Browsing by Author "Culp, C."
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Item 15% Above-Code Energy Efficiency Measures for Commercial Buildings in Texas(Energy Systems Laboratory, 2007-08) Haberl, J. S.; Culp, C.; Yazdani, B.In the pages that follow, 15% above-code measures for new commercial buildings are presented for the 41 non-attainment and affected counties in Texas, separated by climate area. Each page contains a description of the individual measures and combined measures that achieve 15% above-code savings, which are based on ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999. These measures include envelope, HVAC systems, and plant equipment. Annual energy and demand savings, estimated costs, simple payback, and NOx emissions reductions are provided for commercial buildings.Item 15% Above-Code Energy Efficiency Measures for Residential Buildings in Texas(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2007-08) Haberl, J. S.; Culp, C.; Yazdani, B.In the pages that follow, 15% above-code measures for new residential buildings are presented for the 41 non-attainment and affected counties in Texas, separated by climate area. Each page contains a description of the individual measures and combined measures that achieve 15% above-code savings, which are based on the 2001 IECC. These measures include envelope, HVAC systems, and plant equipment. Annual energy savings, estimated costs, simple payback, and NOx emissions reductions are provided for commercial buildings.Item AIM: A Home-Owner Usable Energy Calculator for Existing Residential Homes(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2009-11) Marshall, K.; Moss, M.; Malhotra, M.; Liu, B.; Culp, C.; Haberl, J.; Herbert, C.An energy efficiency metric for residential homes was developed to provide home-owners, realtors and builders a method to rate the energy efficiency of an existing house. To accomplish this, a web-based calculator was developed, which is based on DOE2 simulations and a simplified systems model. To simplify the use of the calculator, parameters, like window U-factor, roof / wall insulation, which are normally required for simulations in existing homes are filled using statistical tables. This allows the home-owner to use the calculator with information commonly available during a real estate transaction.Item Analysis of Emissions Calculators for a National Center of Excellence on Displaced Emissions Reductions (CEDER)(2008-07-18) Im, P.; Haberl, J. S.; Culp, C.; Yazdani, B.In August 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued guidance on quantifying the air emissions benefits from electric sector energy efficiency and renewable energy. Because there was no clear best strategy, the EPA’s guidance provided a framework and the basic requirements needed to demonstrate air quality improvements or emissions reductions with adequate certainty to be incorporated into a State Implementation Plan (SIP) for achieving or maintaining National ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The Energy Systems Laboratory, with guidance from both the US EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), developed the first a comprehensive engineering toolkit and database that satisfies the EPA guidance. The value of this unique tool was demonstrated in 2005 when the ESL, at the request of the TCEQ, used it to develop integrated emissions estimates for all state agencies participating in the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP). Building on this expertise, the US EPA has established a National Center of Excellence on Displaced Emissions Reductions (CEDER) at the Energy Systems Laboratory to research and gather the state-of-the-art air pollution quantification techniques for Energy Efficiency / Renewable Energy (EE/RE) projects; provide technical support and customized analysis for state and local agencies seeking to estimate the environmental benefits from clean energy policies and programs; and document how a user-friendly tool, based on e2Calc, can be used by clients to fulfill their needs to quantify emissions reductions from energy efficiency and renewable energy measures.Item Analysis of Emissions Calculators for the National Center of Excellence on Displaced Emission Reductions (CEDER)- 2008 Annual Report to the United States Environmental Protection Agency(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2009-02) Yazdani, B.; Culp, C.; Haberl, J.; Baltazar, J. C.; Do, S. L.In August 2004, the USEPA issued guidance on quantifying the air emission benefits from electric sector energy efficiency and renewable energy. Because there was no clear best strategy, the EPA’s guidance provided a framework and the basic requirements needed to demonstrate air quality improvements or emission reductions with adequate certainty to be incorporated into a State Implementation Plan (SIP) for achieving or maintaining National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The Energy Systems Laboratory, with guidance from both the US EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), developed the first comprehensive engineering toolkit and database that satisfies the EPA guidelines. The value of this unique tool was demonstrated in 2005 when the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL), at the request of the TCEQ, used it to develop integrated emissions estimates for all state agencies participating in the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP). Building