; Abercromby, Andrew F. J.; Chappell, Steve P.; Nguyen, Hung T.

2015-01-01

A propellant-saving hopper mobility system was studied that could help facilitate the exploration of small bodies such as Phobos for long-duration human missions. The NASA Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) has proposed a mission to the moons of Mars as a transitional step for eventual Mars surface exploration. While a Mars transit habitat would be parked in High-Mars Orbit (HMO), crew members would visit the surface of Phobos multiple times for up to 14 days duration (up to 50 days at a time with logistics support). This paper describes a small body surface mobility concept that is capable of transporting a small, two-person Pressurized Exploration Vehicle (PEV) cabin to various sites of interest in the low-gravity environment. Using stored kinetic energy between bounces, a propellant-saving hopper mobility system can release the energy to vector the vehicle away from the surface in a specified direction. Alternatively, the stored energy can be retained for later use while the vehicle is stationary in respect to the surface. The hopper actuation was modeled using a variety of launch velocities, and the hopper mobility was evaluated using NASA Exploration Systems Simulations (NExSyS) for transit between surface sites of interest. A hopper system with linear electromagnetic motors and mechanical spring actuators coupled with Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) for attitude control will use renewable electrical power, resulting in a significant propellant savings.

Metal Building Insulation System Provides Energy Savings and Noise Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Business Affairs, 1979

1979-01-01

Thermal efficiency increased substantially when an underdeck metal building insulation system was used at the North Valley Occupational Center, an aircraft mechanic's school located at the edge of the Van Nuys, California, airport. (Author)

Energy saving in ac generators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nola, F. J.

1980-01-01

Circuit cuts no-load losses, without sacrificing full-load power. Phase-contro circuit includes gate-controlled semiconductor switch that cuts off applied voltage for most of ac cycle if generator idling. Switch "on" time increases when generator is in operation.

Remote multi-function fire alarm system based on internet of things

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lihui; Zhao, Shuai; Huang, Jianqing; Ji, Jianyu

2018-05-01

This project uses MCU STC15W408AS (stable, energy saving, high speed), temperature sensor DS18B20 (cheap, high efficiency, stable), MQ2 resistance type semiconductor smog sensor (high stability, fast response and economy) and NRF24L01 wireless transmitting and receiving module (energy saving, small volume, reliable) as the main body to achieve concentration temperature data presentation, intelligent voice alarming and short distance wireless transmission. The whole system is safe, reliable, cheap, quick reaction and good performance. This project uses the MCU STM32F103RCT6 as the main control chip, and use WIFI module ESP8266, wireless module NRF24L01 to make the gateway. Users can remotely check and control the related devices in real-time on smartphones or computers. We can also realize the functions of intelligent fire monitoring, remote fire extinguishing, cloud data storage through the third party server Big IOT.

Design and Implementation of a Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network to Support the Intelligent Control of Efficient Energy Usage.

PubMed

Blanco, Jesús; García, Andrés; Morenas, Javier de Las

2018-06-09

Energy saving has become a major concern for the developed society of our days. This paper presents a Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network (WSAN) designed to provide support to an automatic intelligent system, based on the Internet of Things (IoT), which enables a responsible consumption of energy. The proposed overall system performs an efficient energetic management of devices, machines and processes, optimizing their operation to achieve a reduction in their overall energy usage at any given time. For this purpose, relevant data is collected from intelligent sensors, which are in-stalled at the required locations, as well as from the energy market through the Internet. This information is analysed to provide knowledge about energy utilization, and to improve efficiency. The system takes autonomous decisions automatically, based on the available information and the specific requirements in each case. The proposed system has been implanted and tested in a food factory. Results show a great optimization of energy efficiency and a substantial improvement on energy and costs savings.

Energy performance and savings potentials with skylights

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arasteh, D.; Johnson, R.; Selkowitz, S.

1984-12-01

This study systematically explores the energy effects of skylight systems in a prototypical office building module and examines the savings from daylighting. For specific climates, roof/skylight characteristics are identified that minimize total energy or peak electrical demand. Simplified techniques for energy performance calculation are also presented based on a multiple regression analysis of our data base so that one may easily evaluate daylighting's effects on total and component energy loads and electrical peaks. This provides additional insights into the influence of skylight parameters on energy consumption and electrical peaks. We use the DOE-2.1B energy analysis program with newly incorporated daylightingmore » algorithms to determine hourly, monthly, and annual impacts of daylighting strategies on electrical lighting consumption, cooling, heating, fan power, peak electrical demands, and total energy use. A data base of more than 2000 parametric simulations for 14 US climates has been generated. Parameters varied include skylight-to-roof ratio, shading coefficient, visible transmittance, skylight well light loss, electric lighting power density, roof heat transfer coefficient, and electric lighting control type. 14 references, 13 figures, 4 tables.« less

Study on energy consumption evaluation of mountainous highway based on LCA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fei, Lunlin; Zhang, Qi; Xie, Yongqing

2017-06-01

For the system to understand the road construction energy consumption process, this paper selects a typical mountainous highway in the south, using the theory and method of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantitatively study the energy consumption of the whole process of highway raw materials production, construction and operation. The results show that the energy consumption in the raw material production stage is the highest, followed by the highway operation and construction stage. The energy consumption per unit of tunnel engineering, bridge engineering, roadbed engineering and pavement engineering in the construction phase are 2279.00 tce, 1718.07 tce, 542.19 tce and 34.02 tce, and in operational phase, 85.44% of electricity consumption comes from tunnel ventilation and lighting. Therefore, in the bridge and tunnel construction process, we should promote energy-saving innovation of the construction technology and mechanical equipment, and further strengthen the research and development of tunnel ventilation, lighting energy-saving equipment and intelligent control technology, which will help significantly reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of the life cycle of highway.

Save Energy: Save Money!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eccli, Eugene; And Others

This publication is a collection of inexpensive energy saving tips and home improvements for home owners, particularly in low-income areas or in older homes. Section titles are: (1) Keeping Warm; (2) Getting Heat Where You Need It; (3) Using the Sun; (4) Furnaces, Stoves, and Fireplaces; (5) Insulation and Other Energy Needs; (6) Do-It-Yourself…

Energy Savings Forecast of SSL in General Illumination Report Summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2016-09-30

Summary of the DOE report Energy Savings Forecast of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications, a biannual report that models the adoption of LEDs in the U.S. general-lighting market, along with associated energy savings, based on the full potential DOE has determined to be technically feasible over time.

How Trees Can Save Energy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazio, James R., Ed.

1991-01-01

This document might easily have been called "How To Use Trees To Save Energy". It presents the energy saving advantages of landscaping the home and community with trees. The discussion includes: (1) landscaping advice to obtain the benefits of tree shade; (2) the heat island phenomenon in cities; (3) how and where to properly plant trees for…

Longest-Serving Active Paper Mill in the Western United States Uncovers New Ways to Save Energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2008-03-01

This case study describes how West Linn Paper Company's coated paper mill in West Linn, Oregon, saves nearly 58,200 MMBtu and $379,000 annually after receiving a DOE Save Energy Now energy assessment and implementing recommendations to improve the efficiency of its steam system.

Transmission of energy-saving efficiency from obese parents to their offspring: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2011.

PubMed

Kim, Y; Kim, H; Hong, Y-C

2016-04-01

Concerns of a growing obesity epidemic have increased since the association between obesity in parents and that in offspring was reported. However, the evidence regarding whether the energy-saving efficiency of obese parents is conveyed to their offspring and the duration of the expression of such transmitted efficiency is limited. We included 7647 matching sets of parent-offspring trios from South Korea. Multiple linear regression models were performed to estimate the energy-saving efficiency, as assessed by the associations between energy intake and obesity-related indices (waist-to-height ratio, waist circumference and body mass index z-score), and to compare the energy-saving efficiency of offspring of obese and non-obese parents. All analyses were based on a complex sample design and were stratified by gender and age. We identified a parental influence on obesity, that is, the more obese the parent, the higher the obesity-related indices of their offspring, in both genders and all age groups. The energy-saving efficiency of child offspring was highest when both parents were obese and lowest when both were non-obese; this difference was significant (P<0.05) with regard to the energy-saving efficiency of all types of intake studied, except fat. However, the energy-saving efficiency of obese and non-obese parents did not differ when their offspring were adolescents and adults. The critical window for transmission of energy-saving efficiency is limited to childhood. These findings suggest that children of obese parents should be more emphatically advised to maintain a balanced diet and to engage in regular physical activity.

Energy extraction from atmospheric turbulence to improve flight vehicle performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Chinmay Karsandas

Small 'bird-sized' Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have now become practical due to technological advances in embedded electronics, miniature sensors and actuators, and propulsion systems. Birds are known to take advantage of wind currents to conserve energy and fly long distances without flapping their wings. This dissertation explores the possibility of improving the performance of small UAVs by extracting the energy available in atmospheric turbulence. An aircraft can gain energy from vertical gusts by increasing its lift in regions of updraft and reducing its lift in downdrafts - a concept that has been known for decades. Starting with a simple model of a glider flying through a sinusoidal gust, a parametric optimization approach is used to compute the minimum gust amplitude and optimal control input required for the glider to sustain flight without losing energy. For small UAVs using optimal control inputs, sinusoidal gusts with amplitude of 10--15% of the cruise speed are sufficient to keep the aircraft aloft. The method is then modified and extended to include random gusts that are representative of natural turbulence. A procedure to design optimal control laws for energy extraction from realistic gust profiles is developed using a Genetic Algorithm (GA). A feedback control law is designed to perform well over a variety of random gusts, and not be tailored for one particular gust. A small UAV flying in vertical turbulence is shown to obtain average energy savings of 35--40% with the use of a simple control law. The design procedure is also extended to determine optimal control laws for sinusoidal as well as turbulent lateral gusts. The theoretical work is complemented by experimental validation using a small autonomous UAV. The development of a lightweight autopilot and UAV platform is presented. Flight test results show that active control of the lift of an autonomous glider resulted in approximately 46% average energy savings compared to glides with fixed control surfaces. Statistical analysis of test samples shows that 19% of the active control test runs resulted in no energy loss, thus demonstrating the potential of the 'gust soaring' concept to dramatically improve the performance of small UAVs.

Earth sheltered bee wintering and solar honey house. Final technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The construction and operation of an indoor wintering facility and a passive solar honey house are discussed. Goals for the project included both energy savings and financial savings for the beekeeping industry. The underground winter shelter provided a control temperature of approximately 46/sup 0/F in order to decrease both mortality rates and honey consumption rates of the bees. Three hundred square feet of glazing combined with wall insulation maintained comfortable work space temperatures for the ground level storage of honey. (BCS)

DEMONSTRATION AND TESTING OF AN EER OPTIMIZER SYSTEM FOR DX AIR-CONDITIONERS

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-07

Performance-Based Maintenance PCS Power Current Sensor PLC Programmable Logic Controller ppm Parts Per Million PSIG Pounds per Square Inch Gauge PVS Power...all utilities and facilities at Patrick AFB, Cape Canaveral AFS, Jonathan Dickinson Military Tracking Annex, Malabar Annex, Ramey Solar Observatory...Cost 8,057 0 Annual O&M Cost 453 1191 Annual FD&D Monitoring 880 ‐ BLCC LIFE CYCLE RESULTS Energy Savings $12,317 O&M Net Savings $493 PV  Life Cycle

Minnesota Energy and Cost Savings for New Single- and Multifamily Homes: 2009 and 2012 IECC as Compared to the Minnesota Residential Energy Code

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lucas, Robert G.; Taylor, Zachary T.; Mendon, Vrushali V.

2012-04-01

The 2009 and 2012 International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC) yield positive benefits for Minnesota homeowners. Moving to either the 2009 or 2012 IECC from the current Minnesota Residential Energy Code is cost effective over a 30-year life cycle. On average, Minnesota homeowners will save $1,277 over 30 years under the 2009 IECC, with savings still higher at $9,873 with the 2012 IECC. After accounting for upfront costs and additional costs financed in the mortgage, homeowners should see net positive cash flows (i.e., cumulative savings exceed cumulative cash outlays) in 3 years for the 2009 IECC and 1 year for themore » 2012 IECC. Average annual energy savings are $122 for the 2009 IECC and $669 for the 2012 IECC.« less

Process control, energy recovery and cost savings in acetic acid wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Vaiopoulou, E; Melidis, P; Aivasidis, A

2011-02-28

An anaerobic fixed bed loop (AFBL) reactor was applied for treatment of acetic acid (HAc) wastewater. Two pH process control concepts were investigated; auxostatic and chemostatic control. In the auxostatic pH control, feed pump is interrupted when pH falls below a certain pH value in the bioreactor, which results in reactor operation at maximum load. Chemostatic control assures alkaline conditions by setting a certain pH value in the influent, preventing initial reactor acidification. The AFBL reactor treated HAc wastewater at low hydraulic residence time (HRT) (10-12 h), performed at high space time loads (40-45 kg COD/m(3) d) and high space time yield (30-35 kg COD/m(3) d) to achieve high COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) removal (80%). Material and cost savings were accomplished by utilizing the microbial potential for wastewater neutralization during anaerobic treatment along with application of favourable pH-auxostatic control. NaOH requirement for neutralization was reduced by 75% and HRT was increased up to 20 h. Energy was recovered by applying costless CO(2) contained in the biogas for neutralization of alkaline wastewater. Biogas was enriched in methane by 4 times. This actually brings in more energy profits, since biogas extra heating for CO(2) content during biogas combustion is minimized and usage of other acidifying agents is omitted. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New control design principles based on measured performance and energy analysis of HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning) systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hittle, D. C.; Johnson, D. L.

1985-01-01

This report is one of a series on the development of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) control systems that are simple, efficient, reliable, maintainable, and well-documented. This report identifies major problems associated with three currently used HVAC control systems. It also describes the development of a retrofit control system applicable to military buildings that will allow easy identification of component failures, facilitate repair, and minimize system failures. Evaluation of currently used controls showed that pneumatic temperature control equipment requires a very clean source of supply air and is also not very accurate. Pneumatic, rather than electronic, actuators should be used because they are cheaper and require less maintenance. Thermistor temperature detectors should not be used for HVAC applications because they require frequent calibration. It was found that enthalpy economy cycles cannot be used for control because the humidity sensors required for their use are prone to rapid drift, inaccurate, and hard to calibrate in the field. Performance of control systems greatly affects HVAC operating costs. Significant savings can be achieved if proportional-plus-integral control schemes are used. Use of the retrofit prototype control panel developed in this study on variable-air-volume systems should provide significant energy cost savings, improve comfort and reliability, and reduce maintenance costs.

