Energy Efficiency

and Zero Energy

Ready Housing

Amy Hollander
WAPA Webinar
4/29/2015

DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs

DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Tribal Energy Program

Western Area Power Administration

 Community-Scale Consumption and Savings Potential

• Homes and commercial buildings consume 41%

of U.S. energy
• The average residential home spends $2,000
annually on energy costs, 10 to 20% of which is
wasted from air leakage and outdated heating,
ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC)
• The product of COMFORT in addition to
monetary savings makes energy efficiency a
valuable product
Data source: U.S. Department of Energy

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 Utility Programs See Energy Efficiency as a Resource

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 Energy Efficient Technologies & Zero Energy Ready Homes

• Building Heat and Hot Water

– 90% Efficient Boilers and Furnaces
– Heat Pumps
• Air-Source Heat Pumps
• Ductless Mini-split Heat Pumps
• Geothermal Heat Pumps
– On Demand or Tankless Hot Water Heating
– Heat Pump Hot Water Heaters
• Appliances
• Lighting
• Retro-commissioning for multi-family and large facility scale
buildings
• Software and energy modeling tools for buildings
• Zero Energy Ready Homes
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 Building Heat –High Efficiency

• 90% high efficiency forced air furnace or

boiler
– Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings
range from 80% to 98.5% percent. This is the
ratio of the furnace’s annual fossil fuel that is
converted into usable heat. The highest
performing models convert 98.5% of its fuel into
heat.
– If your gas or oil-burning furnace was installed
before 1992, you’re likely wasting 30% or more of
your energy and pumping up to 4 tons of carbon
dioxide, the “greenhouse gas,” into the
atmosphere each year.

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 Building Heat –Heat Pump Types

• Air-Source Heat Pump

– Transfers heat between the inside of a
building and the outside air.
– For mild winter climates with 40 degree
outdoor temps. Some units have gas-
fired backup furnaces instead of electric
resistance coils, allowing them to operate
more efficiently when temperature drops
below 40 degrees.
• Ductless mini-split heat Pump
– A ductless version of an air-source heat
pump
– Mini splits are small and flexibility for
zoning or heating and cooling individual
rooms.

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 Air-Source Heat Pump and Ductless Mini-Split

See Efficiency Vermont for

approved cold climate units:
https://www.efficiencyvermont.c
om/docs/for_my_home/cold_cli
Ductless Air Source
mate_heat_pumps/evt-cchp- Heat Pump
distr.pdf

Photos courtesy of ©iStock photo

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 Emerging Technology – Building Heat

• Variable Speed Air-Source Integrated Heat

Pump
– Goal: Energy Savings equal to or greater than 50%
over minimum efficiency systems
– 2016 to 2030 Market Adoption

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 Building Heat – Geothermal

• Geothermal Heat Pumps

– Utilize the constant temperature of the
earth’s ground to deliver approximately
50 degree air or water to a heat pump
system where it is heated (or cooled) to
an inside living temperature.

– Heating air or water from 50 to 70

degrees is more efficient than heating air
or water from a -10 or 20 degree outside
unconditioned source.

http://energy.gov/eere/energybasics/article
s/geothermal-heat-pump-basics

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto/BanksPhotos

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 Types of Geothermal Construction

• Vertical • Horizontal
system system
• Most cost
• Air or effective for
coolant residential.
pipes • Air or coolant
buried at pipes buried
at 4 and 6
100 to 400 feet deep
feet deep • Requires land

• Pond or Lake • Open Loop

System
• Uses well or
• Water source surface body
heat pump water as heat
exchange fluid
• Supply line is that circulates
coiled into directly through
the heat pump
circles at least system.
8 feet under • Water returns a
the surface. recharge well
• Clean water
required.

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 Tankless or On-demand Hot Water Heat

• On demand (tank less or

instantaneous) water heaters
provide hot water only as
needed
• Eliminate standby energy
losses associated with hot
water storage tanks
• On demand DHW
characteristics:
– Typical hot water flow rate of
2 – 9 gallon/minute
– Can serve 1 to 3 bathrooms
– Equipment lifetime ≥ 20 years
• Typical annual energy savings
range from 8% to 25%

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 Heat Pump Hot Water Heater

• Install location must

• Remain between 40º to 90ºF
• Be at least 1,000 cubic feet of
air space

• Cool exhaust air can be exhausted

to the room or outdoors.

• Install in a space with excess heat,

such as a furnace room.

