"What's Going On Out There?" A Baseline Survey for the LCRA's Good Cents Home Program

Abstract

The question, What constitutes your baseline?" always challenges Demand-Side Management program staff. This study answers that question for the Lower Colorado River Authority's Good Cents Home Program. The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) has based its engineering estimates of program savings on baseline construction practices identified in 1986. LCRA updated its survey in 1993, and this study details the project's findings and methodology. LCRA learned that it has two distinct markets. One, greater Austin, has a high level of efficiency, driven by the City of Austin's energy code and energy-efficient new home program, E-Star. The other is Central Texas, with lower thermal and equipment was lower. The study employed site surveys of houses under construction, computer simulation of building shells and equipment operation, and statistical analysis of data. New savings calculations have put the program on a more conservative and reliable footing as a result of the findings.