Streetlight Control System Based on Wireless Communication over DALI Protocol

PubMed Central

Bellido-Outeiriño, Francisco José; Quiles-Latorre, Francisco Javier; Moreno-Moreno, Carlos Diego; Flores-Arias, José María; Moreno-García, Isabel; Ortiz-López, Manuel

2016-01-01

Public lighting represents a large part of the energy consumption of towns and cities. Efficient management of public lighting can entail significant energy savings. This work presents a smart system for managing public lighting networks based on wireless communication and the DALI protocol. Wireless communication entails significant economic savings, as there is no need to install new wiring and visual impacts and damage to the facades of historical buildings in city centers are avoided. The DALI protocol uses bidirectional communication with the ballast, which allows its status to be controlled and monitored at all times. The novelty of this work is that it tackles all aspects related to the management of public lighting: a standard protocol, DALI, was selected to control the ballast, a wireless node based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard with a DALI interface was designed, a network layer that considers the topology of the lighting network has been developed, and lastly, some user-friendly applications for the control and maintenance of the system by the technical crews of the different towns and cities have been developed. PMID:27128923

TEP Power Partners Project [Tucson Electric Power

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

2014-02-06

The Arizona Governor’s Office of Energy Policy, in partnership with Tucson Electric Power (TEP), Tendril, and Next Phase Energy (NPE), formed the TEP Power Partners pilot project to demonstrate how residential customers could access their energy usage data and third party applications using data obtained from an Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) network. The project applied for and was awarded a Smart Grid Data Access grant through the U.S. Department of Energy. The project participants’ goal for Phase I is to actively engage 1,700 residential customers to demonstrate sustained participation, reduction in energy usage (kWh) and cost ($), and measure relatedmore » aspects of customer satisfaction. This Demonstration report presents a summary of the findings, effectiveness, and customer satisfaction with the 15-month TEP Power Partners pilot project. The objective of the program is to provide residential customers with energy consumption data from AMR metering and empower these participants to better manage their electricity use. The pilot recruitment goals included migrating 700 existing customers from the completed Power Partners Demand Response Load Control Project (DRLC), and enrolling 1,000 new participants. Upon conclusion of the project on November 19, 2013; 1,390 Home Area Networks (HANs) were registered; 797 new participants installed a HAN; Survey respondents’ are satisfied with the program and found value with a variety of specific program components; Survey respondents report feeling greater control over their energy usage and report taking energy savings actions in their homes after participating in the program; On average, 43 % of the participants returned to the web portal monthly and 15% returned weekly; and An impact evaluation was completed by Opinion Dynamics and found average participant savings for the treatment period1 to be 2.3% of their household use during this period.2 In total, the program saved 163 MWh in the treatment period of 2013.« less

A Summary of Research on Energy Saving and Emission Reduction of Transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Dongxiang; Wu, Lufen

2017-12-01

Road transport is an important part of transportation, and road in the field of energy-saving emission reduction is a very important industry. According to the existing problems of road energy saving and emission reduction, this paper elaborates the domestic and international research on energy saving and emission reduction from three aspects: road network optimization, pavement material and pavement maintenance. Road network optimization may be overlooked, and the research content is still relatively preliminary; pavement materials mainly from the asphalt pavement temperature mixed asphalt technology research; pavement maintenance technology development is relatively comprehensive.

Life-cycle-assessment of the historical development of air pollution control and energy recovery in waste incineration.

PubMed

Damgaard, Anders; Riber, Christian; Fruergaard, Thilde; Hulgaard, Tore; Christensen, Thomas H

2010-07-01

Incineration of municipal solid waste is a debated waste management technology. In some countries it is the main waste management option whereas in other countries it has been disregarded. The main discussion point on waste incineration is the release of air emissions from the combustion of the waste, but also the energy recovery efficiency has a large importance. The historical development of air pollution control in waste incineration was studied through life-cycle-assessment modelling of eight different air pollution control technologies. The results showed a drastic reduction in the release of air emissions and consequently a significant reduction in the potential environmental impacts of waste incineration. Improvements of a factor 0.85-174 were obtained in the different impact potentials as technology developed from no emission control at all, to the best available emission control technologies of today (2010). The importance of efficient energy recovery was studied through seven different combinations of heat and electricity recovery, which were modelled to substitute energy produced from either coal or natural gas. The best air pollution control technology was used at the incinerator. It was found that when substituting coal based energy production total net savings were obtained in both the standard and toxic impact categories. However, if the substituted energy production was based on natural gas, only the most efficient recovery options yielded net savings with respect to the standard impacts. With regards to the toxic impact categories, emissions from the waste incineration process were always larger than those from the avoided energy production based on natural gas. The results shows that the potential environmental impacts from air emissions have decreased drastically during the last 35 years and that these impacts can be partly or fully offset by recovering energy which otherwise should have been produced from fossil fuels like coal or natural gas. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Compendium of Energy Conservation: Success Stories 90

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

1990-12-01

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy proudly presents this summary of some its most successful projects and activities. The projects included in this document have made significant contributions to improving energy efficiency and fuel flexibility in the United States. The energy savings that can be realized from these projects are considerable. Americans have shown an impressive ability to reduce energy consumption since 1973. Studies show that 34 quadrillion Btus (quads) of energy were saved in 1988 alone as a result of energy conservation and other factors. These savings, worth approximately $180 billion, represent more energy than the United States obtains from any other single source. The availability of new, energy-efficient technologies has been an important ingredient in achieving these savings. Federal efforts to develop and commercialize energy-saving technologies and processes are a part of the reason for this progress. Over the past 10 years, DOE has carefully invested more than $2 billion in hundreds of research and development (R&D) projects to ensure the availability of advanced technology in the marketplace. These energy-efficient projects are carried out through DOE's Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy and reflect opportunities in the three energy-consuming, end-use sectors of the economy: buildings, transportation, and industry.

Photovoltaic Impact Assessment of Smart Inverter Volt-VAR Control on Distribution System Conservation Voltage Reduction and Power Quality

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ding, Fei; Nagarajan, Adarsh; Chakraborty, Sudipta

This report presents an impact assessment study of distributed photovoltaic (PV) with smart inverter Volt-VAR control on conservation voltage reduction (CVR) energy savings and distribution system power quality. CVR is a methodology of flattening and lowering a distribution system voltage profile in order to conserve energy. Traditional CVR relies on operating utility voltage regulators and switched capacitors. However, with the increased penetration of distributed PV systems, smart inverters provide the new opportunity to control local voltage and power factor by regulating the reactive power output, leading to a potential increase in CVR energy savings. This report proposes a methodology tomore » implement CVR scheme by operating voltage regulators, capacitors, and autonomous smart inverter Volt-VAR control in order to achieve increased CVR benefit. Power quality is an important consideration when operating a distribution system, especially when implementing CVR. It is easy to measure the individual components that make up power quality, but a comprehensive method to incorporate all of these values into a single score has yet to be undertaken. As a result, this report proposes a power quality scoring mechanism to measure the relative power quality of distribution systems using a single number, which is aptly named the 'power quality score' (PQS). Both the CVR and PQS methodologies were applied to two distribution system models, one obtained from the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) and another obtained from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). These two models were converted to the OpenDSS platform using previous model conversion tools that were developed by NREL. Multiple scenarios including various PV penetration levels and smart inverter densities were simulated to analyze the impact of smart inverter Volt-VAR support on CVR energy savings and feeder power quality. In order to analyze the CVR benefit and PQS, an annual simulation was conducted for each scenario.« less

R and D of energy saving and new energy utilization in Japanese marine engineering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Isshiki, N.; Murayama, Y.; Tamaki, H.

1982-08-01

As well known, Japanese shipbuilding and marine engineering industry has been one of the biggest in the world, and a lot of efforts have been made on energy saving and new energy development for the last several years, resulting in production of quite economical and energy saving ships and marine engines using all kinds of possible engineering methods. Also much promising research utilizing oceanic energy is under way for the ships of post-oil future. In this paper, first, the remarkable developments of energy saving in conventional marine engines and ship hulls, especially in diesel ships, in Japan are shown. Then,more » some studies on future marine engine systems and utilization of oceanic energy represented by ''Shin Aitoku Maru'' and other research on future windmill ships are described.« less

10 CFR 436.21 - Savings-to-investment ratio.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Savings-to-investment ratio. 436.21 Section 436.21 Energy... Procedures for Life Cycle Cost Analyses § 436.21 Savings-to-investment ratio. The savings-to-investment ratio... conservation measure. The denominator of the ratio is the present value of the net increase in investment and...

10 CFR 436.21 - Savings-to-investment ratio.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Savings-to-investment ratio. 436.21 Section 436.21 Energy... Procedures for Life Cycle Cost Analyses § 436.21 Savings-to-investment ratio. The savings-to-investment ratio... conservation measure. The denominator of the ratio is the present value of the net increase in investment and...

Time-varying value of electric energy efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mims, Natalie A.; Eckman, Tom; Goldman, Charles

Electric energy efficiency resources save energy and may reduce peak demand. Historically, quantification of energy efficiency benefits has largely focused on the economic value of energy savings during the first year and lifetime of the installed measures. Due in part to the lack of publicly available research on end-use load shapes (i.e., the hourly or seasonal timing of electricity savings) and energy savings shapes, consideration of the impact of energy efficiency on peak demand reduction (i.e., capacity savings) has been more limited. End-use load research and the hourly valuation of efficiency savings are used for a variety of electricity planningmore » functions, including load forecasting, demand-side management and evaluation, capacity and demand response planning, long-term resource planning, renewable energy integration, assessing potential grid modernization investments, establishing rates and pricing, and customer service. This study reviews existing literature on the time-varying value of energy efficiency savings, provides examples in four geographically diverse locations of how consideration of the time-varying value of efficiency savings impacts the calculation of power system benefits, and identifies future research needs to enhance the consideration of the time-varying value of energy efficiency in cost-effectiveness screening analysis. Findings from this study include: -The time-varying value of individual energy efficiency measures varies across the locations studied because of the physical and operational characteristics of the individual utility system (e.g., summer or winter peaking, load factor, reserve margin) as well as the time periods during which savings from measures occur. -Across the four locations studied, some of the largest capacity benefits from energy efficiency are derived from the deferral of transmission and distribution system infrastructure upgrades. However, the deferred cost of such upgrades also exhibited the greatest range in value of all the components of avoided costs across the locations studied. -Of the five energy efficiency measures studied, those targeting residential air conditioning in summer-peaking electric systems have the most significant added value when the total time-varying value is considered. -The increased use of rooftop solar systems, storage, and demand response, and the addition of electric vehicles and other major new electricity-consuming end uses are anticipated to significantly alter the load shape of many utility systems in the future. Data used to estimate the impact of energy efficiency measures on electric system peak demands will need to be updated periodically to accurately reflect the value of savings as system load shapes change. -Publicly available components of electric system costs avoided through energy efficiency are not uniform across states and utilities. Inclusion or exclusion of these components and differences in their value affect estimates of the time-varying value of energy efficiency. -Publicly available data on end-use load and energy savings shapes are limited, are concentrated regionally, and should be expanded.« less

Energy savings opportunity survey at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC. Final Submittal report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1987-10-22

This Energy Savings Opportunity Survey (ESOS) was performed for sixteen (16) buildings at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WPAMC) in Washington, D.C. This survey was intended to reevaluate and update projects from a previous Energy Engineering Analysis Program (EEAP) survey performed at WRAMC. However, the previous EEAP survey was determined by the contracting officer to be incomplete and not worthy of further consideration. Therefore, this survey involved the complete reevaluation of the buildings to determine their potential energy cost savings. Six (6) projects and nine (9) low cost/no cost energy conservation opportunities (ECO`s) are recommended for implementation in the buildings.more » These projects and ECO`s are projected to annually save $448,263 at an implementation cost of $891,659. The simple payback (i.e., implementation cost divided by cost savings) for the recommendations in the survey is 1.99 years. The two (2) projects with the greatest cost savings are a stack heat recovery system (Project Number 5) and HVAC modifications (Project Number 1). These two (2) projects will provide 67% of the projected total savings for the survey. The sixteen (16) buildings in this survey represent only 22% of the total floor area of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center complex. It is believed that significant potential energy cost savings amounting to two (2) million dollars may be achieved in the remaining buildings in the complex not included in this survey. Specifically it is believed the main hospital building contains many opportunities for substantial cost savings.« less

Potential reduction of energy consumption in public university library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noranai, Z.; Azman, ADF

2017-09-01

Efficient electrical energy usage has been recognized as one of the important factor to reduce cost of electrical energy consumption. Various parties have been emphasized about the importance of using electrical energy efficiently. Inefficient usage of electrical energy usage lead to biggest factor increasing of administration cost in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. With this in view, a project the investigate potential reduction electrical energy consumption in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia was carried out. In this project, a case study involving electrical energy consumption of Perpustakaan Tunku Tun Aminah was conducted. The scopes of this project are to identify energy consumption in selected building and to find the factors that contributing to wastage of electrical energy. The MS1525:2001, Malaysian Standard - Code of practice on energy efficiency and use of renewable energy for non-residential buildings was used as reference. From the result, 4 saving measure had been proposed which is change type of the lamp, install sensor, decrease the number of lamp and improve shading coefficient on glass. This saving measure is suggested to improve the efficiency of electrical energy consumption. Improve of human behaviour toward saving energy measure can reduce 10% from the total of saving cost while on building technical measure can reduce 90% from total saving cost.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hobbs, R.E.

In large facilities, successful energy management cannot be measured by a few projects, no matter how significant the energy savings. Large facilities today are comprised of extensive energy consuming systems. For every energy project developed, two more projects remain to be discovered. The successful energy manager is one who has completed ten projects, or twenty, or thirty, and is still finding more projects to do. Nothing is assumed to be as efficient as possible, and no part of any system is ignored. The successful energy manager is willing to take risks, not of being fired, but to use imagination, studymore » engineering theory, exercise common sense, develop concept designs, calculate savings, sell projects to management, control designers, study equipment performance, pre-select contractors, manage the contractor efforts, solve inherent problems along the way, and then optimize the project after acceptance when the designers and contractors all walk off. Once the successful energy manager establishes his credibility, his problem becomes finding enough time to get the projects rolling as he dreams them up. He sees what others do not. As they say in the North, only the lead dog sees new scenery.« less

Fundamental Study on Saving Energy for Electrified Railway System Applying High Temperature Superconductor Motor and Energy Storage System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, Takeshi; Nakamura, Taketsune; Amemiya, Naoyuki

Induction motor instead of dc one has been applied widely for dc electric rolling stock because of the advantage of its utility and efficiency. However, further improvement of motor characteristics will be required to realize environment-friendly dc railway system in the future. It is important to study more efficient machine applying dc electric rolling stock for next generation high performance system. On the other hand, the methods to reuse regenerative energy produced by motors effectively are also important. Therefore, we carried out fundamental study on saving energy for electrified railway system. For the first step, we introduced the energy storage system applying electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC), and its control system. And then, we tried to obtain the specification of high temperature superconductor induction/synchronous motor (HTS-ISM), which performance is similar with that of the conventional induction motors. Furthermore, we tried to evaluate an electrified railway system applying energy storage system and HTS-ISM based on simulation. We succeeded in showing the effectiveness of the introductions of energy storage system and HTS-ISM in DC electrified railway system.

Compressed Air System Optimization: Case Study Food Industry in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widayati, Endang; Nuzahar, Hasril

2016-01-01

Compressors and compressed air systems was one of the most important utilities in industries or factories. Approximately 10% of the cost of electricity in the industry was used to produce compressed air. Therefore the potential for energy savings in the compressors and compressed air systems had a big challenge. This field was conducted especially in Indonesia food industry or factory. Compressed air system optimization was a technique approach to determine the optimal conditions for the operation of compressors and compressed air systems that included evaluation of the energy needs, supply adjustment, eliminating or reconfiguring the use and operation of inefficient, changing and complementing some equipment and improving operating efficiencies. This technique gave the significant impact for energy saving and costs. The potential savings based on this study through measurement and optimization e.g. system that lowers the pressure of 7.5 barg to 6.8 barg would reduce energy consumption and running costs approximately 4.2%, switch off the compressor GA110 and GA75 was obtained annual savings of USD 52,947 ≈ 455 714 kWh, running GA75 light load or unloaded then obtained annual savings of USD 31,841≈ 270,685 kWh, install new compressor 2x132 kW and 1x 132 kW VSD obtained annual savings of USD 108,325≈ 928,500 kWh. Furthermore it was needed to conduct study of technical aspect of energy saving potential (Investment Grade Audit) and performed Cost Benefit Analysis. This study was one of best practice solutions how to save energy and improve energy performance in compressors and compressed air system.

Health, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Climate change is becoming a driving force for improving energy efficiency because saving energy can help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. However, it is important to balance energy saving measures with ventilation...

Energy 101: Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-06

Learn how commercial buildings can incorporate whole-building design to save energy and money while enhancing performance and comfort. This video highlights several energy-saving features of the Research Support Facility at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory-a model for high-performance office building design.