on this expertise, the US EPA has established a National Center of Excellence on Displaced Emission Reductions (CEDER) at the Energy Systems Laboratory to research and gather the state-of-the-art on air pollution quantification techniques for Energy Efficiency / Renewable Energy (EE/RE) projects; provide technical support and customized analysis for state and local agencies seeking to estimate the environmental benefits from clean energy policies and programs; and to document how a user-friendly tool, based on e2Calc, can be used by clients to fulfill their needs to quantify emission reductions from energy efficiency and renewable energy measures. The Energy Systems Laboratory, in fulfillment of its responsibilities, submits this annual report, “Analysis of Emissions Calculators for National Center of Excellence on Displaced Emission Reductions (CEDER)” to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The report is organized in several deliverables: • Summary Report, which details the progress of tasks; • Appendix, which shows the survey documentation, screenshots of emissions calculators, and screenshots for the test of each online emissions calculator. The three main tasks that have been performed in 2008 are as follows: • Task 1: Review existing emissions calculators from U.S. Department of Energy’s EE/RE Building Energy Software Tools Directory. • Task 2: Review and test currently available emissions calculators from the World Wide Web. • Task 3: Assistance with the estimation of Annual Reductions of NOx Emissions in ERCOT for the HB3693 Electricity Savings Goals.Item An Analysis of the Residential Energy Savings from the Implementation of the 2001 IECC and 2006 NAECA Appliance Standards in the State of Texas(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2008-12) Mukhopadhyay, J.; Liu, Z.; Malhotra, M.; Haberl, J.; Gilman, D.; Montgomery, C.; Culp, C.; Yazdani, B.This paper presents results of an analysis of the annual electricity and natural gas savings from implementation of the 2001 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) specifications with updated 2006 specifications for mechanical systems to new single-family residential construction, using a code traceable DOE-2 simulation for two locations in Texas. In this analysis a sensitivity analysis was performed which included the impact of changing the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) and Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) values in code-compliant construction (i.e., SEER 13, HSPF 7.7) as required by National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA, 2006). The results show that the annual energy consumption for a typical single-family residence decreased by 18.8% when comparing a pre-code house with natural gas heating, where the SEER for the air-conditioner was increased from 10 to 13, to a code-compliant house incorporating the 2006 NAECA standards in Houston , and by 16.0% for a similar house in Dallas/Fort Worth area. In a house employing a heat pump as a source of heating, where the SEER for the air-conditioner was increased from 10 to 13 and the HSPF was increased from 6.6 to 7.7, the annual energy consumption decreased by 18.2% for a house in Houston and by 16.6% for a similar house in Dallas/Fort Worth.Item ASHRAE's Guideline 14-2002 for Measurement of Energy and Demand Savings: How to Determine What Was Really Saved by the Retrofit(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2005) Haberl, J. S.; Claridge, D. E.; Culp, C.Item ASHRAE's Proposed Guideline 14P for Measurement of Energy and Demand Savings: How to Determine What Was Really Saved by the Retrofit(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2001) Haberl, J. S.; Reeves, G.; Gillespie, K.; Claridge, D. E.; Cowan, J.; Culp, C.; Frazell, W.; Heinemeier, K.; Kromer, S.; Kummer, J.; Mazzucchi, R.; Reddy, A.; Schiller, S.; Sud, I.; Wolpert, J.; Wutka, T.ASHRAE has recently completed the development of Guideline 14 to fill a need for a standard set of energy (and demand) savings calculation procedures. Guideline 14 is intended to be a guideline that provides a minimum acceptable level of performance in the measurement of energy and demand savings from energy management projects applied to residential, commercial or industrial buildings. Such measurements can serve as the basis for commercial transactions between Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and their customers, or other energy conservation providers that rely on energy savings as the basis for repayment of the costs of the retrofit. When applied properly, ASHRAE Guideline 14 is expected to provide adequate assurance for the payment of services by allowing for well specified measurement methods that provide reasonably accurate savings calculations. ASHRAE Guideline 14 may also be used by governments to calculate pollution reductions from energy efficiency activities. Since Guideline 14 is intended to be applied to an individual building, or a few buildings served by a utility meter, large scale utility energy conservation programs, such as those involving statistical sampling, are not addressed by the current version of Guideline 14. Furthermore, metering standards and procedures for calculating savings from modifications to major industrial process loads are also not covered. This paper presents an overview of the measurement methods contained in ASHRAE Guideline 14 , including a discussion about how