Performance Data from the NIST Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility

Published

January 17, 2017

Author(s)

William M. Healy, Arthur H. Fanney, Brian P. Dougherty, Lisa C. Ng, William V. Payne, Tania Ullah, Farhad Omar

Abstract

Data were collected over two separate year-long test periods at the Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, a laboratory that is designed to evaluate a variety of technologies and operational strategies that lead to energy efficient houses with comfortable and healthy indoor environments. In a net-zero energy building, any energy consumption over the course of a year is offset by on-site renewable energy production, and this facility attempts to meet that goal through use of a photovoltaic array installed on the roof. Data are presented from one-year test periods over which the research team examined whether the facility would reach net-zero status. In both years, the house was operated in an all-electric configuration, with slight modifications being made in the second year related to control schemes and equipment selection. A virtual family of four was emulated to carry out the operations that would typically occur in a home (e.g., appliance usage, lighting usage, hot water usage, etc.). Data are initially being released for the second year of operation at the time of publication of this document, with an expectation that data from the first year will be released at a later date. Data are captured on a minutely basis from 379 data channels that record a variety of quantities that are critical to evaluating the performance of the building. Among those quantities are: room temperatures, room relative humidities, electricity consumption by devices, photovoltaic energy generation, outdoor conditions, operational status of devices, water temperatures, water flow rates, and air flow rates. Specifications are provided to fully describe the facility and its components, and an accompanying link provides design drawings and a data dictionary with key metadata for each of the channels.

Citation

Journal of Research (NIST JRES) -

Volume

122

NIST Pub Series

Journal of Research (NIST JRES)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/jres.122.014

Keywords

buildings, energy, net-zero, data, photovoltaics, efficiency, ventilation, heating & cooling equipment, water heating, residential

Citation

Healy, W. , Fanney, A. , Dougherty, B. , Ng, L. , Payne, W. , Ullah, T. and Omar, F. (2017), Performance Data from the NIST Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, Journal of Research (NIST JRES), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/jres.122.014 (Accessed December 3, 2024)