Annual Energy Usage Reduction and Cost Savings of a School: End-Use Energy Analysis

PubMed Central

Alghoul, M. A.; Bakhtyar, B.; Asim, Nilofar; Sopian, K.

2014-01-01

Buildings are among the largest consumers of energy. Part of the energy is wasted due to the habits of users and equipment conditions. A solution to this problem is efficient energy usage. To this end, an energy audit can be conducted to assess the energy efficiency. This study aims to analyze the energy usage of a primary school and identify the potential energy reductions and cost savings. A preliminary audit was conducted, and several energy conservation measures were proposed. The energy conservation measures, with reference to the MS1525:2007 standard, were modelled to identify the potential energy reduction and cost savings. It was found that the school's usage of electricity exceeded its need, incurring an excess expenditure of RM 2947.42. From the lighting system alone, it was found that there is a potential energy reduction of 5489.06 kWh, which gives a cost saving of RM 2282.52 via the improvement of lighting system design and its operating hours. Overall, it was found that there is a potential energy reduction and cost saving of 20.7% when the energy conservation measures are earnestly implemented. The previous energy intensity of the school was found to be 50.6 kWh/m2/year, but can theoretically be reduced to 40.19 kWh/mm2/year. PMID:25485294

A simulation-based study on different control strategies for variable speed pump in distributed ground source heat pump systems

DOE PAGES

Liu, Xiaobing; Zheng, O'Neill; Niu, Fuxin

2016-01-01

Most commercial ground source heat pump systems (GSHP) in the United States are in a distributed configuration. These systems circulate water or an anti-freeze solution through multiple heat pump units via a central pumping system, which usually uses variable speed pump(s). Variable speed pumps have potential to significantly reduce pumping energy use; however, the energy savings in reality could be far away from its potential due to improper pumping system design and controls. In this paper, a simplified hydronic pumping system was simulated with the dynamic Modelica models to evaluate three different pumping control strategies. This includes two conventional controlmore » strategies, which are to maintain a constant differential pressure across either the supply and return mains, or at the most hydraulically remote heat pump; and an innovative control strategy, which adjusts system flow rate based on the demand of each heat pump. The simulation results indicate that a significant overflow occurs at part load conditions when the variable speed pump is controlled to main a constant differential pressure across the supply and return mains of the piping system. On the other hand, an underflow occurs at part load conditions when the variable speed pump is controlled to maintain a constant differential pressure across the furthest heat pump. The flow-demand-based control can provide needed flow rate to each heat pump at any given time, and with less pumping energy use than the two conventional controls. Finally, a typical distributed GSHP system was studied to evaluate the energy saving potential of applying the flow-demand-based pumping control strategy. This case study shows that the annual pumping energy consumption can be reduced by 62% using the flow-demand-based control compared with that using the conventional pressure-based control to maintain a constant differential pressure a cross the supply and return mains.« less

Technical Support Document: Development of the Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 Schools--30% Energy Savings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pless, S.; Torcellini, P.; Long, N.

2007-09-01

This Technical Support Document describes the process and methodology for the development of the Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings (K-12 AEDG), a design guidance document intended to provide recommendations for achieving 30% energy savings in K-12 Schools over levels contained in ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. The 30% energy savings target is the first step toward achieving net-zero energy schools; schools that, on an annual basis, draw from outside sources less or equal energy than they generate on site from renewable energy sources.

Fuzzy logic controller versus classical logic controller for residential hybrid solar-wind-storage energy system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derrouazin, A.; Aillerie, M.; Mekkakia-Maaza, N.; Charles, J. P.

2016-07-01

Several researches for management of diverse hybrid energy systems and many techniques have been proposed for robustness, savings and environmental purpose. In this work we aim to make a comparative study between two supervision and control techniques: fuzzy and classic logics to manage the hybrid energy system applied for typical housing fed by solar and wind power, with rack of batteries for storage. The system is assisted by the electric grid during energy drop moments. A hydrogen production device is integrated into the system to retrieve surplus energy production from renewable sources for the household purposes, intending the maximum exploitation of these sources over years. The models have been achieved and generated signals for electronic switches command of proposed both techniques are presented and discussed in this paper.

Evaluation of Savings in Energy-Efficient Public Housing in the Pacific Northwest

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2013-10-01

This report presents the results of an energy performance and cost-effectiveness analysis. The Salishan phase 7 and demonstration homes were compared to Salishan phase 6 homes built to 2006 Washington State Energy Code specifications 2. Predicted annual energy savings (over Salishan phase 6) was 19% for Salishan phase 7, and between 19-24% for the demonstration homes (depending on ventilation strategy). Approximately two-thirds of the savings are attributable to the DHP. Working with the electric utility provider, Tacoma Public Utilities, researchers conducted a billing analysis for Salishan phase 7. Median energy use for the development is 11,000 kWh; annual energy costsmore » are $780, with a fair amount of variation dependent on size of home. Preliminary analysis of savings between Salishan 7 and previous phases (4 through 6) suggest savings of between 20 and 30 percent. A more comprehensive comparison between Salishan 7 and previous phases will take place in year two of this project.« less

Evaluation of Savings in Energy-Efficient Public Housing in the Pacific Northwest

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gordon, A.; Lubliner, M.; Howard, L.

2013-10-01

This report presents the results of an energy performance and cost-effectiveness analysis. The Salishan phase 7 and demonstration homes were compared to Salishan phase 6 homes built to 2006 Washington State Energy Code specifications 2. Predicted annual energy savings (over Salishan phase 6) was 19% for Salishan phase 7, and between 19-24% for the demonstration homes (depending on ventilationstrategy). Approximately two-thirds of the savings are attributable to the DHP. Working with the electric utility provider, Tacoma Public Utilities, researchers conducted a billing analysis for Salishan phase 7. Median energy use for the development is 11,000 kWh; annual energy costs aremore » $780, with a fair amount of variation dependent on size of home. Preliminary analysis of savings betweenSalishan 7 and previous phases (4 through 6) suggest savings of between 20 and 30 percent. A more comprehensive comparison between Salishan 7 and previous phases will take place in year two of this project.« less

Green Energy in New Construction: Maximize Energy Savings and Minimize Cost

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ventresca, Joseph

2010-01-01

People often use the term "green energy" to refer to alternative energy technologies. But green energy doesn't guarantee maximum energy savings at a minimum cost--a common misconception. For school business officials, green energy means getting the lowest energy bills for the lowest construction cost, which translates into maximizing green energy…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Desroches, Louis-Benoit; Garbesi, Karina

It is well established that energy efficiency is most often the lowest cost approach to reducing national energy use and minimizing carbon emissions. National investments in energy efficiency to date have been highly cost-effective. The cumulative impacts (out to 2050) of residential energy efficiency standards are expected to have a benefit-to-cost ratio of 2.71:1. This project examined energy end-uses in the residential, commercial, and in some cases the industrial sectors. The scope is limited to appliances and equipment, and does not include building materials, building envelopes, and system designs. This scope is consistent with the scope of DOE's appliance standardsmore » program, although many products considered here are not currently subject to energy efficiency standards. How much energy could the United States save if the most efficient design options currently feasible were adopted universally? What design features could produce those savings? How would the savings from various technologies compare? With an eye toward identifying promising candidates and strategies for potential energy efficiency standards, the Max Tech and Beyond project aims to answer these questions. The analysis attempts to consolidate, in one document, the energy savings potential and design characteristics of best-on-market products, best-engineered products (i.e., hypothetical products produced using best-on-market components and technologies), and emerging technologies in research & development. As defined here, emerging technologies are fundamentally new and are as yet unproven in the market, although laboratory studies and/or emerging niche applications offer persuasive evidence of major energy-savings potential. The term 'max tech' is used to describe both best-engineered and emerging technologies (whichever appears to offer larger savings). Few best-on-market products currently qualify as max tech, since few apply all available best practices and components. The three primary analyses presented in this report are: Nevertheless, it is important to analyze best-on-market products, since data on truly max tech technologies are limited. (1) an analysis of the cross-cutting strategies most promising for reducing appliance and equipment energy use in the U.S.; (2) a macro-analysis of the U.S. energy-saving potential inherent in promising ultra-efficient appliance technologies; and (3) a product-level analysis of the energy-saving potential.« less

12 New England Organizations Honored for Outstanding Achievements in Energy Efficiency

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 12 New England businesses and organizations for their commitment to saving energy, saving money, and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements.

Energy Savings Performance Contract Energy Sales Agreement Toolkit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

FEMP developed the Energy Savings Performance Contracting Energy Sales Agreement (ESPC ESA) Toolkit to provide federal agency contracting officers and other acquisition team members with information that will facilitate the timely execution of ESPC ESA projects.

National Weatherization Assistance Program Impact Evaluation: Energy Impacts for Large Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blasnik, Michael; Dalhoff, Greg; Carroll, David

This report estimates energy savings, energy cost savings, and cost effectiveness attributable to weatherizing large multifamily buildings under the auspices of the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program during Program Year 2008.

National Weatherization Assistance Program Impact Evaluation: Energy Impacts for Small Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blasnik, Michael; Dalhoff, Greg; Carroll, David

2014-09-01

This report estimates energy savings, energy cost savings, and cost effectiveness attributable to weatherizing small multifamily buildings under the auspices of the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program during Program Year 2008.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) FEMP Technical Assistance Federal Aviation Administration – Project 209 Control Tower and Support Building, Reno, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arends, J.; Sandusky, William F.

2010-06-30

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Redhorse Corporation (Redhorse) conducted an energy audit on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) control tower and base building in Reno, Nevada. This report presents the findings of the energy audit team that evaluated construction documents and operating specifications (at the 100% level) and completed a site visit. The focus of the review was to identify measures that could be incorporated into the final design and operating specifications that would result in additional energy savings for the FAA that would not have otherwise occurred.

Impact of Active Climate Control Seats on Energy Use, Fuel Use, and CO2 Emissions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kreutzer, Cory J; Rugh, John P; Titov, Eugene V

A project was developed through collaboration between Gentherm and NREL to determine the impact of climate control seats for light-duty vehicles in the United States. The project used a combination of experimentation and analysis, with experimental results providing critical input to the analysis process. First, outdoor stationary vehicle testing was performed at NREL's facility in Golden, CO using multiple occupants. Two pre-production Ford Focus electric vehicles were used for testing; one containing a standard inactive seat and the second vehicle containing a Gentherm climate control seat. Multiple maximum cool-down and steady-state cooling tests were performed in late summer conditions. Themore » two vehicles were used to determine the increase in cabin temperature when using the climate control seat in comparison to the baseline vehicle cabin temperature with a standard seat at the equivalent occupant whole-body sensation. The experiments estimated that on average, the climate control seats allowed for a 2.61 degrees Celsius increase in vehicle cabin temperature at equivalent occupant body sensation compared to the baseline vehicle. The increased cabin air temperature along with their measured energy usage were then used as inputs to the national analysis process. The national analysis process was constructed from full vehicle cabin, HVAC, and propulsion models previously developed by NREL. In addition, three representative vehicle platforms, vehicle usage patterns, and vehicle registration weighted environmental data were integrated into the analysis process. Both the baseline vehicle and the vehicle with climate control seats were simulated, using the experimentally determined cabin temperature offset of 2.61degrees Celsius and added seat energy as inputs to the climate control seat vehicle model. The U.S. composite annual fuel use savings for the climate control seats over the baseline A/C system was determined to be 5.1 gallons of gasoline per year per vehicle, corresponding to 4.0 grams of CO2/mile savings. Finally, the potential impact of 100 percent adoption of climate control seats on U.S. light-duty fleet A/C fuel use was calculated to be 1.3 billion gallons of gasoline annually with a corresponding CO2 emissions reduction of 12.7 million tons. Direct comparison of the impact of the CCS to the ventilated seat off-cycle credit was not possible because the NREL analysis calculated a combined car/truck savings and the baseline A/C CO2 emissions were higher than EPA. To enable comparison, the CCS national A/C CO2 emissions were split into car/truck components and the ventilated seat credit was scaled up. The split CO2 emissions savings due to the CCS were 3.5 g/mi for a car and 4.4 g/mi for a truck. The CCS saved an additional 2.0 g/mi and 2.5 g/mi over the adjusted ventilated seat credit for a car and truck, respectively.« less

10 CFR 436.30 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (3) Entering into negotiations with electric, water, and gas utilities to design cost-effective... regulations. The provisions of this subpart are controlling with regard to energy savings performance... manage electricity demand conducted by gas, water, or electric utilities and generally available to...

Incorporating Non-energy Benefits into Energy Savings Performance Contracts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Larsen, Peter; Goldman, Charles; Gilligan, Donald

2012-06-01

This paper evaluates the issue of non-energy benefits within the context of the U.S. energy services company (ESCO) industry?a growing industry comprised of companies that provide energy savings and other benefits to customers through the use of performance-based contracting. Recent analysis has found that ESCO projects in the public/institutional sector, especially at K-12 schools, are using performance-based contracting, at the behest of the customers, to partially -- but not fully -- offset substantial accumulated deferred maintenance needs (e.g., asbestos removal, wiring) and measures that have very long paybacks (roof replacement). This trend is affecting the traditional economic measures policymakers usemore » to evaluate success on a benefit to cost basis. Moreover, the value of non-energy benefits which can offset some or all of the cost of the non-energy measures -- including operations and maintenance (O&M) savings, avoided capital costs, and tradable pollution emissions allowances-- are not always incorporated into a formal cost-effectiveness analysis of ESCO projects. Nonenergy benefits are clearly important to customers, but state and federal laws that govern the acceptance of these types of benefits for ESCO projects vary widely (i.e., 0-100percent of allowable savings can come from one or more non-energy categories). Clear and consistent guidance on what types of savings are recognized in Energy Savings agreements under performance contracts is necessary, particularly where customers are searching for deep energy efficiency gains in the building sector.« less

Demand response-enabled model predictive HVAC load control in buildings using real-time electricity pricing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avci, Mesut

A practical cost and energy efficient model predictive control (MPC) strategy is proposed for HVAC load control under dynamic real-time electricity pricing. The MPC strategy is built based on a proposed model that jointly minimizes the total energy consumption and hence, cost of electricity for the user, and the deviation of the inside temperature from the consumer's preference. An algorithm that assigns temperature set-points (reference temperatures) to price ranges based on the consumer's discomfort tolerance index is developed. A practical parameter prediction model is also designed for mapping between the HVAC load and the inside temperature. The prediction model and the produced temperature set-points are integrated as inputs into the MPC controller, which is then used to generate signal actions for the AC unit. To investigate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a simulation based experimental analysis is presented using real-life pricing data. An actual prototype for the proposed HVAC load control strategy is then built and a series of prototype experiments are conducted similar to the simulation studies. The experiments reveal that the MPC strategy can lead to significant reductions in overall energy consumption and cost savings for the consumer. Results suggest that by providing an efficient response strategy for the consumers, the proposed MPC strategy can enable the utility providers to adopt efficient demand management policies using real-time pricing. Finally, a cost-benefit analysis is performed to display the economic feasibility of implementing such a controller as part of a building energy management system, and the payback period is identified considering cost of prototype build and cost savings to help the adoption of this controller in the building HVAC control industry.

Vehicle lightweighting energy use impacts in U.S. light-duty vehicle fleet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Das, Sujit; Graziano, Diane; Upadhyayula, Venkata K. K.