Heat Pump
Water Heater
Retrofit Heat Pump Kit

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 Heat Pump Hot Water Heater

• Average energy savings

over electric resistance
heater is 40% to 60%
– Depending on hours/year
electric resistance back
up heating element has to
be used

• Typical payback periods

are less than 3 years

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Emerging Technology

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) heat pump water

heater.
– Oakridge National Laboratory –in development
– Project to develop a heat pump water heater
that will enable widespread acceptance in the
U.S. residential market.
– Has zero ozone depletion potential
– Affordable
– Non-flammable

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 Appliances

– Clothes washers – ENERGY STAR brands

• Use 15 gallons of water per load compared to
23 gallons used by a standard machine.
• 20% more efficient than non Energy Star
washers, and only use 270 kWh of electricity
annually
– Dishwashers –Older than 1994?
• Per cycle it will use an extra $35/year
• Per cycle it wastes more than 10 gallons of
water

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 ENERGY STAR Rated Refrigerators

Refrigerator and freezer replacement are often

overlooked as big money savers
– ENERGY STAR refrigerators are 9-10% more efficient than
non-ENERGY STAR brands
– Newer refrigerators can save $35 to $300 on energy costs
over it’s lifetime
– More than 60 million refrigerators are over 10 years old,
costing consumers $4.7 billion a year in energy costs
– Use the ENERGY STAR savings calculator to find out exactly
how much money you will save by replacing your
refrigerator:
https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=refrig.c
alculator

16 Source: ENERGYSTAR.GOV
 Lighting

• Replace T-12 with T-5 electronic ballasts

• CFLs save 75% over a traditional incandescent lightbulb
• LED lighting saves 90% over a traditional incandescent
lightbulb, but lasts much longer.

All bulbs deliver equivalent Single bulb wattage Wattage used for whole house
brightness

Incandescent bulbs
60 watts 2,820 watts

CFL bulbs
14 watts 658 watts

LED bulbs
9.5 watts 446.5 watts

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 Lighting using kilowatt price of 12 cents

• Monthly Cost of Using Incandescent Light Bulbs

2.820 X $0.1188 X 150 hours = $50.25

• Monthly Cost of Using CFL Bulbs

0.658 X $0.1188 X 150 hours = $11.73

• Monthly Cost of Using LED Bulbs

0.447 X $0.1188 X 150 hours = $7.97

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 Retro-Commissioning a Building

• Retro-commissioning (RCx)
– Identifies and improves less than-optimal energy
performance in a large building’s equipment and control
systems.
– The intent is for existing systems to work as efficiently as
designed.
– Evaluation and fine-tuning of heating and lighting systems
can be implemented as a one-time intervention, frequent
“re-tuning,” or ongoing “continuous commissioning,” to
ensure that the energy savings persist.
• Tribes can use RCx as a lead component of facilities’ energy
efficiency projects

• Retro-commissioning for public buildings is a low-cost way to

reduce energy costs by 10% to 20% and can free up funds for
other uses.
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 Retro-Commissioning Guidelines

• Retro-commissioning is one part of an effective buildings

energy efficiency policy suite, and an organization-wide
energy management program.
• Retro-commissioning should be accompanied by
benchmarking, rating, and disclosure policies so that building
owners are more motivated to undertake RCx and so
buildings can clearly demonstrate improved energy
performance to the market.
• Retro-commissioning should not be a one-time effort, it
should be followed-up with regular performance feedback,
continuous improvement efforts, support for in-depth
technical analysis of major equipment investment
opportunities, technical assistance, and financial incentives.

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 Financing Retro-Commissioning

• Energy Service Company (ESCO)

• Loans
• Utility Incentives
• Small Business Initiatives Programs
• Train facility managers how to benchmark
their buildings to determine RCxing
opportunity
• Average Cost - $0.03 To $3.86 per square foot
• Average investment = $33,696
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 Non-energy Benefits to Retro-Commissioning

• Improved environmental performance of

building stock
• Increased thermal comfort and air quality in
workspaces
• Increased employee productivity
• Increased O&M staff knowledge of their
building and occupants
• Begin budgeting for future energy upgrades

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 EE Case Study: Nunamiut Village Corporation
Energy Upgrades
Energy education
Heating system replacements
Door and window replacements
Insulation and air sealing
On demand hot water installed
Upgrade chillers, freezers for key
commercial sites
Lighting: Replaced T-12 with T-8
electronic ballasts. 132 LED bulbs
replaced
Source: EERE.Energy.Gov/tribalenergy/projects_detil.cfm
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Project description
Five Community Buildings in Anaktuvuk
Pass, AK: Manager’s dwelling,
corporation office, hotel, restaurant,
and village store.
RESULTS:
$313,478 cost of upgrades
$55,000 annual energy savings
5 year payback
Project Background: Yukon Watershed
Council environmental cleanup to “Once
again drink clean water directly from the
Yukon River as our ancestors did for
thousands of years before us.”
The energy efficiency project contributed to
the environmental cleanup planned since
1977.
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Residential Software and Tools

• Better Buildings • EnergyPlus Building

Residential Program Energy Modeling
Solutions Center Software
• Building America – OpenStudio (SketchUp
Solution Center Plug-in)

• Climate-Specific • Home Energy Score

Handbooks for • Standard Work
Builders Specifications for
Home Energy Upgrades
Tools found at
http://energy.gov/eere/efficiency/homes

