SummaryIncreasing penetration of heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) in the residential sector will offer an important opportunity for energy savings, with a theoretical energy savings of up to 63% per water heater 1 and up to 11% of residential energy use (EIA 2009). However, significant barriers must be overcome before this technology will reach widespread adoption in the Pacific Northwest region and nationwide. One barrier is that the demand response (DR) performance and characteristics of HPWHs is unknown. Previous research has demonstrated the potential of electric resistance water heaters (ERWHs) to provide significant grid stability and control benefits through demand-side management, or DR, strategies (Diao et al. 2012). However, if ERWHs are to be replaced with HPWHs to improve residential energy efficiency, it is important to understand the DR characteristics of HPWHs and how these characteristics will impact DR programs and overall grid stability now and in the future.This project evaluates and documents the DR performance of an HPWH as compared to an ERWH for two primary types of DR events: peak curtailments and balancing reserves. The experiments were conducted with General Electric (GE) second-generation "Brillion™"-enabled GeoSpring™ hybrid water heaters in the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Lab Homes 2 , with one GE GeoSpring water heater operating in "Standard" electric resistance mode to represent the baseline and one GE GeoSpring water heater operating in "Heat Pump" mode to provide the comparison to heat pump-only DR. Signals were sent simultaneously to the two water heaters in the side-by-side PNNL Lab Homes under highly controlled, simulated occupancy conditions. It is expected that "Hybrid" DR performance, which would engage both the heat pump and electric elements, could be interpolated from these two experimental extremes.Based on the data collected in these DR experiments, both ERWHs and HPWHs are capable of performing peak curtailment and regulation services. However, their characteristics differ, as can be seen in Table 5.1, which shows the average impact on power use during the DR event, energy use during the DR event, and daily energy use for ERWH and HPWH for peak curtailment, 1-2 hour balancing events when generation and load are mismatched either due to higher load than generated power (INC events) or greater power generation than available load (DEC events). In general, the HPWH has much lower power use than the ERWH (587 Watts [W] versus 4,650 W) and provides approximately 38% of the potential to reduce load for peak curtailment or INC balancing events of the ERWH. The ERWH provides more dynamic response with a high magnitude of power increase or decrease per water heater. However, the HPWH has longer and more frequent operating times, which means the HPWH has a higher likelihood of being able to respond when an INC event or peak curtailment is called for. In addition, the inherent efficiency savings of HPWHs (61.7 ± 1.7%, as measured in the PNNL Lab Homes) will resul...

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To examine the energy performance of cellular shade window coverings, a field evaluation was undertaken in a matched pair of all-electric, factory-built "lab homes" located on the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) campus in Richland, Washington. The 1500-square-foot homes were identical in construction and baseline performance, which allowed any difference in energy and thermal performance between the baseline home and the experimental home to be attributed to the retrofit technology installed in the experimental home.To assess the performance of high efficiency window attachments in a residential retrofit application, the building shell air leakage, energy use, and interior temperatures of each home were compared during the 2015 winter heating and 2015 summer cooling seasons. Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® Trielle™ opaque honeycomb "cellular" shades were installed over double-pane clear-glass, aluminum-frame primary windows in the experimental home and were compared to identical primary windows with no window coverings and with standard typical white vinyl horizontal blind window coverings in the baseline home.The window coverings affected heating, ventilation, and air conditioning energy use in the following ways:1. Reducing conductive heat transfer due to insulating capabilities 2. Reducing radiative energy losses due to insulative properties 3. Optimizing solar gains through advanced operational scheduling Differing operational schedules were tested to help understand the effect of the window attachment technology on the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) energy use. The operational procedures that were completed in the 2015 heating and cooling seasons are detailed below with the associated HVAC energy savings. Based on the limited experimental period, the HVAC savings described in this report should be viewed as strictly preliminary.

Controlling indoor air pollutant sources is a foundational approach to ensuring good indoor air quality (IAQ) in residences. As a voluntary standard for home builders and buyers interested in IAQ, the Indoor airPLUS (IaP) program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) includes provisions intended to reduce emissions of potentially harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building materials and finishes used in IaP homes. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home 1 standard incorporates IaP provisions with the objective of advancing comprehensive home performance. The IaP provisions for low-emitting materials and finishes rely on a variety of existing labeling programs and standards. IaP requires the use of Voluntary Product Standard 1 (PS1) or PS2 certified plywood and oriented strand board; low-formaldehyde emitting wood products; low-or no-VOC paints and coatings as certified by Green Seal Standard GS-11, GreenGuard, Scientific Certification Systems Indoor Advantage Gold Standard, Master Painters Institute Green Performance Standard, or another third-party rating program; and Green Label-certified carpet and carpet cushions. While requirements for materials and finishes that emit lower quantities and less toxic VOCs are expected to be beneficial on a theoretical basis, there is only limited empirical evidence about their efficacy in measurably reducing contaminant exposures in new homes.

A flexible solar simulator has been developed for use in renewable energy instruction laboratory. The system consists of a light source mounted on a linear actuator that approximates the luminous intensity and spectrum of the sun, and a detachable measurement unit for measuring IV characteristics of solar panels under the lighting. The system provides information about the module temperatures and incident light intensity during the current and voltage measurement process. The detachable measurement unit can also be used outdoors for characterizing solar modules under direct sunlight conditions.