In this article, we estimate the potential energy benefits of lightweighting the light-duty vehicle fleet from both vehicle manufacturing and use perspectives using plausible lightweight vehicle designs involving several alternative lightweight materials, low- and high-end estimates of vehicle manufacturing energy, conventional and alternative powertrains, and two different market penetration scenarios for alternative powertrain light-duty vehicles at the fleet level. Cumulative life cycle energy savings (through 2050) across the nine material scenarios based on the conventional powertrain in the U.S. vehicle fleet range from -29 to 94 billion GJ, with the greatest savings achieved by multi-material vehicles that select different lightweightmore » materials to meet specific design purposes. Lightweighting alternative-powertrain vehicles could produce significant energy savings in the U.S. vehicle fleet, although their improved powertrain efficiencies lessen the energy savings opportunities for lightweighting. A maximum level of cumulative energy savings of lightweighting the U.S. light-duty vehicle through 2050 is estimated to be 66.1billion GJ under the conventional-vehicle dominated business-as-usual penetration scenario.« less

Energy Efficient Operation of Ammonia Refrigeration Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mohammed, Abdul Qayyum; Wenning, Thomas J; Sever, Franc

Ammonia refrigeration systems typically offer many energy efficiency opportunities because of their size and complexity. This paper develops a model for simulating single-stage ammonia refrigeration systems, describes common energy saving opportunities, and uses the model to quantify those opportunities. The simulation model uses data that are typically available during site visits to ammonia refrigeration plants and can be calibrated to actual consumption and performance data if available. Annual electricity consumption for a base-case ammonia refrigeration system is simulated. The model is then used to quantify energy savings for six specific energy efficiency opportunities; reduce refrigeration load, increase suction pressure, employmore » dual suction, decrease minimum head pressure set-point, increase evaporative condenser capacity, and reclaim heat. Methods and considerations for achieving each saving opportunity are discussed. The model captures synergistic effects that result when more than one component or parameter is changed. This methodology represents an effective method to model and quantify common energy saving opportunities in ammonia refrigeration systems. The results indicate the range of savings that might be expected from common energy efficiency opportunities.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mittal, Sparsh; Zhang, Zhao; Vetter, Jeffrey S

Recent trends of CMOS scaling and use of large last level caches (LLCs) have led to significant increase in the leakage energy consumption of LLCs and hence, managing their energy consumption has become extremely important in modern processor design. The conventional cache energy saving techniques require offline profiling or provide only coarse granularity of cache allocation. We present FlexiWay, a cache energy saving technique which uses dynamic cache reconfiguration. FlexiWay logically divides the cache sets into multiple (e.g. 16) modules and dynamically turns off suitable and possibly different number of cache ways in each module. FlexiWay has very small implementationmore » overhead and it provides fine-grain cache allocation even with caches of typical associativity, e.g. an 8-way cache. Microarchitectural simulations have been performed using an x86-64 simulator and workloads from SPEC2006 suite. Also, FlexiWay has been compared with two conventional energy saving techniques. The results show that FlexiWay provides largest energy saving and incurs only small loss in performance. For single, dual and quad core systems, the average energy saving using FlexiWay are 26.2%, 25.7% and 22.4%, respectively.« less

Energy efficiency public service advertising campaign

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gibson-Grant, Amanda

The Advertising Council (“the Ad Council”) and The United States Department of Energy (DOE) created and launched a national public service advertising campaign designed to promote energy efficiency. The objective of the Energy Efficiency campaign was to redefine how consumers approach energy efficiency by showing that saving energy can save homeowners money.

VO2 thermochromic smart window for energy savings and generation

PubMed Central

Zhou, Jiadong; Gao, Yanfeng; Zhang, Zongtao; Luo, Hongjie; Cao, Chuanxiang; Chen, Zhang; Dai, Lei; Liu, Xinling

2013-01-01

The ability to achieve energy saving in architectures and optimal solar energy utilisation affects the sustainable development of the human race. Traditional smart windows and solar cells cannot be combined into one device for energy saving and electricity generation. A VO2 film can respond to the environmental temperature to intelligently regulate infrared transmittance while maintaining visible transparency, and can be applied as a thermochromic smart window. Herein, we report for the first time a novel VO2-based smart window that partially utilises light scattering to solar cells around the glass panel for electricity generation. This smart window combines energy-saving and generation in one device, and offers potential to intelligently regulate and utilise solar radiation in an efficient manner. PMID:24157625

VO₂ thermochromic smart window for energy savings and generation.

PubMed

Zhou, Jiadong; Gao, Yanfeng; Zhang, Zongtao; Luo, Hongjie; Cao, Chuanxiang; Chen, Zhang; Dai, Lei; Liu, Xinling

2013-10-24

The ability to achieve energy saving in architectures and optimal solar energy utilisation affects the sustainable development of the human race. Traditional smart windows and solar cells cannot be combined into one device for energy saving and electricity generation. A VO2 film can respond to the environmental temperature to intelligently regulate infrared transmittance while maintaining visible transparency, and can be applied as a thermochromic smart window. Herein, we report for the first time a novel VO2-based smart window that partially utilises light scattering to solar cells around the glass panel for electricity generation. This smart window combines energy-saving and generation in one device, and offers potential to intelligently regulate and utilise solar radiation in an efficient manner.

Energy Savings in Cellular Networks Based on Space-Time Structure of Traffic Loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jingbo; Wang, Yue; Yuan, Jian; Shan, Xiuming

Since most of energy consumed by the telecommunication infrastructure is due to the Base Transceiver Station (BTS), switching off BTSs when traffic load is low has been recognized as an effective way of saving energy. In this letter, an energy saving scheme is proposed to minimize the number of active BTSs based on the space-time structure of traffic loads as determined by principal component analysis. Compared to existing methods, our approach models traffic loads more accurately, and has a much smaller input size. As it is implemented in an off-line manner, our scheme also avoids excessive communications and computing overheads. Simulation results show that the proposed method has a comparable performance in energy savings.

Could what that ESCO sales rep said really be true? Savings realization rates in ESPC versus bid-to-spec projects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coleman, Philip; Earni, Shankar; Williams, Charles

2014-08-11

Claims that savings realization is greater in energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) are rampant at least among energy service company representatives and other ESPC cheerleaders. But hard supporting evidence for these claims has been virtually non-existent. The Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program uses its Compliance Tracking System (CTS) database to document the performance of federal buildings and projects towards meeting various federal energy-saving goals. This paper focuses on preliminary analysis from CTS to understand and compare the performance of federal ESPCs with projects that have been implemented with more conventional government appropriations funding. The authors have found preliminarymore » evidence using CTS that shows markedly higher savings realization rates among ESPC projects than appropriations-funded ones. There are numerous caveats to the data comparison that clamor for further study, but the difference is still intriguing. If borne out, this finding will provide concrete support to the idea that ESPCs guarantees and measurement and verification, long touted by energy service companies (ESCOs) as offering savings assurance, may truly yield substantial benefits. If ESPCs actually do perform better (i.e., have higher realization rates and savings persistence) than conventional bid-to-spec projects, the perceived premium for conducting them may look like a very good deal after all.« less

Waste management in the Irkutsk region, Siberia, Russia: An environmental assessment of alternative development scenarios.

PubMed

Starostina, Vlada; Damgaard, Anders; Eriksen, Marie K; Christensen, Thomas H

2018-04-01

The current waste management system, handling around 500,000 t of household, commercial, and institutional waste annually in the Irkutsk region, Siberia, is based on landfilling in an old landfill with no controls of leachate and gas. Life-cycle assessment modelling of the current system shows that it is a major load on the environment, while the simulation of seven alternative systems results in large savings in many impact categories. With respect to climate change, it is estimated that a saving of about 1200 kg CO 2 equivalents is possible per year, per inhabitant, which is a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The best alternatives involve efficient energy recovery from waste and recycling by source separation for commercial and institutional waste, the major waste type in the Irkutsk region. Recycling of household waste seems less attractive, and it is therefore recommended only to consider this option after experience has been gained with the commercial and institutional waste. Sensitivity analysis shows that recovery of energy - in particular electricity, heat, and steam - from waste is crucial to the environmental performance of the waste management system. This relates to the efficiencies of energy recovery as well as what the recovered energy substitutes, that is, the 'dirtier' the off-set energy, the higher the environmental savings for the waste management system. Since recovered energy may be utilised by only a few energy grids or industrial users, it is recommended to perform additional local assessments of the integration of the waste energy into existing systems and facilities.

Consumer Products Advertised to Save Energy--Let the Buyer Beware.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-24

AD-AL06 653 GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON DC HUMAN RESOUR--ETC F/G 5/3 CONSUMER PRODUCTS ADVERTISED TO SAVE ENERGY--LET THE BUYER BEWA-ETC...COMPTROLLER GENERAL’S CONSUMER PRODUCTS ADVERTISED REPORT TO THE CONGRESS TO SAVE ENERGY- - LET THE BUYER BEWARE D IG E ST In efforts to reduce energy costs...Federal and State efforts to protect consumers from inaccurate or misleading claims. GAO noted hundreds of advertisements having ques- tionable

The NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klineberg, J. M.

1978-01-01

The objective of the NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency Program is to accelerate the development of advanced technology for more energy-efficient subsonic transport aircraft. This program will have application to current transport derivatives in the early 1980s and to all-new aircraft of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Six major technology projects were defined that could result in fuel savings in commercial aircraft: (1) Engine Component Improvement, (2) Energy Efficient Engine, (3) Advanced Turboprops, (4) Energy Efficiency Transport (aerodynamically speaking), (5) Laminar Flow Control, and (6) Composite Primary Structures.

Application of automated measurement and verification to utility energy efficiency program data

DOE PAGES

Granderson, Jessica; Touzani, Samir; Fernandes, Samuel; ...

2017-02-17

Trustworthy savings calculations are critical to convincing regulators of both the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency program investments and their ability to defer supply-side capital investments. Today’s methods for measurement and verification (M&V) of energy savings constitute a significant portion of the total costs of energy efficiency programs. They also require time-consuming data acquisition. A spectrum of savings calculation approaches is used, with some relying more heavily on measured data and others relying more heavily on estimated, modeled, or stipulated data. The increasing availability of “smart” meters and devices that report near-real time data, combined with new analytical approaches to quantifymore » savings, offers the potential to conduct M&V more quickly and at lower cost, with comparable or improved accuracy. Commercial energy management and information systems (EMIS) technologies are beginning to offer these ‘M&V 2.0’ capabilities, and program administrators want to understand how they might assist programs in quickly and accurately measuring energy savings. This paper presents the results of recent testing of the ability to use automation to streamline the M&V process. In this paper, we apply an automated whole-building M&V tool to historic data sets from energy efficiency programs to begin to explore the accuracy, cost, and time trade-offs between more traditional M&V, and these emerging streamlined methods that use high-resolution energy data and automated computational intelligence. For the data sets studied we evaluate the fraction of buildings that are well suited to automated baseline characterization, the uncertainty in gross savings that is due to M&V 2.0 tools’ model error, and indications of labor time savings, and how the automated savings results compare to prior, traditionally determined savings results. The results show that 70% of the buildings were well suited to the automated approach. In a majority of the cases (80%) savings and uncertainties for each individual building were quantified to levels above the criteria in ASHRAE Guideline 14. In addition the findings suggest that M&V 2.0 methods may also offer time-savings relative to traditional approaches. Lastly, we discuss the implications of these findings relative to the potential evolution of M&V, and pilots currently being launched to test how M&V automation can be integrated into ratepayer-funded programs and professional implementation and evaluation practice.« less

Application of automated measurement and verification to utility energy efficiency program data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Granderson, Jessica; Touzani, Samir; Fernandes, Samuel

Trustworthy savings calculations are critical to convincing regulators of both the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency program investments and their ability to defer supply-side capital investments. Today’s methods for measurement and verification (M&V) of energy savings constitute a significant portion of the total costs of energy efficiency programs. They also require time-consuming data acquisition. A spectrum of savings calculation approaches is used, with some relying more heavily on measured data and others relying more heavily on estimated, modeled, or stipulated data. The increasing availability of “smart” meters and devices that report near-real time data, combined with new analytical approaches to quantifymore » savings, offers the potential to conduct M&V more quickly and at lower cost, with comparable or improved accuracy. Commercial energy management and information systems (EMIS) technologies are beginning to offer these ‘M&V 2.0’ capabilities, and program administrators want to understand how they might assist programs in quickly and accurately measuring energy savings. This paper presents the results of recent testing of the ability to use automation to streamline the M&V process. In this paper, we apply an automated whole-building M&V tool to historic data sets from energy efficiency programs to begin to explore the accuracy, cost, and time trade-offs between more traditional M&V, and these emerging streamlined methods that use high-resolution energy data and automated computational intelligence. For the data sets studied we evaluate the fraction of buildings that are well suited to automated baseline characterization, the uncertainty in gross savings that is due to M&V 2.0 tools’ model error, and indications of labor time savings, and how the automated savings results compare to prior, traditionally determined savings results. The results show that 70% of the buildings were well suited to the automated approach. In a majority of the cases (80%) savings and uncertainties for each individual building were quantified to levels above the criteria in ASHRAE Guideline 14. In addition the findings suggest that M&V 2.0 methods may also offer time-savings relative to traditional approaches. Lastly, we discuss the implications of these findings relative to the potential evolution of M&V, and pilots currently being launched to test how M&V automation can be integrated into ratepayer-funded programs and professional implementation and evaluation practice.« less

RECOVERY ACT: DYNAMIC ENERGY CONSUMPTION MANAGEMENT OF ROUTING TELECOM AND DATA CENTERS THROUGH REAL-TIME OPTIMAL CONTROL (RTOC): Final Scientific/Technical Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ron Moon

This final scientific report documents the Industrial Technology Program (ITP) Stage 2 Concept Development effort on Data Center Energy Reduction and Management Through Real-Time Optimal Control (RTOC). Society is becoming increasingly dependent on information technology systems, driving exponential growth in demand for data center processing and an insatiable appetite for energy. David Raths noted, 'A 50,000-square-foot data center uses approximately 4 megawatts of power, or the equivalent of 57 barrels of oil a day1.' The problem has become so severe that in some cases, users are giving up raw performance for a better balance between performance and energy efficiency. Historically,more » power systems for data centers were crudely sized to meet maximum demand. Since many servers operate at 60%-90% of maximum power while only utilizing an average of 5% to 15% of their capability, there are huge inefficiencies in the consumption and delivery of power in these data centers. The goal of the 'Recovery Act: Decreasing Data Center Energy Use through Network and Infrastructure Control' is to develop a state of the art approach for autonomously and intelligently reducing and managing data center power through real-time optimal control. Advances in microelectronics and software are enabling the opportunity to realize significant data center power savings through the implementation of autonomous power management control algorithms. The first step to realizing these savings was addressed in this study through the successful creation of a flexible and scalable mathematical model (equation) for data center behavior and the formulation of an acceptable low technical risk market introduction strategy leveraging commercial hardware and software familiar to the data center market. Follow-on Stage 3 Concept Development efforts include predictive modeling and simulation of algorithm performance, prototype demonstrations with representative data center equipment to verify requisite performance and continued commercial partnering agreement formation to ensure uninterrupted development, and deployment of the real-time optimal control algorithm. As a software implementable technique for reducing power consumption, the RTOC has two very desirable traits supporting rapid prototyping and ultimately widespread dissemination. First, very little capital is required for implementation. No major infrastructure modifications are required and there is no need to purchase expensive capital equipment. Second, the RTOC can be rolled out incrementally. Therefore, the effectiveness can be proven without a large scale initial roll out. Through the use of the Impact Projections Model provided by the DOE, monetary savings in excess of $100M in 2020 and billions by 2040 are predicted. In terms of energy savings, the model predicts a primary energy displacement of 260 trillion BTUs (33 trillion kWh), or a 50% reduction in server power consumption. The model also predicts a corresponding reduction of pollutants such as SO2 and NOx in excess of 100,000 metric tonnes assuming the RTOC is fully deployed. While additional development and prototyping is required to validate these predictions, the relative low cost and ease of implementation compared to large capital projects makes it an ideal candidate for further investigation.« less

The High Cost of Saving Energy Dollars.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Patricia

1985-01-01

In alternative financing a private company provides the capital and expertise for improving school energy efficiency. Savings are split between the school system and the company. Options for municipal leasing, cost sharing, and shared savings are explained along with financial, procedural, and legal considerations. (MLF)

Creative Energy Management Can Save Money.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Patricia

1984-01-01

Schools can launch energy conservation programs with simple money-saving measures like improving boiler maintenance, recalibrating utility meters, and obtaining preferred utility rates. Becoming more assertive in the marketplace and using "creative financing" when needed, they can then reinvest their savings in more extensive projects. (MCG)

The Consequences of the FAA not Offering Emergency Agricultural UAS Rules for Water Conservation During the 2012 Drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darling, R. G.

