Reducing the impacts of weather variability on long-term building energy performance by adopting energy-efficient measures and systems: a case study

Abstract

This case study uses whole-building simulation software to investigate the ability of alternative sets of energy conservation measures to limit the sensitivity in energy use and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) peak electricity demands by residential buildings due to weather variability. Four alternative building designs are considered: a net-zero energy design based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) net-zero energy residential test facility (NZERTF), a comparable, yet less efficient design built according to the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and two low-energy designs at varying levels of energy-efficiency. The findings from this study reveal which measures best ensure robust annual energy performance and occupant comfort by low- and net-zero energy homes given weather variability, as well as how much resulting energy performances vary across the sets of conservation measures considered in this work.