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Comparing the Performance of a 2009 IECC Code-Compliant House Using Code-Compliant Residential Simulation Programs
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Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu)
Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu)
Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu)
Abstract
The Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) is an independent, non-profit organization that helps homeowners reduce energy costs by providing energy efficiency strategies. RESNET performs certification of code-compliance software using a test suite (RESNET 2007). Acceptance variations in the RESNET tests include a provision of minimum and maximum limits of variation on a case-by-case basis or a sensitivity basis. Results are provided for either heating or cooling loads or heating and cooling energy consumption (RESNET 2007). However, significant differences exist in the results obtained from these software programs on performing compliance with the performance path specified in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
This paper is a continuation of an earlier attempt to explore these differences and find out the cause of such discrepancies (Liu et al., 2010). This paper also determines a bandwidth within which variation in results from the different software programs that can be deemed to be acceptable. The paper provides a comparison of four code-compliant software, three of which are RESNET certified. The comparison is performed for three climate zones in Texas. For most cases of the comparison, the results from the three RESNET certified software are within 5% of each other. However, variation in results from the three RESNET certified software programs exceeds 5% in certain cases of ceiling R-values in all climate zones and in certain cases of window-to-wall area ratios in Climate Zone-4.