2016-12-01

The FAA's policies for agricultural Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) is essential towards preservation and optimization of water use in the parched Western United States. Had FAA applied emergency rules putting farmers on equal-footing with hobbyists for sUAS use at the beginning of the 2012 drought, the Western US could have been able to save approximately 3 Million/AF of water through improved irrigation management. For perspective, Los Angeles city's annual current consumption is 587,000 acre-feet. This study uses various assumptions about developed water use in agriculture and urban areas to determine water use, energy consumption, monetary loss through delay in FAA regulations. If the saved water was added to the ground the energy savings could have been approximately 1.27 Terra-Watt hours, enough energy to power the entire University of California system for 5 years. It remains unclear if new FAA regulations are sufficiently permissive to allow for widespread adoption of sUAS based precision agriculture. Substantial opportunities exist for utilizing UAS traffic management software in rural areas of less crowed airspace: incorporating geofencing and a notification system to operators and air traffic control as an alternative to a difficult examination process.

Energy-Saving Opportunities for Manufacturing Companies, (English/Russian Fact Sheet) (Revised)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This English/Russian brochure describes the Industrial Technologies Program Save Energy Now model and provides information on tools and resources to help manufacturing facilities reduce industrial energy intensity.

Energy-Saving Opportunities for Manufacturing Companies, International Fact Sheet (Spanish)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This English/Spanish fact sheet describes the Industrial Technologies Program Save Energy Now model and provides information on tools and resources to help manufacturing facilities reduce industrial energy intensity.

Improved immunization strategy to reduce energy consumption on nodes traffic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Jiazheng; Zhao, Dongyan; Long, Keping; Zheng, Yongrong

2017-04-01

The increasing requirement of transmission network sizes would result in huge energy consumption with communication traffic. Green communication technologies are expected to help in reducing energy consumption impact to environment. Therefore, it is important to design energy-efficient strategy that can decrease energy consumption. This paper proposes to use the acquaintance and improved targeted immunization strategies from complex systems to resolve energy consumption issues and uses traffic as measure standard to obtain a stable threshold. The simulation results show that the improved control strategy is better and more effective to save as much energy as possible.

Energy saving effects of wireless sensor networks: a case study of convenience stores in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Chih-Sheng; Lee, Da-Sheng

2011-01-01

Wireless sensor network (WSN) technology has been successfully applied to energy saving applications in many places, and plays a significant role in achieving power conservation. However, previous studies do not discuss WSN costs and cost-recovery. The application of WSNs is currently limited to research and laboratory experiments, and not mass industrial production, largely because business owners are unfamiliar with the possible favorable return and cost-recovery on WSN investments. Therefore, this paper focuses on the cost-recovery of WSNs and how to reduce air conditioning energy consumption in convenience stores. The WSN used in this study provides feedback to the gateway and adopts the predicted mean vote (PMV) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods to allow customers to shop in a comfortable yet energy-saving environment. Four convenience stores in Taipei have used the proposed WSN since 2008. In 2008, the experiment was initially designed to optimize air-conditioning for energy saving, but additions to the set-up continued beyond 2008, adding the thermal comfort and crowds peak, off-peak features in 2009 to achieve human-friendly energy savings. Comparison with 2007 data, under the same comfort conditions, shows that the power savings increased by 40% (2008) and 53% (2009), respectively. The cost of the WSN equipment was 500 US dollars. Experimental results, including three years of analysis and calculations, show that the marginal energy conservation benefit of the four convenience stores achieved energy savings of up to 53%, recovering all costs in approximately 5 months. The convenience store group participating in this study was satisfied with the efficiency of energy conservation because of the short cost-recovery period.

Energy Saving Effects of Wireless Sensor Networks: A Case Study of Convenience Stores in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Chen, Chih-Sheng; Lee, Da-Sheng

2011-01-01

Wireless sensor network (WSN) technology has been successfully applied to energy saving applications in many places, and plays a significant role in achieving power conservation. However, previous studies do not discuss WSN costs and cost-recovery. The application of WSNs is currently limited to research and laboratory experiments, and not mass industrial production, largely because business owners are unfamiliar with the possible favorable return and cost-recovery on WSN investments. Therefore, this paper focuses on the cost-recovery of WSNs and how to reduce air conditioning energy consumption in convenience stores. The WSN used in this study provides feedback to the gateway and adopts the predicted mean vote (PMV) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods to allow customers to shop in a comfortable yet energy-saving environment. Four convenience stores in Taipei have used the proposed WSN since 2008. In 2008, the experiment was initially designed to optimize air-conditioning for energy saving, but additions to the set-up continued beyond 2008, adding the thermal comfort and crowds peak, off-peak features in 2009 to achieve human-friendly energy savings. Comparison with 2007 data, under the same comfort conditions, shows that the power savings increased by 40% (2008) and 53% (2009), respectively. The cost of the WSN equipment was 500 US dollars. Experimental results, including three years of analysis and calculations, show that the marginal energy conservation benefit of the four convenience stores achieved energy savings of up to 53%, recovering all costs in approximately 5 months. The convenience store group participating in this study was satisfied with the efficiency of energy conservation because of the short cost-recovery period. PMID:22319396

ESTEEM - Encouraging School Transportation Effective Energy Management - Fuel Economy Management Handbook for Directors of Pupil Transportation, School District Administrators, Transportation Department Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BRI Systems, Inc., Phoenix, AZ.

This publication is a guide for school districts to reduce pupil transportation costs and save energy. The information presented is based upon: (1) energy saving programs implemented by school districts; (2) government and industry research efforts in fuel economy; (3) the successful experiences of commercial trucking fleets to save fuel; and (4)…

The Effect of Hands-on '"Energy-Saving House" Learning Activities on Elementary School Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Regarding Energy Saving and Carbon-Emissions Reduction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Lung-Sheng; Lin, Kuen-Yi; Guu, Yunn-Horng; Chang, Liang-Te; Lai, Chih-Chien

2013-01-01

Energy saving and carbon-emissions reduction (ESCER) are widely regarded as important issues for progress towards ensuring sustainable forms of economic development. This Taiwanese study focuses on the effects of a series of educational activities about ESCER on students' knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Sixty fifth-grade students from two…

Impacts of Model Building Energy Codes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Athalye, Rahul A.; Sivaraman, Deepak; Elliott, Douglas B.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program (BECP) periodically evaluates national and state-level impacts associated with energy codes in residential and commercial buildings. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), funded by DOE, conducted an assessment of the prospective impacts of national model building energy codes from 2010 through 2040. A previous PNNL study evaluated the impact of the Building Energy Codes Program; this study looked more broadly at overall code impacts. This report describes the methodology used for the assessment and presents the impacts in terms of energy savings, consumer cost savings, and reduced CO 2 emissions atmore » the state level and at aggregated levels. This analysis does not represent all potential savings from energy codes in the U.S. because it excludes several states which have codes which are fundamentally different from the national model energy codes or which do not have state-wide codes. Energy codes follow a three-phase cycle that starts with the development of a new model code, proceeds with the adoption of the new code by states and local jurisdictions, and finishes when buildings comply with the code. The development of new model code editions creates the potential for increased energy savings. After a new model code is adopted, potential savings are realized in the field when new buildings (or additions and alterations) are constructed to comply with the new code. Delayed adoption of a model code and incomplete compliance with the code’s requirements erode potential savings. The contributions of all three phases are crucial to the overall impact of codes, and are considered in this assessment.« less

Maximizing Residential Energy Savings: Net Zero Energy House (ZEH) Technology Pathways

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, R.; Roberts, D.

To meet current U.S. Department of Energy zero-energy home performance goals, new technologies and solutions must increase whole-house efficiency savings by an additional 40% relative to those provided by best available components and systems.

Improving the environment for weaned piglets using polypropylene fabrics above the animals in cold periods.

PubMed

Dolz, Noé; Babot, Daniel; Álvarez-Rodríguez, Javier; Forcada, Fernando

2015-12-01

This study aimed at evaluating the use of polypropylene fabrics in weaned pig facilities (5-10 weeks of age) during the winter period to improve thermal environment and energy saving for heating. Two experiments were conducted to validate the effects of fabrics (F) compared to control (C) in three 2-week periods using natural ventilation (assay 1, 2013) and forced ventilation (assay 2, 2014). Air temperature was greater in F than in C compartments in both years, particularly during the first 2-week periods (2 °C of mean difference). Natural ventilation was not enough to maintain relative humidity levels below 70 % at the end of the postweaning period (9-10 weeks of age) in both groups (F and C), whereas forced ventilation allowed controlling daily mean relative humidity levels <60 %. About 12-26 % of the radiant heat was transmitted through the fabrics cover, depending on the wavelength. There were no differences on growth performance of piglets in the two compartments in both years. The use of polypropylene fabrics was associated with a significant electric energy saving for heating during the first (data available only in 2014) and second 2-week period in both years. In conclusion, polypropylene fabrics may be an interesting tool to provide optimal environmental conditions for weaned piglets in winter, especially during the two first weeks after weaning. Their transmittance properties allow trapping infrared emission produced by the piglets and heating, avoiding heat losses through the roof, and therefore saving heating energy.

Reimagining Building Sensing and Control (Presentation)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Polese, L.

2014-06-01

Buildings are responsible for 40% of US energy consumption, and sensing and control technologies are an important element in creating a truly sustainable built environment. Motion-based occupancy sensors are often part of these control systems, but are usually altered or disabled in response to occupants' complaints, at the expense of energy savings. Can we leverage commodity hardware developed for other sectors and embedded software to produce more capable sensors for robust building controls? The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) 'Image Processing Occupancy Sensor (IPOS)' is one example of leveraging embedded systems to create smarter, more reliable, multi-function sensors that openmore » the door to new control strategies for building heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting control. In this keynote, we will discuss how cost-effective embedded systems are changing the state-of-the-art of building sensing and control.« less

Frequently Asked Questions about Energy Savings Plus Health

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Energy Savings Plus Health Guide equips school districts to integrate indoor air quality protections into school energy efficiency retrofits and other building upgrade projects. This page asks and answers Frequently-Asked Questions.

Energy-Saving Opportunities for Manufacturing Companies (English/Portuguese Brochure) (in English/Portuguese)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This English/Portuguese brochure describes the Industrial Technologies Program Save Energy Now model and provides information on tools and resources to help manufacturing facilities reduce industrial energy intensity.

Chapter 22: Compressed Air Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurnik, Charles W; Benton, Nathanael; Burns, Patrick

Compressed-air systems are used widely throughout industry for many operations, including pneumatic tools, packaging and automation equipment, conveyors, and other industrial process operations. Compressed-air systems are defined as a group of subsystems composed of air compressors, air treatment equipment, controls, piping, pneumatic tools, pneumatically powered machinery, and process applications using compressed air. A compressed-air system has three primary functional subsystems: supply, distribution, and demand. Air compressors are the primary energy consumers in a compressed-air system and are the primary focus of this protocol. The two compressed-air energy efficiency measures specifically addressed in this protocol are: High-efficiency/variable speed drive (VSD) compressormore » replacing modulating, load/unload, or constant-speed compressor; and Compressed-air leak survey and repairs. This protocol provides direction on how to reliably verify savings from these two measures using a consistent approach for each.« less

Energy saving strategies of honeybees in dipping nectar

PubMed Central

Wu, Jianing; Yang, Heng; Yan, Shaoze

2015-01-01

The honeybee’s drinking process has generally been simplified because of its high speed and small scale. In this study, we clearly observed the drinking cycle of the Italian honeybee using a specially designed high-speed camera system. We analysed the pattern of glossal hair erection and the movement kinematics of the protracting tongue (glossa). Results showed that the honeybee used two special protraction strategies to save energy. First, the glossal hairs remain adpressed until the end of the protraction, which indicates that the hydraulic resistance is reduced to less than 1/3 of that in the case if the hairs remain erect. Second, the glossa protracts with a specific velocity profile and we quantitatively demonstrated that this moving strategy helps reduce the total energy needed for protraction compared with the typical form of protraction with constant acceleration and deceleration. These findings suggest effective methods to optimise the control policies employed by next-generation microfluidic pumps. PMID:26446300

Impact evaluation of lighting retrofit projects at Boeing Commercial Airplane Group under The Energy $avings Plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sullivan, G.P.; Oens, M.A.; Spanner, G.E.

1994-01-01

This impact evaluation of two lighting retrofit projects that were recently installed at Boeing Commercial Airplane Group (Boeing) was conducted for the Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville) as part of an evaluation of its Energy $avings Plan (E$P) Program. The first project was a light-fixture and lighting control retrofit, consisting of five individual measures installed in Building 40-05. The second project was a retrofit of all parking lot lighting on the site. The objective of this impact evaluation was to assess how much electrical energy is being saved at Boeing as a result of the E$P projects and to determine howmore » much the savings cost Bonneville and the region. The impact of the project was evaluated with a combination of engineering analysis, financial analysis, interviews, and submittal reviews (Boeing`s proposals and completion reports).« less

Energy saving strategies of honeybees in dipping nectar.

PubMed

Wu, Jianing; Yang, Heng; Yan, Shaoze

2015-10-08

The honeybee's drinking process has generally been simplified because of its high speed and small scale. In this study, we clearly observed the drinking cycle of the Italian honeybee using a specially designed high-speed camera system. We analysed the pattern of glossal hair erection and the movement kinematics of the protracting tongue (glossa). Results showed that the honeybee used two special protraction strategies to save energy. First, the glossal hairs remain adpressed until the end of the protraction, which indicates that the hydraulic resistance is reduced to less than 1/3 of that in the case if the hairs remain erect. Second, the glossa protracts with a specific velocity profile and we quantitatively demonstrated that this moving strategy helps reduce the total energy needed for protraction compared with the typical form of protraction with constant acceleration and deceleration. These findings suggest effective methods to optimise the control policies employed by next-generation microfluidic pumps.

Possibility of controlling nonregulated prices in the electricity market by means of varying the parameters of a power system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaskovskaya, T. A.

2014-12-01

This paper offers a new approach to the analysis of price signals from the wholesale electricity and capacity market that is based on the analysis of the influence exerted by input data used in the problem of optimization of the power system operating conditions, namely: parameters of a power grid and power-receiving equipment that might vary under the effect of control devices. It is shown that it would be possible to control nonregulated prices for electricity in the wholesale electricity market by varying the parameters of control devices and energy-receiving equipment. An increase in the effectiveness of power transmission and the cost-effective use of fuel-and-energy resources (energy saving) can become an additional effect of controlling the nonregulated prices.

Harnessing natural ventilation benefits.

PubMed

O'Leary, John

2013-04-01

Making sure that a healthcare establishment has a good supply of clean fresh air is an important factor in keeping patients, staff, and visitors, free from the negative effects of CO2 and other contaminants. John O'Leary of Trend Controls, a major international supplier of building energy management solutions (BEMS), examines the growing use of natural ventilation, and the health, energy-saving, and financial benefits, that it offers.

High Efficiency - Reduced Emissions Boiler Systems for Steam, Heat, and Processing

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

enable energy saving necessary for obtaining Energy Star certification for the whole boiler system. Widespread boiler control updates could be possible...adaptability to different boiler and oil/gas burner configurations, and extensibility to operation with nonconventional fuels (e.g., biogas and syngas...typically operating below or slightly above 80%. Higher efficiency improvements can certainly be obtained via boiler replacement and adoption of

City-scale analysis of water-related energy identifies more cost-effective solutions.