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NREL Software and Tools for Buildings

• Building Energy Optimization – BEopt

• BESTEST – New Building Energy Simulation
Test
• BESTEST-EX – Existing Homes Building
Energy Simulation Test
• National Residential Efficiency Measures
Database
Tools found at
http://www.nrel.gov/buildings/residential.html

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EE Case Study: Nunamiut Village Corporation
Energy Upgrades
Energy education
Heating system replacements
Door and window replacements
Insulation and air sealing
On demand hot water installed
Upgrade chillers, freezers for key
commercial sites
Lighting: Replaced T-12 with T-8
electronic ballasts. 132 LED bulbs
replaced
Source: EERE.Energy.Gov/tribalenergy/projects_detil.cfm
Project description
Five Community Buildings in
Anaktuvuk Pass, AK: Manager’s
dwelling, corporation office, hotel,
restaurant, and village store.
RESULTS:
$313,478 cost of upgrades
$55,000 annual energy savings
5 year payback
Project Background: Yukon Watershed
Council environmental cleanup to “Once
again drink clean water directly from the
Yukon River as our ancestors did for
thousands of years before us.”
The energy efficiency project contributed to
the environmental cleanup planned since
1977.
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Zero Energy Ready
Housing

DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs

DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Tribal Energy Program

Western Area Power Administration

 Zero Energy Ready Homes
• 1,055 square foot home
• Six inch structural insulated
panels (SIP) walls
• 10 inch SIP roof
• Insulated concrete forms (ICF)
foundation walls with R-20
high –density rigid EPS foam
under the slab
• Ductless heat pump heats and
cools the home
• Passive solar
• Triple-pane windows
• Exhaust fan provides
ventilation by drawing in
tempered outside air through
a 100 foot “earth tube” buried
two feet underground
• $144 per square foot (L48 Source:
price) http://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/09/f18/DOE_ZEH_TCLegendC
edarwood_09-20-14_0.pdf

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 The Zero Energy Ready Building
• Increasing insulation levels
• Air sealing the building envelope
• Installing the most efficient HVAC
• Lighting and appliances
• Whole-house approach that also takes into account building
durability and moisture issues
• Conduit, wiring, and plumbing for solar photovoltaic and water
heating panels can be conveniently added while the home is
under construction
• A zero energy-ready home is built ready for solar panels
whenever the homeowner is ready to purchase them
• With a super-efficient home, not only will the homeowner have
lower utility bills, when they are ready to install solar, they’ll
need fewer panels to reach net zero, and fewer panels mean
lower costs for purchase and installation.

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 DOE ZEHR Webinar

Zero Energy Ready Home Webinar (ZERH)

Energy Ready Home Specs –Revision 5
May 13, 2015, 12 to 1pm Eastern Time

Register:
http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/events/doe-
zerh-webinar-updates-doe-zero-energy-ready-
home-specs-rev05

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 Record for Tightest Home – Alaskan Native Village

• 28 inch thick walls • Only incoming energy is for

• Almost zero air leakage hot water, air source heat
– .05 ACH 50 pump, appliances and
• Heat Recovery Ventilator lighting
• Majority of heat comes
from internal byproducts of
lighting, appliances, body
heat, passive solar gain.
• Other heat comes from a
rarely used electric heat
pump (35 gallons of heating
oil/year)

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 Zero Energy Ready Home – No Renewables

Electricity Heating Fuel Total

Average $1,200 or $4,200 or $5,400

house in 5,930 700
Alaska kWh gallons of
diesel oil
Net Zero $770 or Zero $770
Energy 3,200kWh
Ready

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 Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs)
• Exchange stale indoor air
with fresh outdoor air,
recovering heat and
moisture from the
exhaust air and
transferring it to supply
air.
• More popular in cold
climates, only recover
heat from exhaust air and
thus dry out the indoor
air.
• ERVs could help improve
indoor air quality by
adding moisture to the
air.
Photo curtesy of Practical Eco
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 Net Zero Energy Building

NREL Photo - courtesy of 2007 Solar Decathlon

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 Case Study: Chaninik Wind Group

• Collaboration of four villages and good strategic energy

planning lead to 5 wind turbines for each village to produce 450
to 475 kilowatts of heat and electricity per village.

• Cost to villagers is 10 cents per kilowatt and has cut energy

costs by 50%

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 Wind Heat Smart Grid in Chaninik

Courtesy of Ona Brouse, Intelligent Energy Systems

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 Chaninik Identified a Unique Technology

Electric thermal storage (ETS) home heating units.

The ETS
devices are
saving
$1,500 to
$2,000
annually per
home.

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Photo courtesy of Intelligent Energy Systems
 Thank you

Amy Hollander
National Renewable
Energy Lab

303-275-3198

Amy.Hollander@NREL.gov

NREL Photo - courtesy of 2007 Solar Decathlon

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