Field studies of energy savings in buildings: A tour of a 15-year research program at Princeton University

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) Vol. 12; no. 10; pp. 1029 - 1043
• Main Author: Socolow, Robert H.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.1987; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Heating, air conditioning and ventilation; Technical data: comfort, insulation, loads, etc; Office building; One family house; Research program; Group building; Energy conservation; In situ; Thermal diagnosis
• ISSN: 0360-5442
• DOI: 10.1016/0360-5442(87)90059-4

A 15-yr research program is reviewed which features field measurements of the energy performance of buildings. Focused studies have been conducted in detached houses, in apartment buildings, and in office buildings; in all cases, physical models developed in the absence of measurement have been found to lack features of central importance, and unforeseen opportunities to achieve cost-effective energy savings have been discovered. Field studies, moreover, have documented actual savings achieved through planned retrofits of buildings, improving the credibility of recommended interventions and permitting the retrofit enterprise to have self-correcting features. A now widely used ‘scorekeeping’ methodology which estimates energy savings from inputs of energy consumption and local weather is also described.