PubMed

Lam, Ka Leung; Kenway, Steven J; Lant, Paul A

2017-02-01

Energy and greenhouse gas management in urban water systems typically focus on optimising within the direct system boundary of water utilities that covers the centralised water supply and wastewater treatment systems, despite a greater energy influence by the water end use. This work develops a cost curve of water-related energy management options from a city perspective for a hypothetical Australian city. It is compared with that from the water utility perspective. The curves are based on 18 water-related energy management options that have been implemented or evaluated in Australia. In the studied scenario, the cost-effective energy saving potential from a city perspective (292 GWh/year) is far more significant than that from a utility perspective (65 GWh/year). In some cases, for similar capital cost, if regional water planners invested in end use options instead of utility options, a greater energy saving potential at a greater cost-effectiveness could be achieved in urban water systems. For example, upgrading a wastewater treatment plant for biogas recovery at a capital cost of $27.2 million would save 31 GWh/year with a marginal cost saving of $63/MWh, while solar hot water system rebates at a cost of $28.6 million would save 67 GWh/year with a marginal cost saving of $111/MWh. Options related to hot water use such as water-efficient shower heads, water-efficient clothes washers and solar hot water system rebates are among the most cost-effective city-scale opportunities. This study demonstrates the use of cost curves to compare both utility and end use options in a consistent framework. It also illustrates that focusing solely on managing the energy use within the utility would miss substantial non-utility water-related energy saving opportunities. There is a need to broaden the conventional scope of cost curve analysis to include water-related energy and greenhouse gas at the water end use, and to value their management from a city perspective. This would create opportunities where the same capital investment could achieve far greater energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions abatement. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monitoring and Characterization of Miscellaneous Electrical Loads in a Large Retail Environment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gentile-Polese, L.; Frank, S.; Sheppy, M.

2014-02-01

Buildings account for 40% of primary energy consumption in the United States (residential 22%; commercial 18%). Most (70% residential and 79% commercial) is used as electricity. Thus, almost 30% of U.S. primary energy is used to provide electricity to buildings. Plug loads play an increasingly critical role in reducing energy use in new buildings (because of their increased efficiency requirements), and in existing buildings (as a significant energy savings opportunity). If all installed commercial building miscellaneous electrical loads (CMELs) were replaced with energy-efficient equipment, a potential annual energy saving of 175 TWh, or 35% of the 504 TWh annual energymore » use devoted to MELs, could be achieved. This energy saving is equivalent to the annual energy production of 14 average-sized nuclear power plants. To meet DOE's long-term goals of reducing commercial building energy use and carbon emissions, the energy efficiency community must better understand the components and drivers of CMEL energy use, and develop effective reduction strategies. These goals can be facilitated through improved data collection and monitoring methodologies, and evaluation of CMELs energy-saving techniques.« less

Ohio Energy and Cost Savings for New Single- and Multifamily Homes: 2012 IECC as Compared to the 2009 IECC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lucas, Robert G.; Taylor, Zachary T.; Mendon, Vrushali V.

2012-07-03

The 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) yields positive benefits for Ohio homeowners. Moving to the 2012 IECC from the 2009 IECC is cost-effective over a 30-year life cycle. On average, Ohio homeowners will save $5,151 with the 2012 IECC. Each year, the reduction to energy bills will significantly exceed increased mortgage costs. After accounting for up-front costs and additional costs financed in the mortgage, homeowners should see net positive cash flows (i.e., cumulative savings exceeding cumulative cash outlays) in 1 year for the 2012 IECC. Average annual energy savings are $330 for the 2012 IECC.

Compressive behavior of energy-saving fired facing brick composite wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Kai; Wu, Cai

2018-03-01

The energy-saving fired facing brick composite wall has a broad development prospects due to its merits of thermal insulation, energy conservation, beautiful, and natural. The construction and characteristics of this wall are introduced and analyzed in this paper. Experimental studies of samples are also conducted to investigate its compressive performance. The results show that the energy-saving fired facing brick composite wall has high compressive capacity. It has considerable application prospect, the study in this paper provides foundation to further studies.

10 CFR 436.21 - Savings-to-investment ratio.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... conservation measure. The numerator of the ratio is the present value of net savings in energy or water and non... replacement costs less salvage value attributable to the proposed energy or water conservation measure. [61 FR... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING PROGRAMS Methodology and...

10 CFR 436.21 - Savings-to-investment ratio.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... conservation measure. The numerator of the ratio is the present value of net savings in energy or water and non... replacement costs less salvage value attributable to the proposed energy or water conservation measure. [61 FR... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING PROGRAMS Methodology and...

10 CFR 436.21 - Savings-to-investment ratio.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... conservation measure. The numerator of the ratio is the present value of net savings in energy or water and non... replacement costs less salvage value attributable to the proposed energy or water conservation measure. [61 FR... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING PROGRAMS Methodology and...

Saving Schoolhouse Energy. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudy, John; And Others

The objective of the Saving Schoolhouse Energy Program was to generate information that school administrators and federal energy/education decision makers could use to identify ways of implementing specific, economical remedies to reduce energy waste in schools. This program was designed to have five phases: (1) Conduct an energy audit of ten…

Voltage Controller Saves Energy, Prolongs Life of Motors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

In 1985, Power Efficiency Corporation of Las Vegas licensed NASA voltage controller technology from Marshall Space Flight Center. In the following years, Power Efficiency made patented improvements to the technology and marketed the resulting products throughout the world as the Performance Controller and the Power Efficiency energy-saving soft start. Soft start gradually introduces power to an electric motor, thus eliminating the harsh, violent mechanical stresses of having the device go from a dormant state to one of full activity; prevents it from running too hot; and increases the motor's lifetime. The product can pay for itself through the reduction in electricity consumed (according to Power Efficiency, within 3 years), depending on the duty cycle of the motor and the prevailing power rates. In many instances, the purchaser is eligible for special utility rebates for the environmental protection it provides. Common applications of Power Efficiency's soft start include mixers, grinders, granulators, conveyors, crushers, stamping presses, injection molders, elevators with MG sets, and escalators. The device has been retrofitted onto equipment at major department store chains, hotels, airports, universities, and for various manufacturers

Strategy on energy saving reconstruction of distribution networks based on life cycle cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiaofei; Qiu, Zejing; Xu, Zhaoyang; Xiao, Chupeng

2017-08-01

Because the actual distribution network reconstruction project funds are often limited, the cost-benefit model and the decision-making method are crucial for distribution network energy saving reconstruction project. From the perspective of life cycle cost (LCC), firstly the research life cycle is determined for the energy saving reconstruction of distribution networks with multi-devices. Then, a new life cycle cost-benefit model for energy-saving reconstruction of distribution network is developed, in which the modification schemes include distribution transformers replacement, lines replacement and reactive power compensation. In the operation loss cost and maintenance cost area, the operation cost model considering the influence of load season characteristics and the maintenance cost segmental model of transformers are proposed. Finally, aiming at the highest energy saving profit per LCC, a decision-making method is developed while considering financial and technical constraints as well. The model and method are applied to a real distribution network reconstruction, and the results prove that the model and method are effective.

Climate Change, Indoor Environment and Health

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Climate change is becoming a driving force for improving energy efficiency because saving energy can help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. However, it is important to balance energy saving measures with ventilation...

Leveraging Human-environment Systems in Residential Buildings for Aggregate Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xiaoqi

Reducing the energy consumed in the built environment is a key objective in many sustainability initiatives. Existing energy saving methods have consisted of physical interventions to buildings and/or behavioral modifications of occupants. However, such methods may not only suffer from their own disadvantages, e.g. high cost and transient effect, but also lose aggregate energy saving potential due to the oftentimes-associated single-building-focused view and an isolated examination of occupant behaviors. This dissertation attempts to overcome the limitations of traditional energy saving research and practical approaches, and enhance residential building energy efficiency and sustainability by proposing innovative energy strategies from a holistic perspective of the aggregate human-environment systems. This holistic perspective features: (1) viewing buildings as mutual influences in the built environment, (2) leveraging both the individual and contextualized social aspects of occupant behaviors, and (3) incorporating interactions between the built environment and human behaviors. First, I integrate three interlinked components: buildings, residents, and the surrounding neighborhood, and quantify the potential energy savings to be gained from renovating buildings at the inter-building level and leveraging neighborhood-contextualized occupant social networks. Following the confirmation of both the inter-building effect among buildings and occupants' interpersonal influence on energy conservation, I extend the research further by examining the synergy that may exist at the intersection between these "engineered" building networks and "social" peer networks, focusing specifically on the additional energy saving potential that could result from interactions between the two components. Finally, I seek to reach an alignment of the human and building environment subsystems by matching the thermostat preferences of each household with the thermal conditions within their apartment, and develop the Energy Saving Alignment Strategy to be considered in public housing assignment policy. This strategy and the inter-building level energy management strategies developed in my preceding research possess large-scale cost-effectiveness and may engender long-lasting influence compared with existing energy saving approaches. Building from the holistic framework of coupled human-environment systems, the findings of this research will advance knowledge of energy efficiency in the built environment and lead to the development of novel strategies to conserve energy in residential buildings.

Need for Systematic Retrofit Analysis in Multifamily Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malhotra, Mini; Im, Piljae

2014-01-01

Multifamily housing offers high potential for energy savings through retrofits. A comprehensive energy audit with systematic evaluation of alternative energy measures is one of the key steps to realizing the full energy savings potential. However, this potential often remains unrealized when the selection of measures is (1) based on a one-size-fits-all approach originating from accustomed practices, (2) intended merely to meet code-compliance requirements, and/or (3) influenced by owner renter split incentive. In such cases, the benefits of comprehensive energy auditing are disregarded in view of the apparent difficulty in diagnosing multifamily buildings, evaluating alternative measures, and installing customized sets ofmore » measures. This paper highlights some of the barriers encountered in a multifamily housing retrofit project in Georgia and demonstrates the merits of systematic retrofit analysis by identifying opportunities for higher energy savings and improved comfort and indoor air quality that were missed in this project. The study uses a whole-building energy analysis conducted for a 10-unit, low-rise, multifamily building of a 110-unit apartment complex. The analysis projected a 24% energy savings from the measures installed in the building with a payback period of 10 years. Further analysis with a systematic evaluation of alternative measures showed that without compromising on the objectives of durability, livability, and appearance of the building, energy savings of up to 34% were achievable with a payback period of 7 years. The paper concludes by outlining recommendations that may benefit future retrofit projects by improving the audit process, streamlining tasks, and achieving higher energy savings.« less

Energy Extra: Energy Savings vs. Comfort - and the Effect of Humidity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CEFP Journal, 1979

1979-01-01

Proper humidity will, in a large number of cases, save money for the user. This saving could show up directly because of reduced infiltration and lower thermostat settings. It could show up indirectly in reduced costs for maintenance and preservation and in increased productivity and decreased absenteeism. (Author)

The Three R's of Utility Savings: Rate Reduction, Rebates and Retrofit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petiunas, Raymond V.

1993-01-01

An effective way to increase electricity energy savings for school districts is to integrate rate case participation (rate reduction) with conservation and load-management efforts (rebates) and retrofit operations, to obtain a total energy cost reduction package. Describes how a Pennsylvania consortium of school districts saved its member…

How to Save Money by Saving Energy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

This pamphlet presents energy conservation tips to help consumers save money. Conservation measures suggested here cover topics such as: (1) insulation; (2) space heating and cooling; (3) hot water heating; (4) cooking; (5) laundry; (6) lighting; (7) electrical appliances; (8) buying or building a home; and (9) buying, maintaining and driving a…

Iowa Energy and Cost Savings for New Single- and Multifamily Homes: 2012 IECC as Compared to the 2009 IECC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lucas, Robert G.; Taylor, Zachary T.; Mendon, Vrushali V.

2012-06-15

The 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) yields positive benefits for Iowa homeowners. Moving to the 2012 IECC from the 2009 IECC is cost effective over a 30-year life cycle. On average, Iowa homeowners will save $7,573 with the 2012 IECC. After accounting for upfront costs and additional costs financed in the mortgage, homeowners should see net positive cash flows (i.e., cumulative savings exceeding cumulative cash outlays) in 1 year for the 2012 IECC. Average annual energy savings are $454 for the 2012 IECC.

Texas Energy and Cost Savings for New Single- and Multifamily Homes: 2012 IECC as Compared to the 2009 IECC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lucas, Robert G.; Taylor, Zachary T.; Mendon, Vrushali V.

2012-06-15

The 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) yields positive benefits for Texas homeowners. Moving to the 2012 IECC from the 2009 IECC is cost effective over a 30-year life cycle. On average, Texas homeowners will save $3,456 with the 2012 IECC. After accounting for upfront costs and additional costs financed in the mortgage, homeowners should see net positive cash flows (i.e., cumulative savings exceeding cumulative cash outlays) in 2 years for the 2012 IECC. Average annual energy savings are $259 for the 2012 IECC.

Fuzzy logic controller versus classical logic controller for residential hybrid solar-wind-storage energy system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Derrouazin, A., E-mail: derrsid@gmail.com; Université de Lorraine, LMOPS, EA 4423, 57070 Metz; CentraleSupélec, LMOPS, 57070 Metz

Several researches for management of diverse hybrid energy systems and many techniques have been proposed for robustness, savings and environmental purpose. In this work we aim to make a comparative study between two supervision and control techniques: fuzzy and classic logics to manage the hybrid energy system applied for typical housing fed by solar and wind power, with rack of batteries for storage. The system is assisted by the electric grid during energy drop moments. A hydrogen production device is integrated into the system to retrieve surplus energy production from renewable sources for the household purposes, intending the maximum exploitationmore » of these sources over years. The models have been achieved and generated signals for electronic switches command of proposed both techniques are presented and discussed in this paper.« less

Improving the Energy Saving Process with High-Resolution Data: A Case Study in a University Building.

PubMed

Han, Jeongyun; Lee, Eunjung; Cho, Hyunghun; Yoon, Yoonjin; Lee, Hyoseop; Rhee, Wonjong

2018-05-17

In this paper, we provide findings from an energy saving experiment in a university building, where an IoT platform with 1 Hz sampling sensors was deployed to collect electric power consumption data. The experiment was a reward setup with daily feedback delivered by an energy delegate for one week, and energy saving of 25.4% was achieved during the experiment. Post-experiment sustainability, defined as 10% or more of energy saving, was also accomplished for 44 days without any further intervention efforts. The saving was possible mainly because of the data-driven intervention designs with high-resolution data in terms of sampling frequency and number of sensors, and the high-resolution data turned out to be pivotal for an effective waste behavior investigation. While the quantitative result was encouraging, we also noticed many uncontrollable factors, such as exams, papers due, office allocation shuffling, graduation, and new-comers, that affected the result in the campus environment. To confirm that the quantitative result was due to behavior changes, rather than uncontrollable factors, we developed several data-driven behavior detection measures. With these measures, it was possible to analyze behavioral changes, as opposed to simply analyzing quantitative fluctuations. Overall, we conclude that the space-time resolution of data can be crucial for energy saving, and potentially for many other data-driven energy applications.

