End-Use Load and Consumer Assessment Program: motivation and overview

Abstract

The End-Use Load and Consumer Assessment Program (ELCAP) was a major end-use data collection program undertaken by the Bonneville Power Administration from 1983 through 1990 to obtain specific information to support a variety of conservation and forecasting activities. The objectives of the program were to test key assumptions used in current engineering and forecasting models, provide insights regarding how various factors affect energy consumption, provide information to support load management conservation and marketing programs, and identify conservation resource potential from new demand-side technologies or programs. To accomplish this, a well-designed experiment was required that accounted for adequate representation of both existing and new buildings in the residential and commercial sector of the Pacific Northwest. This paper summarizes the motivations for obtaining the data, information regarding the sample, an overview of the analysis agenda, and specifics regarding the data set, both engineering and characteristics.