Evaluation of residential building energy-performance standards. [Use of DOE-2 program]

This paper reports on the development and analysis of energy-performance standards for residential buildings in the United States. The approach involves an assessment of the economic costs and benefits of alternative standards and provides quantitative estimates of the reduction of energy use resulting from the implementation of standards. The sensitivities of building energy use to design parameters of buildings - including size, orientation, aspect ratio, basement type, window area, and construction material - are assessed. The DOE-2 Building Energy Utilization Analysis program was used to evaluate the heating and cooling loads of residential buildings. Residential buildings were simulated in ten weather climates using hourly weather data with a variety of energy-conservation measures.