they were developed, and their intended relationship with other national protocols for measuring savings from energy conservation programs, such as the USDOE's International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocols (IPMVP).Item The Brazos Valley Energy Conservation Coalition, Part of the Rebuild America Program in Texas: Program Update(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2000) Yazdani, B.; Haberl, J. S.; Culp, C.; Turner, W. D.; Claridge, D. E.; Myers, M.; Energy Systems Laboratory; USDOEThe Rebuild America program is network of community-based partnerships that rebuilds communities by promoting the efficient use of energy. Rebuild America is coordinated at the national level by sponsorship through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the United States Department of Energy (USDOE). The Brazos Valley Energy Conservation Coalition (BVECC) has been a Rebuild America since 1996. Since 1996 BVECC has contacted 57 facilities in Texas about joining Rebuild America. Twenty-five of these facilities have authorized BVECC to conduct walk-through audits, and fourteen preliminary walkthrough audits have been performed. As of June 1999, nine facilities have joined the Rebuild America program covering a total of 8 million square feet of conditioned area. The total estimated project costs for retrofits at these 9 facilities are over $1 1 million, with annual savings of $2.6 million and an estimated 4.3 year payback. This paper presents an overview of the BVECC Rebuild America program in Texas, including a description of the program, conservation measures installed at the participating facilities, a description of the savings measurement methodology and a discussion of indoor environmental measurements.Item Calculating Emissions Reductions from Renewable Energy Programs and its Application to the Wind Farms in the Texas Ercot Region(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2008-12) Liu, Z.; Haberl, J.; Baltazar, J. C.; Culp, C.; Yazdani, B.; Chandrasekaran, V.In August 2008 the Texas State Legislature required adding 5,880 MW of generating capacity from renewable energy technologies by 2015, and 500 MW from non-wind renewables. This legislation also required the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to establish a target of 10,000 MW of installed renewable capacity by 2025, and required the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to develop a methodology for computing emission reductions from renewable energy initiatives and the associated credits. In this legislation the Energy Systems Laboratory is required to assist the TCEQ to quantify emission reduction credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. To satisfy these requirements the ESL has been developing and refining a method to calculate annually creditable emissions reductions from wind and other renewable energy resources for the TCEQ. This paper provides a detailed description of an improved methodology developed to calculate the emissions reductions from electricity provided by a wind farm. Details are presented for the wind farm Sweetwater I (Abilene) as well as results from the application of this procedure to all the wind energy providers in the Texas ERCOT region in 2006.Item Calculation of NOx Emission Reduction from Implementation of the 2000 IECC/IRC Conservation Code in Texas(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2003) Turner, W. D.; Yazdani, B.; Im, P.; Verdict, M.; Bryant, J.; Fitzpatrick, T.; Haberl, J. S.; Culp, C.Four areas in Texas have been designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as non-attainment areas because ozone levels exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) maximum allowable limits. These areas face severe sanctions if attainment is not reached by 2007. Four additional areas in the state are also approaching national ozone limits (i.e., affected areas)1. In 2001, the Texas State Legislature formulated and passed Senate Bill 5 to reduce ozone levels by encouraging the reduction of emissions of NOx by sources that are currently not regulated by the state2. An important part of this legislation is the State's energy efficiency program, which includes reductions in energy use and demand that are associated with the adoption of the 2001 IECC3, which represents one of the first times that the EPA is considering emissions reductions credits from energy conservation - an important new development for building efficiency professionals, since this could pave the way for documented procedures for financial reimbursement for building energy conservation from the state's emissions reductions funding. This paper reviews the procedures that have been used to calculate the electricity savings from residential construction in non-attainment and affected counties. Results are presented that show the annual electricity savings and NOx reductions from implementation of the 2001 IECC to single family residences in 2002, which use the DOE-2 simulation program.Item Calculation of Nox Emissions Reductions from Energy Efficient Residential Building Construction in Texas(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2004) Haberl, J.; Culp, C.; Gilman, D.; Baltazar-Cervantes, J. C.; Yazdani, B.; Fitzpatrick, T.; Muns, S.; Verdict, M.Four areas in Texas have been designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as non-attainment areas because ozone pollution levels exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) maximum allowable limits. These areas face severe sanctions if attainment is not reached by 2007. This paper provides an overview of the procedures that have been developed and used to calculate the electricity savings and NOx reductions from code-compliant residential construction in non-attainment and affected counties. This paper reviews the calculation methods and presents results that show the 2003 annual electricity and natural gas savings and NOx reductions from implementation of the 2000 IECC to single-family and multi-family residences in 2003, which use a code-traceable DOE-2 simulation. A discussion of the development of a web-based emissions reductions calculator is also discussed.Item A Comparative Analysis of Residential Energy Use for 2009 IECC Code Compliance and 2001 IECC Compliance with 2006 NAECA Appliance Standards for Selected Climate Zones in Texas(Energy Systems Laboratory (Http://esl.tamu.edu), 2010-08) Mukhopadhyay, J.; Baltazar, J. C.; Liu, Z.; Haberl, J.; Culp, C.; Yazdani, B.This paper presents results of a comparative analysis of the electricity and natural gas savings from the implementation of 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) when compared with the 2001 IECC1 specifications with 2006 NAECA for a new single-family residential construction. The analysis uses a DOE-2 simulation for five locations in Texas (Houston, Brownsville, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso and Amarillo). The analysis shows that a code – compliant house built to the specifications of the 2009 IECC uses 10% – 16% less site energy annually than a house meeting the specifications of the 2001 IECC, for an air-conditioned house with a natural gas furnace. The results also show that an air conditioned 2009 code - compliant house with a heat pump uses 10% - 14% less site energy annually.Item A Comparative Analysis of Residential Energy Use for 2009 IECC Compliance and 2001 IECC Compliance for Selected Climate Zones in Texas(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2011) Mukhopadhyay, J.; Liu, Z.; Malhotra, M.; Kota, S.; Blake, S.; Haberl, J.; Culp, C.; Yazdani, B.; Energy Systems LaboratoryItem Comparative Study: CFD ΔP Versus Measured ΔP for 30% Flexible Ducts(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2006) Ugursal, A.; Culp, C.Item Comparison of DOE-2.1E with Energyplus and TRNSYS for Ground Coupled Residential Buildings in Hot anf Humid Climates Stage 1(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2011) Andolsun, S.; Culp, C.; Energy Systems LaboratoryItem Comparison of DOE-2.1E with Energyplus and TRNSYS for Ground Coupled Residential Buildings in Hot anf Humid Climates Stage 2(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2011) Andolsun, S.; Culp, C.; Energy Systems LaboratoryItem Comparison of DOE-2.1E with Energyplus and TRNSYS for Ground Coupled Residential Buildings in Hot anf Humid Climates Stage 4(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2012) Andolsun, S.; Culp, C.; Energy Systems LaboratoryItem A Comparison of EnergyPlus to DOE-2.1E: Multiple Cases Ranging from a Sealed Box to a Residential Building(Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), 2008-12) Andolsun, S.; Culp, C.EnergyPlus (EPlus) is becoming widely used for building simulation. Previous studies have compared the performance of EPlus with other simulation programs including DOE-2 for a variety of cases. These studies identified the different results of programs for the same cases defined in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 140. This study expanded upon the previous comparisons to include the simplest case scenario where the building was a sealed box without infiltration, internal load, system or plant. The simulations were then extended to include incremental changes on the building load by adding people, lights, equipment and infiltration. EPlus and DOE-2 were compared using multiple base case buildings in Austin from the simplest case to a fully inhabited residential building. With zero infiltration, EPlus calculated 16-17% lower total building load than calculated by DOE-2 as incremental loads were added. Infiltration decreased the difference between DOE-2 and EPlus by 27% and lead to an 11% lower total building load in EPlus when compared to DOE-2.Item Continuous Commissioning: A Valuable Partner to Retrofit Projects(Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu), 2001) Turner, W. D.; Banks, K.; Athar, A.; Yazdani, B.; Zhu, Y.; Culp, C.Continuous Commissioning (CC) or HVAC system optimization is not only a valuable stand-alone energy saving measure for commercial buildings, but it is also an important escort solution to retrofit projects. Energy retrofit projects typically achieve projected savings. But in cases where savings goals are not being met, optimizing HVAC system performance can be the difference in an underachieving versus a successful project. This paper presents a real-world study of pairing a CC project with an energy retrofit in a 107,000 square foot hospital building. Applying the CC strategy to an underperforming retrofit, projected energy savings were achieved and even increased. Additionally, by increasing supply air capacity, patients, staff and visitors now enjoy improved comfort conditions. This paper also explores the working relationship between an ESCO and a university research laboratory, whose combined efforts led to this remarkable turn around.