Exploring potential for residential energy saving in New York using developed lightweight prototypical building models based on survey data in the past decades

Abstract

In this research, a method of developing a model for predicting the energy saving potential of regional residential buildings has been presented. This model is predicated on a bottom-up methodology in representing and understanding the physical properties of the residential buildings in the region. The Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) database is taken advantage to provide modeling inputs for the building modeling of the five developed archetypical building types. Different secondary energy supply systems are then distinguished and modeled by a developed lightweight building simulation tool - SimBldPy. The model is calibrated and validated based on energy use data from 1993 to 2015. It is It is used for the optimization of eleven selected energy conservation measures (ECM) to find the best potential scenario for equivalent primary energy for residential buildings in New York state (NY). Best combinations of ECM parameters are discerned for each building type by Sobol sensitivity analysis. The optimal regional energy use scenario is found after coupling the population projection. It is indicated that the saving potentials of the state-level primary energy use for different building types range from 48 % to 62 % compared with the baseline scenario at the end of 2040 in NY.

Article Content