Chicago residential energy consumption. Final report

This report concerns residential energy consumption in Chicago, Ill., by single - family, townhouse, low - rise, and high - rise structures, with 1951 chosen as a typical weather year for the area. Heating and cooling energy requirements were determined by a time - response computer program with regard to structural parameters (construction details, dimensions, and materials), energy consumption parameters (heating and cooling equipment, types of fuel 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). The computer program included subroutines for determining hourly load contributions throughout the year due to conduction, convection, air infiltration, radiation, and internal heat gain. Heating loads were much greater than cooling loads in every residence except the low - rise type, which had a larger cooling load. This was due to a lack of ventilation and a large amount of internal heat generation. Both structural and comfort control system modifications were made to conserve energy, with the following results: single - family residences consumed 48 percent, townhouse residences consumed 43 percent, low - rise residences consumed 41 percent,more » and high - rise residences consumed 38 percent less primary energy than the characteristic structure. Supporting data, layouts of the residences, and references are included.« less