Minneapolis residential energy consumption. Final report

This report deals with residential energy consumption in single - family, townhouse, low - rise, and high - rise structures in Minnapolis, Minn., with the year 1957 chosen as a typical weather year for the area. Design and structural features considered important in defining the residences were structural parameters (construction details, dimensions, and materials), energy consumption parameters (heating and cooling equipment, types of fuels and energy used, and appliances and their energy consumption levels), and lifestyle parameters (thermostat set points, relative humidity set points, type and number of appliances, daily profile of appliance use, and use of ventilation fans). Annual heating and cooling loads and resultant energy requirements were calculated using a time - response computer program. This program included subroutines for determining hourly load contributions throughout the year due to conduction, convection, air infiltration, radiation, and internal heat gain. The heating load was significantly higher than the cooling load for single - family and townhouse residences, as would be expected for the cold Minneapolis climate. Due to increased internal heat generation, low - rise and high - rise cooling and heating loads were similar in magnitude. Energy - conserving modifications involving both structural and comfort control system changes resultedmore » in the following: single - family residences consumed 47 percent, townhouse residences consumed 52 percent, low - rise residences consumed 53 percent, and high - rise residences consumed 34 percent of the primary energy required by the characteristic residence. Supporting data, layouts of the residences, and references are included.« less