Wireless sensor and actuator networks for lighting energy efficiency and user satisfaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Yao-Jung

Buildings consume more than one third of the primary energy generated in the U.S., and lighting alone accounts for approximately 30% of the energy usage in commercial buildings. As the largest electricity consumer of all building electrical systems, lighting harbors the greatest potential for energy savings in the commercial sector. Fifty percent of current energy consumption could be reduced with energy-efficient lighting management strategies. While commercial products do exist, they are poorly received due to exorbitant retrofitting cost and unsatisfactory performance. As a result, most commercial buildings, especially legacy buildings, have not taken advantage of the opportunity to generate savings from lighting. The emergence of wireless sensor and actuator network (WSAN) technologies presents an alternative that circumvents costly rewiring and promises better performance than existing commercial lighting systems. The goal of this dissertation research is to develop a framework for wireless-networked lighting systems with increased cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, and user satisfaction. This research is realized through both theoretical developments and implementations. The theoretical research aims at developing techniques for harnessing WSAN technologies to lighting hardware and control strategies. Leveraging redundancy, a sensor validation and fusion algorithm is developed for extracting pertinent lighting information from the disturbance-prone desktop-mounted photosensors. An adaptive sensing strategy optimizes the timing of data acquisition and power-hungry wireless transmission of sensory feedback in real-time lighting control. Exploiting the individual addressability of wireless-enabled luminaires, a lighting optimization algorithm is developed to create the optimal lighting that minimizes energy usage while satisfying occupants' diverse lighting preferences. The wireless-networked lighting system was implemented and tested in a number of real-life settings. A human subject study conducted in a private office concluded that the research system was competitive with the commercial lighting system with much fewer retrofitting requirements. The system implemented in a shared-space office realized a self-configuring mesh network with wireless photosensors and light actuators, and demonstrated a 50% energy savings and increased performance when harvesting daylight through windows is possible. The cost analysis revealed a reasonable payback period after the system is optimized for commercialization and confirms the marketing feasibility.

Wastewater recycling and heat reclamation project: Red Lion Central Laundry, Portland, Oregon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garlick, T.F.; Halverson, M.A.; Ledbetter, M.R.

1997-06-01

This report discusses water, energy, and cost savings that can be achieved in a commercial laundry through the use of a wastewater recycling and heat recovery system. Cost savings are achieved through reductions in water use, reduction in sewage charges (typically based on water use), reductions in water heating energy, and potential reductions in water treatment chemicals because the recycled water has already been treated with soaps and conditioners. A recovery system saves water by recycling wash water that would normally be dumped into the city sewage system. Recycling the wash water produces considerable energy savings because the recycled watermore » has a higher temperature than fresh water. As a result, a hot water heater consumes less energy to heat the recycled water. The demonstration project discussed in this report was based in a large commercial laundry in Portland, Oregon. The laundry serves a large hotel/motel chain and processes an average of 25,000 pounds of laundry per day. A wastewater recovery system using a membrane microfiltration unit (MFU) was installed in the laundry in September 1995. Time series data of the water and energy consumption of the laundry were taken before and after installation of the MFU. Energy savings were measured by performing a thermal energy balance around the washing machines. Water savings were calculated by metering volumetric flow rates. After a period of approximately five months, the MFU has achieved final results of 52 percent savings in water consumption and 44 percent savings in energy to heat water. This five-month period represents a learning curve during which several small technical improvements were made to the MFU and laundry staff adjusted laundry operations to maximize the benefits of the MFU. An economic analysis discusses the impact of capital investment, daily consumption, and local utility rates on the payback period.« less

An actuarial approach to retrofit savings in buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Subbarao, Krishnappa; Etingov, Pavel V.; Reddy, T. A.

An actuarial method has been developed for determining energy savings from retrofits from energy use data for a number of buildings. This method should be contrasted with the traditional method of using pre- and post-retrofit data on the same building. This method supports the U.S. Department of Energy Building Performance Database of real building performance data and related tools that enable engineering and financial practitioners to evaluate retrofits. The actuarial approach derives, from the database, probability density functions (PDFs) for energy savings from retrofits by creating peer groups for the user’s pre post buildings. From the energy use distribution ofmore » the two groups, the savings PDF is derived. This provides the basis for engineering analysis as well as financial risk analysis leading to investment decisions. Several technical issues are addressed: The savings PDF is obtained from the pre- and post-PDF through a convolution. Smoothing using kernel density estimation is applied to make the PDF more realistic. The low data density problem can be mitigated through a neighborhood methodology. Correlations between pre and post buildings are addressed to improve the savings PDF. Sample size effects are addressed through the Kolmogorov--Smirnov tests and quantile-quantile plots.« less

Shared Savings Contracting for Reducing Energy Costs of Defense Facilities.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

also needs additional -4 operation and maintenance help, especially if new equipment is involved. New equipment with sophisticated control technology...process may take time to develop and may be " difficult to integrate with existing financial control practices. For example, the regulations and...will seek a change order on the contract. The potential for such changes, if not controlled , seriously undermines the value of these contracts. DoD

ORNL takes energy-efficient housing to a new level

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TVA and the Department of Energy are taking energy-saving research into a West Knox County neighborhood. In the Campbell Creek subdivision, ORNL researchers have helped builders to construct three homes with three different levels of energy-saving features.

The Energy Cost of Automobiles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, R. Stephen; Fels, Margaret F.

1973-01-01

Presents two respective comparisons between ideal and real energy cost for the manufacture of a new automobile and between free energy savings from processing the old automobile into low and high grade scraps. Suggests the wasted thermodynamic potential should be considered in making decisions about energy savings. (CC)

An energy-aware routing protocol for query-based applications in wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Ahvar, Ehsan; Ahvar, Shohreh; Lee, Gyu Myoung; Crespi, Noel

2014-01-01

Wireless sensor network (WSN) typically has energy consumption restriction. Designing energy-aware routing protocol can significantly reduce energy consumption in WSNs. Energy-aware routing protocols can be classified into two categories, energy savers and energy balancers. Energy saving protocols are used to minimize the overall energy consumed by a WSN, while energy balancing protocols attempt to efficiently distribute the consumption of energy throughout the network. In general terms, energy saving protocols are not necessarily good at balancing energy consumption and energy balancing protocols are not always good at reducing energy consumption. In this paper, we propose an energy-aware routing protocol (ERP) for query-based applications in WSNs, which offers a good trade-off between traditional energy balancing and energy saving objectives and supports a soft real time packet delivery. This is achieved by means of fuzzy sets and learning automata techniques along with zonal broadcasting to decrease total energy consumption.

An Energy-Aware Routing Protocol for Query-Based Applications in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Crespi, Noel

2014-01-01

Wireless sensor network (WSN) typically has energy consumption restriction. Designing energy-aware routing protocol can significantly reduce energy consumption in WSNs. Energy-aware routing protocols can be classified into two categories, energy savers and energy balancers. Energy saving protocols are used to minimize the overall energy consumed by a WSN, while energy balancing protocols attempt to efficiently distribute the consumption of energy throughout the network. In general terms, energy saving protocols are not necessarily good at balancing energy consumption and energy balancing protocols are not always good at reducing energy consumption. In this paper, we propose an energy-aware routing protocol (ERP) for query-based applications in WSNs, which offers a good trade-off between traditional energy balancing and energy saving objectives and supports a soft real time packet delivery. This is achieved by means of fuzzy sets and learning automata techniques along with zonal broadcasting to decrease total energy consumption. PMID:24696640

76 FR 6653 - Public Housing Capital Fund Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-07

...; heating system replacements; wall insulation; site-based generation; advanced energy savings technologies...; wall insulation; site-based generation; advanced energy savings technologies, including renewable...

76 FR 56408 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-13

... Communications and Outreach Type of Review: NEW. Title of Collection: Green Ribbon Schools Application Package. OMB Control Number: Pending. Agency Form Number(s): N/A. Frequency of Responses: Annually. Affected... private elementary, middle and high schools that save energy, reduce costs, protect health, foster...

Heat Recovery System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Ball Metal's design of ducting and controls for series of roof top heat exchangers was inspired by Tech Briefs. Heat exchangers are installed on eight press and coating lines used to decorate sheet metal. The heat recovery system provides an estimated energy savings of more than $250,000 per year.

Army Reserve 63d RSC Achieves 85% Savings in Parking Lot Lighting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

Case study describes how the Army Reserve 63d Regional Support Command (RSC) achieved 85% energy savings and $4,000 per year in cost savings by replacing 12 old light fixtures with light-emitting diode fixtures in the military equipment parking area. This project was part of a camp-wide parking lighting retrofit which, on average, delivered 78% energy savings and a simple payback of 4.4 years.

Computer simulated building energy consumption for verification of energy conservation measures in network facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plankey, B.

1981-01-01

A computer program called ECPVER (Energy Consumption Program - Verification) was developed to simulate all energy loads for any number of buildings. The program computes simulated daily, monthly, and yearly energy consumption which can be compared with actual meter readings for the same time period. Such comparison can lead to validation of the model under a variety of conditions, which allows it to be used to predict future energy saving due to energy conservation measures. Predicted energy saving can then be compared with actual saving to verify the effectiveness of those energy conservation changes. This verification procedure is planned to be an important advancement in the Deep Space Network Energy Project, which seeks to reduce energy cost and consumption at all DSN Deep Space Stations.

Evaluation of energy savings potential of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) from variable air volume (VAV) in the U.S. climate locations

DOE PAGES

Kim, Dongsu; Cox, Sam J.; Cho, Heejin; ...

2017-05-22

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are known for their high energy performance and thus can improve energy efficiency both in residential and commercial buildings. The energy savings potential of this system has been demonstrated in several studies by comparing the system performance with conventional HVAC systems such as rooftop variable air volume systems (RTU-VAV) and central chiller and boiler systems. This paper evaluates the performance of VRF and RTU-VAV systems in a simulation environment using widely-accepted whole building energy modeling software, EnergyPlus. A medium office prototype building model, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is used to assessmore » the performance of VRF and RTU-VAV systems. Each system is placed in 16 different locations, representing all U.S. climate zones, to evaluate the performance variations. Both models are compliant with the minimum energy code requirements prescribed in ASHRAE standard 90.1-2010 — energy standard for buildings except low-rise residential buildings. Finally, a comparison study between the simulation results of VRF and RTU-VAV models is made to demonstrate energy savings potential of VRF systems. The simulation results show that the VRF systems would save around 15–42% and 18–33% for HVAC site and source energy uses compared to the RTU-VAV systems. In addition, calculated results for annual HVAC cost savings point out that hot and mild climates show higher percentage cost savings for the VRF systems than cold climates mainly due to the differences in electricity and gas use for heating sources.« less

Evaluation of energy savings potential of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) from variable air volume (VAV) in the U.S. climate locations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Dongsu; Cox, Sam J.; Cho, Heejin

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are known for their high energy performance and thus can improve energy efficiency both in residential and commercial buildings. The energy savings potential of this system has been demonstrated in several studies by comparing the system performance with conventional HVAC systems such as rooftop variable air volume systems (RTU-VAV) and central chiller and boiler systems. This paper evaluates the performance of VRF and RTU-VAV systems in a simulation environment using widely-accepted whole building energy modeling software, EnergyPlus. A medium office prototype building model, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is used to assessmore » the performance of VRF and RTU-VAV systems. Each system is placed in 16 different locations, representing all U.S. climate zones, to evaluate the performance variations. Both models are compliant with the minimum energy code requirements prescribed in ASHRAE standard 90.1-2010 — energy standard for buildings except low-rise residential buildings. Finally, a comparison study between the simulation results of VRF and RTU-VAV models is made to demonstrate energy savings potential of VRF systems. The simulation results show that the VRF systems would save around 15–42% and 18–33% for HVAC site and source energy uses compared to the RTU-VAV systems. In addition, calculated results for annual HVAC cost savings point out that hot and mild climates show higher percentage cost savings for the VRF systems than cold climates mainly due to the differences in electricity and gas use for heating sources.« less

Identification of cost effective energy conservation measures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bierenbaum, H. S.; Boggs, W. H.

1978-01-01

In addition to a successful program of readily implemented conservation actions for reducing building energy consumption at Kennedy Space Center, recent detailed analyses have identified further substantial savings for buildings representative of technical facilities designed when energy costs were low. The techniques employed for determination of these energy savings consisted of facility configuration analysis, power and lighting measurements, detailed computer simulations and simulation verifications. Use of these methods resulted in identification of projected energy savings as large as $330,000 a year (approximately two year break-even period) in a single building. Application of these techniques to other commercial buildings is discussed

Creating Jobs through Energy Efficiency Using Wisconsin's Successful Focus on Energy Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akhtar, Masood; Corrigan, Edward; Reitter, Thomas

2012-03-30

The purpose of this project was to provide administrative and technical support for the completion of energy efficiency projects that reduce energy intensity and create or save Wisconsin industrial jobs. All projects have been completed. Details in the attached reports include project management, job development, and energy savings for each project.

Asetek's Warm-Water Liquid Cooling System Yields Energy Cost Savings at

Science.gov Websites

NREL | Energy Systems Integration Facility | NREL Asetek Asetek's Warm-Water Liquid Cooling System Yields Energy Cost Savings at NREL Asetek's RackCDU liquid cooling system was installed and tested at the Energy Systems Integration Facility's (ESIF's) ultra-energy-efficient high-performance

Energy Saving Homes and Buildings - Continuum Magazine | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Spring 2014 / Issue 6 Continuum. Clean Energy Innovation at NREL Energy Saving Homes and Buildings Continuum showcases NREL's unique research capabilities and most impactful clean energy innovations. Dan Says From our director Dan says NREL Provides a Foundation for Home Energy Performance 01 NREL Provides

State Policy Initiatives for Financing Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Business Officer, 1984

1984-01-01

Alternative financing methods (other than state financing) for developing cost-effective energy efficiency projects are discussed. It is suggested that by properly financing energy efficiency investments, state campuses can generate immediate positive cash savings. The following eight initiatives for maximizing energy savings potential are…

Stretching Energy Dollars for Healthy Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angerame, Timothy

2011-01-01

When financial savings are critical to every institution, facility managers demand even more from their energy systems while looking to spend less. One way to achieve significant energy savings and healthy schools without making a substantial capital investment is through energy monitoring and chiller plant optimization. The greatest energy…

Performance Contracting: Taking School Technology Green

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taival, Dane

2009-01-01

Energy efficiency makes fiscal and environmental sense, and so does energy savings performance contracting. Because an energy savings performance contract can create a self-funding package of products and services that reduce energy and operating costs, over time, school districts' sometimes-large initial investment in emerging technologies saves…

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) - FEMP Technical Assistance - Federal Aviation Administration - Project 209 - Control Tower and Support Building, Boise, Idaho

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arends, J.; Sandusky, William F.

2010-06-28

This report documents an energy audit performed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Redhorse Corporation (Redhorse) conducted on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) control tower and base building in Boise, Idaho. This report presents findings of the energy audit team that evaluated construction documents and operating specifications (at the 100% level) followed by a site visit of the facility under construction. The focus of the review was to identify measures that could be incorporated into the final design and operating specifications that would result in additional energy savings for FAA that would not have otherwise occurred.

Connectivity-enhanced route selection and adaptive control for the Chevrolet Volt

DOE PAGES

Gonder, Jeffrey; Wood, Eric; Rajagopalan, Sai

2016-01-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and General Motors evaluated connectivity-enabled efficiency enhancements for the Chevrolet Volt. A high-level model was developed to predict vehicle fuel and electricity consumption based on driving characteristics and vehicle state inputs. These techniques were leveraged to optimize energy efficiency via green routing and intelligent control mode scheduling, which were evaluated using prospective driving routes between tens of thousands of real-world origin/destination pairs. The overall energy savings potential of green routing and intelligent mode scheduling was estimated at 5% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, these represent substantial opportunities considering that they only require software adjustments to implement.

Simulation of Trolleybus Traction Induction Drive With Supercapacitor Energy Storage System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazis, V.; Latkovskis, L.; Grigans, L.

2010-01-01

The article considers the possibilities of saving the regenerative braking energy in Škoda 24Tr type trolleybuses by installing the onboard supercapacitor energy storage system (ESS) and improving its performance with automated switching to the autonomous traction mode. Proposed is an ESS control system with constant DC bus voltage in the supercapacitor charging mode and supercapacitor current proportional to the AC drive current in the discharging mode. The authors investigate stability of the trolleybus ESS control system operating together with AC traction drive in various overhead voltage failure modes. The co-simulation of ESS operation was done by Matlab/Simulink AC drive and PSIM ESS continuous models.

