A Four Step Approach for Energy Conservation and Retrofitting Interventions for Residential Buildings

This paper presents a utility data analysis for a residential building and the estimated energy saving results from the use of practical retrofitting energy efficient systems. A four step approach is used to: (1) collect the utility data to estimate an actual base line for energy consumption, (2) conduct an energy audit to determine the existing operating conditions of major energy use equipment, (3) model the building in Autodesk-Revit then export the data into Elite-Chvac (Commercial Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) for heat load analysis, and (4) prepare a comprehensive list of energy conservation measures. Several scenarios for possible interventions to the building’s cooling, lighting and hot water systems are proposed and evaluated in order to assess the effectiveness of various energy conservation techniques. Based on the results of these simulations, it is concluded that it is possible to reach an overall 44% reduction in energy consumption.