Miscellaneous electric loads: Characterization and energy savings potential

Abstract

Over time, miscellaneous electric loads (MELs) are expected to increase both in magnitude and share of residential and commercial building energy consumption. This trend is most apparent in North America, but it is also occurring in Japan and Europe. However, the contribution of MELs to building energy use is not currently well understood, both because the products in this category are transforming rapidly and the definition and classification of MELs is ambiguous. This study estimated the national energy consumption of 36 MELs using bestavailable data and found them to comprise 12% of delivered electricity to the U.S. residential and commercial building sectors. If 26 of these MELs were replaced with the most energyefficient product models available on the market, their energy consumption could be halved to 6% of delivered electricity. National energy models will better account for building energy consumption by incorporating the MELs data collected and analyzed for this study, leading to improved policy decisions.Keywords: miscellaneous electric loads; U.S. national energy consumption; energy savings potential; buildings; end uses; forecast 1. Introduction Substantial energy efficiency improvements have been made in the equipment associated with the major electricity end uses, such as refrigerators, heating and cooling systems, and lighting. The result has been a leveling, and sometimes even a decline, in building energy use in many developed countries (EIA, 2019a; IEA, 2018). Further reductions are envisioned (as shown by different scenarios in Figure 1). However, reductions in total building energy consumption are limited (if not altogether eliminated) by a growth in energy consumption from oftenuncategorized equipment that is not considered a major end use. This collection of uncategorized equipment, which is often labelled "miscellaneous electric loads (MELs)" among other names ("Other" in Figure 1), is therefore of rising importance in energy policy. What activities and devices comprise it? Is it growing or shrinking? What technologies can be applied to reduce the

Energy and power quality measurement for electrical distribution in AC and DC microgrid buildings

“…However, without this data, the user must make modeling assumptions based on typical efficiency and wiring data for the given type of device. If multiple types of loads are present on the same branch (e.g., branch 2 in Figure 1), the user must make modeling assumptions about the distribution of power, which can be calculated from typical consumption profiles [41,42].…”

Electrical Measurement and Verification of Energy in DC Buildings

“…In the absence of such data, modeling assumptions can be made based on typical design practices for wiring and aggregated manufacturer data for efficiency. Branches with multiple types of loads (e.g., branch 2 in Figure 1) require additional modeling assumptions about the distribution of power between the loads, which can be approximated based on each load's typical consumption [8], [9].…”