Cost Avoidance vs. Utility Bill Accounting - Explaining theDiscrepancy Between Guaranteed Savings in ESPC Projects and UtilityBills

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, S.; Sartor, D.

2005-08-15

Federal agencies often ask if Energy Savings PerformanceContracts (ESPCs) result in the energy and cost savings projected duringthe project development phase. After investing in ESPCs, federal agenciesexpect a reduction in the total energy use and energy cost at the agencylevel. Such questions about the program are common when implementing anESPC project. But is this a fair or accurate perception? Moreimportantly, should the federal agencies evaluate the success or failureof ESPCs by comparing the utility costs before and after projectimplementation?In fact, ESPC contracts employ measurement andverification (M&V) protocols to measure and ensure kilowatt-hour orBTU savings at the project level. In mostmore » cases, the translation toenergy cost savings is not based on actual utility rate structure, but acontracted utility rate that takes the existing utility rate at the timethe contract is signed with a clause to escalate the utility rate by afixed percentage for the duration of the contract. Reporting mechanisms,which advertise these savings in dollars, may imply an impact to budgetsat a much higher level depending on actual utility rate structure. FEMPhas prepared the following analysis to explain why the utility billreduction may not materialize, demonstrate its larger implication onagency s energy reduction goals, and advocate setting the rightexpectations at the outset to preempt the often asked question why I amnot seeing the savings in my utility bill?« less

Nuclear and Solar Energy: Implications for Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

of New Nuclear Plants?" Nuclear Engineering International, March 31, 2004, 14. 10 Gwyneth Cravens, Power to Save the World: The Truth about...Pueblo West, CO: Vales Lake Pub, 2004), 98. 12 Cravens, Power to Save the World: The Truth about Nuclear Energy, 249. 13 Jerry Taylor, "Powering...Cravens, Power to Save the World: The Truth about Nuclear Energy, 152. 30 William Langewiesche, The Atomic Bazaar: Dispatches from the Underground World

Analysis of Installed Measures and Energy Savings for Single-Family Residential Better Buildings Projects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heaney, M.; Polly, B.

2015-04-30

This report presents an analysis of data for residential single-family projects reported by 37 organizations that were awarded federal financial assistance (cooperative agreements or grants) by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Neighborhood Program.1 The report characterizes the energy-efficiency measures installed for single-family residential projects and analyzes energy savings and savings prediction accuracy for measures installed in a subset of those projects.

High Reliability and the Evaluation of ATC System Configuration by Communizing Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Masanori

Automatic Train Control (ATC) in the railway signalling system is required high safety, high availability, reduction of unit, energy saving and cost reduction. This paper described the resources communization redundancy of the ATC system that shared the redundant units in preparation for common use units in order to accommodate with this issue by keeping safety and availability in the same level of conventional ATC. It was evaluated on N+2 redundant system which established 2 spares for the common use system N piece in transmission division. It was done the safety evaluation of the N+2 redundant system by way of hazard analysis of FTA method and safety issue was confirmed by FMEA. The new redundant system concludes that 19% of downsizing and 36% of the energy saving are surely possible.

Leveraging Intelligent Vehicle Technologies to Maximize Fuel Economy (Presentation)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gonder, J.

2011-11-01

Advancements in vehicle electronics, along with communication and sensing technologies, have led to a growing number of intelligent vehicle applications. Example systems include those for advanced driver information, route planning and prediction, driver assistance, and crash avoidance. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is exploring ways to leverage intelligent vehicle systems to achieve fuel savings. This presentation discusses several potential applications, such as providing intelligent feedback to drivers on specific ways to improve their driving efficiency, and using information about upcoming driving to optimize electrified vehicle control strategies for maximum energy efficiency and battery life. The talk also covers the potentialmore » of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and related technologies to deliver significant fuel savings in addition to providing safety and convenience benefits.« less

Field testing energy-saving hermetic compressors in residential refrigerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sauber, R.S.; Middleton, M.G.

The design of an energy-saving compressor for low back pressure applications is reviewed. Calorimeter performance results are stated for two sizes of the efficient design and compared with performance test results for a standard compressor. Power consumption of a refrigerator-freezer is given with a standard compressor and with the energy-saving compressor. The preparation of the refrigerators used in the field test is discussed, along with the criteria used in selecting the instrumentation for the project. Results of the energy-saving compressor in the field test, along with a comparison to a standard production compressor, are presented. Some conclusions are drawn, basedmore » on the data, in relation to important factors in residential refrigerator power consumption.« less

Field testing energy-saving hermetic compressors in residential refrigerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sauber, R.S.; Middleton, M.G.

The design of an energy saving compressor for low back pressure applications is reviewed. Calorimeter performance results are stated for two sizes of the efficient design and compared with performance test results for a standard compressor. Power consumption of a refrigerator-freezer is given with a standard compressor and with the energy saving compressor. The preparation of the refrigerators used in the field test are discussed along with the criteria used in selecting the instrumentation for the project. Results of the energy saving compressor in the field test along with a comparison to a standard production compressor are presented. Some conclusionsmore » are drawn, based on the data, in relation to important factors in residential refrigerator power consumption.« less

[Synergistic emission reduction of chief air pollutants and greenhouse gases-based on scenario simulations of energy consumptions in Beijing].

PubMed

Xie, Yuan-bo; Li, Wei

2013-05-01

It is one of the common targets and important tasks for energy management and environmental control of Beijing to improve urban air quality while reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Here, based on the interim and long term developmental planning and energy structure of the city, three energy consumption scenarios in low, moderate and high restrictions were designed by taking the potential energy saving policies and environmental targets into account. The long-range energy alternatives planning (LEAP) model was employed to predict and evaluate reduction effects of the chief air pollutants and GHG during 2010 to 2020 under the three given scenarios. The results showed that if urban energy consumption system was optimized or adjusted by exercising energy saving and emission reduction and pollution control measures, the predicted energy uses will be reduced by 10 to 30 million tons of coal equivalents by 2020. Under the two energy scenarios with moderate and high restrictions, the anticipated emissions of SO2, NOx, PM10, PM2.5, VOC and GHG will be respectively reduced to 71 to 100.2, 159.2 to 218.7, 89.8 to 133.8, 51.4 to 96.0, 56.4 to 74.8 and 148 200 to 164 700 thousand tons. Correspondingly, when compared with the low-restriction scenario, the reducing rate will be 53% to 67% , 50% to 64% , 33% to 55% , 25% to 60% , 41% to 55% and 26% to 34% respectively. Furthermore, based on a study of synergistic emission reduction of the air pollutants and GHG, it was proposed that the adjustment and control of energy consumptions shall be intensively developed in the three sectors of industry, transportation and services. In this way the synergistic reduction of the emissions of chief air pollutants and GHG will be achieved; meanwhile the pressures of energy demands may be deliberately relieved.

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage for Seasonal Thermal Energy Balance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rostampour, Vahab; Bloemendal, Martin; Keviczky, Tamas

2017-04-01

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems allow storing large quantities of thermal energy in subsurface aquifers enabling significant energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions. This is achieved by injection and extraction of water into and from saturated underground aquifers, simultaneously. An ATES system consists of two wells and operates in a seasonal mode. One well is used for the storage of cold water, the other one for the storage of heat. In warm seasons, cold water is extracted from the cold well to provide cooling to a building. The temperature of the extracted cold water increases as it passes through the building climate control systems and then gets simultaneously, injected back into the warm well. This procedure is reversed during cold seasons where the flow direction is reversed such that the warmer water is extracted from the warm well to provide heating to a building. From the perspective of building climate comfort systems, an ATES system is considered as a seasonal storage system that can be a heat source or sink, or as a storage for thermal energy. This leads to an interesting and challenging optimal control problem of the building climate comfort system that can be used to develop a seasonal-based energy management strategy. In [1] we develop a control-oriented model to predict thermal energy balance in a building climate control system integrated with ATES. Such a model however cannot cope with off-nominal but realistic situations such as when the wells are completely depleted, or the start-up phase of newly installed wells, etc., leading to direct usage of aquifer ambient temperature. Building upon our previous work in [1], we here extend the mathematical model for ATES system to handle the above mentioned more realistic situations. Using our improved models, one can more precisely predict system behavior and apply optimal control strategies to manage the building climate comfort along with energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions. [1] V. Rostampour and T. Keviczky, "Probabilistic Energy Management for Building Climate Comfort in Smart Thermal Grids with Seasonal Storage Systems," arXiv [math.OC], 10-Nov-2016.

78 FR 18585 - Energy Technology Savings LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-27

... facilitate electronic service, persons with Internet access who will eFile a document and/or be listed as a... Technology Savings LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for... Energy Technology Savings LLC's application for market-based rate authority, with an accompanying rate...

Evaluation Of A Residential Retrofit Program In Omaha Nebraska: A Comparison Of Actual Energy Savings With Audit Predictions Using Quantitative Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cory, Bradley S.

The reEnergize Program conducted 957 energy upgrades in Omaha Nebraska from July 2010 to September 30th 2013, through a government grant within the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program. Projected program savings were provided upon program completion but it was unknown how effective the program was at actually reducing energy consumption in the homes that were upgraded. The following research report uses a PRISM analysis to remove the effect of weather and compare the actual pre and post utility usage rates to determine the actual effectiveness of the program. The housing characteristics, and individual energy upgrades were analyzed to see if any patterns or trends could be identified between consumption savings and housing type and specific upgrade measure. The results of the study showed that the program did induce savings but by much less than the engineering estimates predicted. It is likely that housing characteristics and upgrade measures play a role in inducing consumption savings but homeowner behavior is a stronger factor that influences savings.

Way Beyond Widgets: Delivering Integrated Lighting Design in Actionable Solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Myer, Michael; Richman, Eric E.; Jones, Carol C.

2008-08-17

Previously, energy-efficiency strategies for commercial spaces have focused on using efficient equipment without providing specific detailed instructions. Designs by experts in their fields are an energy-efficiency product in its own right. A new national program has developed interactive application-specific lighting designs for widespread use in four major commercial sectors. This paper will describe the technical basis for the solutions, energy efficiency and cost-savings methodology, and installations and measurement/verification to-date. Lighting designs have been developed for five types of retail stores (big box, small box, grocery, specialty market, and pharmacy) and are planned for the office, healthcare, and education sectors asmore » well. Nationally known sustainable lighting designers developed the designs using high-performance commercially available products, daylighting, and lighting controls. Input and peer review was received by stakeholders, including manufacturers, architects, utilities, energy-efficiency program sponsors (EEPS), and end-users (i.e., retailers). An interactive web tool delivers the lighting solutions and analyzes anticipated energy savings using project-specific inputs. The lighting solutions were analyzed against a reference building using the space-by-space method as allowed in the Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (ASHRAE 2004) co-sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). The results showed that the design vignettes ranged from a 9% to 28% reduction in the allowed lighting power density. Detailed control strategies are offered to further reduce the actual kilowatt-hour power consumption. When used together, the lighting design vignettes and control strategies show a modeled decrease in energy consumption (kWh) by 33% to 50% below the baseline design.« less

Evaluation of Savings in Energy-Efficient Public Housing in the Pacific Northwest

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gordon, A.; Lubliner, M.; Howard, L.

2013-10-01

This report presents the results of an energy performance and cost-effectiveness analysis. The Salishan phase 7 and demonstration homes were compared to Salishan phase 6 homes built to 2006 Washington State Energy Code specifications 2. Predicted annual energy savings (over Salishan phase 6) was 19% for Salishan phase 7, and between 19-24% for the demonstration homes (depending on ventilation strategy). Approximately two-thirds of the savings are attributable to the DHP. Working with the electric utility provider, Tacoma Public Utilities, researchers conducted a billing analysis for Salishan phase 7.

A Novel Energy Saving Algorithm with Frame Response Delay Constraint in IEEE 802.16e

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nga, Dinh Thi Thuy; Kim, Mingon; Kang, Minho

Sleep-mode operation of a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS) in IEEE 802.16e effectively saves energy consumption; however, it induces frame response delay. In this letter, we propose an algorithm to quickly find the optimal value of the final sleep interval in sleep-mode in order to minimize energy consumption with respect to a given frame response delay constraint. The validations of our proposed algorithm through analytical results and simulation results suggest that our algorithm provide a potential guidance to energy saving.

Solar heating for an observatory--Lincoln, Nebraska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Report describes solar-energy system for 50 seat observatory that provides 60 percent of space heating needs. System includes 9 flat-plate collectors, rock storage bin, blowers, controls, ducting, and auxiliary natural-gas furnace; it has five operation modes. Net energy savings were 11.31 million Btu for 12 months, or equivalent of 1.9 barrels of oil. Report appendixes list performance factor definitions, performance equations, and average area weather conditions.

Angular selective window systems: Assessment of technical potential for energy savings

DOE PAGES

Fernandes, Luis L.; Lee, Eleanor S.; McNeil, Andrew; ...

2014-10-16

Static angular selective shading systems block direct sunlight and admit daylight within a specific range of incident solar angles. The objective of this study is to quantify their potential to reduce energy use and peak demand in commercial buildings using state-of-the art whole-building computer simulation software that allows accurate modeling of the behavior of optically-complex fenestration systems such as angular selective systems. Three commercial systems were evaluated: a micro-perforated screen, a tubular shading structure, and an expanded metal mesh. This evaluation was performed through computer simulation for multiple climates (Chicago, Illinois and Houston, Texas), window-to-wall ratios (0.15-0.60), building codes (ASHRAEmore » 90.1-2004 and 2010) and lighting control configurations (with and without). The modeling of the optical complexity of the systems took advantage of the development of state-of-the-art versions of the EnergyPlus, Radiance and Window simulation tools. Results show significant reductions in perimeter zone energy use; the best system reached 28% and 47% savings, respectively without and with daylighting controls (ASHRAE 90.1-2004, south facade, Chicago,WWR=0.45). As a result, angular selectivity and thermal conductance of the angle-selective layer, as well as spectral selectivity of low-emissivity coatings, were identified as factors with significant impact on performance.« less

Origin and control of instability in SCR/triac three-phase motor controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dearth, J. J.

1982-01-01

The energy savings and reactive power reduction functions initiated by the power factor controller (PFC) are discussed. A three-phase PFC with soft start is examined analytically and experimentally to determine how well it controls the open loop instability and other possible modes of instability. The detailed mechanism of the open loop instability is determined and shown to impose design constraints on the closed loop system. The design is shown to meet those constraints.

78 FR 24736 - Energy Savings Performance Contracts: Extension of Comment Period

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-26

... legislated and executive-ordered energy, greenhouse gas, and water goals. These are delivered through project..., obtaining, and implementing project funding for energy projects through the use of ESPCs. ESPCs allow Federal agencies to accomplish energy savings projects without up-front capital costs. In an ESPC, a...

Austin Energy: Pumping System Improvement Project Saves Energy and Improves Performance at a Power Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

This two-page performance spotlight describes how, in 2004, Austin Energy (the electric utility for the city of Austin, Texas) began saving about $1.2 million in energy and maintenance costs annually as a direct result of a pumping system efficiency proj

Austin Energy: Pumping System Improvement Project Saves Energy and Improves Performance at a Power Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

This two-page performance spotlight describes how, in 2004, Austin Energy (the electric utility for the city of Austin, Texas) began saving about $1.2 million in energy and maintenance costs annually as a direct result of a pumping system efficiency project.

Saving Energy in Industrial Companies: Case Studies of Energy Efficiency Programs in Large U.S. Industrial Corporations and the Role of Ratepayer-Funded Support

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

This paper is designed for companies looking to cut costs through energy savings, ratepayer-funded program administrators interested in increasing large industrial company participation in energy efficiency program offerings, and state utility commissions.