Over the energy edge: Results from a seven year new commercial buildings research and demonstration project

摘要

Edge was a research oriented demonstration project that began in 1985. Twenty-eight commercial buildings were designed and constructed to use 30% less electricity than a hypothetical simulated baseline building. Average savings from the 18 buildings evaluated with post-occupancy, ''tuned'' simulation models were less, at 17%. The cost-effectiveness of the energy-efficiency measures at six of the 18 projects met the target cost-of-conserved (CCE) energy of 5.6cent/kWh for the total package of measures. The most important reason energy savings were not as great as predicted is that the actual, installed energy-efficiency measures and building characteristics changed from the design assumptions. The cost effectiveness of the measures would have been greater if the baseline was common practice rather than assumptions based on the regional building code. For example, the Energy Edge small offices use about 30% to 50% less energy than comparable new buildings. Savings also would have been greater if commissioning had been included within the program. Future projects should consider lower-cost ''hands-on'' evaluation techniques that provide direct feedback on measure performance based on functional and diagnostic testing, with annual check-ups to ensure persistence of savings.