BUILDING ENVELOPE ANALYSIS SERIES

Much of the work has focused on single-family construction, and some has also addressed commercial energy codes.

BUILDING ENVELOPE ANALYSIS SERIES

Department of Energy (DOE) has conducted a series of research studies to validate energy efficient building technologies in the field. However, subsequent reports on end-use energy consumption will be part of the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption and Expenditures series, beginning with a 1992 data report to be published in early 1995. The end-use data presented in this report were not available for publication in Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption and Expenditures 1989 (DOE/EIA-0318(89), Washington, DC, April 1992). This report is part of an effort to address customer requests for more information on how energy is used in buildings, which was an overall theme of the 1992 user needs study. This is the Energy Information Administration`s (EIA) first report on energy end-use consumption in commercial buildings.

The FEDS estimates were then statistically adjusted to match the total energy consumption for each building.

The CBECS data were fed into the Facility Energy Decision Screening (FEDS) system, a building energy simulation program developed by the US Department of Energy`s Pacific Northwest Laboratory, to derive engineering estimates of end-use consumption for each building in the sample. The analysis used 1989 CBECS data because more » the 1992 CBECS data were not yet available at the time the study was initiated. The source of data for the analysis is the 1989 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption survey (CBECS), which collected detailed data on energy-related characteristics and energy consumption for a nationally representative sample of approximately 6,000 commercial buildings. The objective of this analysis was to increase understanding of how energy is used in commercial buildings and to identify targets for greater energy efficiency which could moderate future growth in demand. This report examines energy intensities in commercial buildings for nine end uses: space heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, water heating, cooking, refrigeration, office equipment, and other. The results from this analysis provide actionable insight for future commercial building research in reflection of recent construction practices. Given the recent release of 2012 CBECS data, this paper characterizes the most representative design choices for building envelope and HVAC systems in recently-constructed commercial buildings. The 2003 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) was the primary data source used to develop the original models. The prototype building models established a credible foundation to develop new requirements in building codes and standards, track progress of codes and standards, and evaluate the energy saving potential of new technologies or systems in the commercial more » building sector. Over the past decade, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in support of DOE’s Building Energy Codes Program, expanded these prototype building models to comply with multiple editions of national model codes and standards, including both ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and International Energy Conservation Code. Department of Energy (DOE) and its national labs developed a series of commercial reference building models in 2007.

Building envelope analysis