Energy efficiency requirements were developed for manufactured (mobile) homes, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A life-cycle cost analysis from the homeowner's perspective was used to establish parameters for a least-cost home in a large number of cities. Economic, financial, and energy-efficiency measures for the life-cycle cost analysis were selected. The resulting energy-efficiency levels were aggregated to the existing HUD zones and expressed as a maximum overall home U-value (thermal transmittance) requirement for the building envelope. The proposed revised standard's costs, benefits, and net value to the consumer were quantified. This analysis updates a similar effort completed in 1992, which was the basis for the existing HUD code Uo requirements.

This report documents the development of the proposed revision of the Council of American Building Officials` (CABO) 1994 supplement to the 1993 Model Energy Code (MEC) building thermal envelope requirements for maximum component U{sub 0}-value. The 1994 amendments to the 1993 MEC were established in last year`s code change cycle and did not change the envelope requirements. The research underlying the proposed MEC revision was conducted by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Building Energy Standards program. The goal of this research was to develop revised guidelines based on an objective methodology that determines the most cost-effective (least total cost) combination of energy conservation measures (ECMs) (insulation levels and window types) for residential buildings. This least-cost set of ECMs was used as a basis for proposing revised MEC maximum U{sub 0}-values (thermal transmittances). ECMs include window types (for example, double-pane vinyl) and insulation levels (for example, R-19) for ceilings, walls, and floors.

This report documents the development of the proposed revision of the council of American Building Officials' (CABO) 1993 supplement to the 1992 Model Energy Code (MEC) (referred to as the 1993 MEC) building thermal envelope requirements for single-family and low-rise multifamily residences. The goal of this analysis was to develop revised guidelines based on an objective methodology that determined the most cost-effective (least total life-cycle cost [LCC]) combination of energy conservation measures (ECMs) for residences in different locations. The ECMs with the lowest LCC were used as a basis for proposing revised MEC maximum U[sub o]-value (thermal transmittance) curves in the MEC format. The changes proposed here affect the requirements for group R'' residences. The group R residences are detached one- and two-family dwellings (referred to as single-family) and all other residential buildings three stories or less (referred to as multifamily).

The fundamental purpose of this study is to analyze heat loss characteristics of the End-Use Load and Consumer Assessment Program (ELCAP) samples of residential buildings and compare these results in a regional context. The two basic objectives of the analysis are to determine the distribution of insulation levels and heat loss potential among the various building components in existing homes as a function of construction vintage and climate zone, and to calculate theoretical residential heat loss potentials for use in subsequent analyses. The vintage and climate zone dimensions explored in this analysis are of particular interest in testing the extent to which the sample supports the general perception that newer houses and houses in colder climates tend to be better insulated than older houses and houses in warmer climates. The distributions of overall heat loss potential and insulation levels, for the houses as a whole and for the houses excluding the foundation, are examined. The effects of house size, shape, and foundation type on these distributions are also examined. SimilarlY, the distributions of effective insulation levels for each building envelope component are developed. The sample weighted average heat loss potential for each envelope component is also determined by climate zone, to provide information about the relative heat loss through components that are the targets of energy conservation retrofit programs. A principal result of this analysis is the information that home insulation levels are primarily related to vintage rather than climate severity, at both the whole house and component levels. The sole exception to this trend is windows, which exhibit a trend in climate zone but not vintage. The general trend toward vintage as a determinant of thermal integrity of residences may be the consequence of a lack of climatically appropriate energy standards. This illustrates that the lost opportunities for achieving an energy-efficient housing population can be large in the face of a tendency to build to common practices that are not adapted to particular climates. It should also be noted that the historical trend toward larger homes does result in higher thermal conductance, but this is more than compensated by the trend toward increased insulation levels. The homes built to the Model Conservation Standards clearly exceed the historical trends when they are viewed as representative of the next decade of construction.

Hourly end-use data have been collected from 454 residences and 140 commercial buildings in the Pacific Northwest. The data presented here provide an overview of electricity consumption patterns for 288 homes in the End-Use Load and Consumer Assessment Program (ELCAP) Residential Base Study. The Base Study is a sample of 454 regional single-family, owner-occupied, electrically space-heated houses. Metered residential electrical end-use loads collected as part of the ELCAP are summarized. The ELCAP was conducted by Pacific Northwest Laboratory for the Bonneville Power Administration. This paper addresses a number of load research questions: What are the mean annual loads for specific end uses? How much do end-use loads vary across residences? Are load shares less variable across residences than end-use loads? How do end-use loads vary with respect to common demographic variables, such as income level or number of occupants? To what degree do end-use loads vary by time of year? What are average hourly end-use load shapes? What are the estimates of average annual end-use loads and load shares for the residential sector after applying assumed appliance and fuel saturation rates to the metered loads? Descriptions are presented of the metered hourly end-use loads aggregated across time and across the sample of homes. Observations are made regarding common assertions about energy consumption patterns, but models or detailed statistical analyses of these loads are not included because they are the subject of other current and pending analyses.

This manual specifies a method for calculating the overall thermal transmittance (also referred to as the overall U-value or U{sub o}), heating load, and cooling load of a manufactured (mobile) home. Rules, examples, and data required by the method are also presented. Compliance with the Department of Housing and Urban Development`s (HUD) U{sub o} and load calculation regulations contained in Sections 3280.506, 3280.510 and 3280.511 of the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards must be demonstrated through the application of the method provided herein.

Heating-degree-day-based prediction models such as PRISM are a simple and common method of calculating heating loads for residential buildings. Implicitly assumed in these models is that the UA and temperature are the only driving variables. However, climate variables such as solar grains and daily temperature swing also have an effect on heating loads. These variables will not be correctly accounted for when predicted heating loads for one climate are based on measured data for a different climate if only heating degree days are used. This paper examines the correlation of outdoor temperature with various climate variables. Synthetic data produced from the SUNCODE simulation model have been used for this analysis. Four Northwest locations have been studied and simulated to cover a wide range of building UAs and solar gains. A systematic bias is demonstrated in the correlation of temperature with solar gains. Results indicate that heating-degree-day-based methods using data from milder climates overpredict the milder climates. Significantly more accurate predictions are obtained when climate parameters in addition to the heating degree days are accounted for. 12 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.