Review of Methods Used by the U.S. Department of Energy in Setting Appliance and Equipment Standards (2021) / Chapter Skim
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3 Assessing Current Models: Engineering and Technology Cost and Technology Performance
3 Assessing Current Models: Engineering and Technology Cost and Technology Performance
Pages 38-51
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From page 38... ...
, "Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Procedures for Consideration of New or Revised Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Products: Notice of Final Rulemaking," Federal Register 61: 36974-36987. 2 This pre-ANOPR stage is to determine whether "candidate standard level is likely to produce the maximum improvement in energy efficiency that is both technologically feasible and economically justified or constitute significant energy savings." Federal Register 85: 8705c.
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From page 39... ...
6 See p. 36982c of DOE, "Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Procedures for Consideration of New or Revised Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Products: Notice of Final Rulemaking," Federal Register 61: 36974-36987.
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From page 40... ...
Emergence of New Technology There are several examples of DOE revising initial screening results based on new information. One example is regarding variable-speed compressor technology implemented in portable air conditioners.
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From page 41... ...
9 DOE, "Examples of Screening Decisions Based on New Information," personal communication from John Cymbalsky, Office of Buildings Technology, to Martin Offutt, National Academies, June 2, 2020. 10 DOE, 2009, "Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Refrigerators, Refrigerator-Freezers, and Freezers: Public Meeting and Availability of the Preliminary Technical Support Document," Federal Register 74: 58915-58918.
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From page 42... ...
RECOMMENDATION 3-1: DOE should consider technologies that are at early, pre-competitive technological readiness levels and have promise for use in consumer products and commercial/industrial equipment as part of product population analyzed, even if it seems plausible that they will be screened out in later stages of the analysis such as in the Screening Analysis made during the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. DOE should continue to use the tools at its disposal, such as reconsidering a previously excluded technology, to avoid prematurely screening-out innovative technologies.
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From page 43... ...
These efficiency levels correspond to "Tiers" suggested by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency for utility energy efficiency appliance rebate programs.13 Design Option Approach The Design Option approach uses detailed engineering calculations often based on computer simulations of various design options. These simulations use engineering calculations that deterministically calculate performance of end-use energy-consuming appliances and equipment.
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From page 44... ...
14 See slide 11 of John Cymbalsky, DOE, "Appliance and Equipment Standards Program Buildings Technology Office," presentation to the committee, November 19, 2019.
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From page 45... ...
The optimal evaluation would involve field tests of a population of similarly built homes or buildings to test two alternative technologies and obtain reliable data. In residential tests, there is a dramatic difference between the energy consumption measured in homes in differing climates and the same equipment measured in the laboratory or simulated by a computer model.
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From page 46... ...
The Engineering and Technology Cost Analysis is the first step in determining if efficiency improvements are economically justified and is a key driver for all subsequent analyses. There are several elements to completing sound engineering analyses: Establishing representative material and labor prices.
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From page 47... ...
There are certain elements a cost analysis typically includes, which are listed and described below. -- Ranges of cost data with accompanying bands of uncertainty.
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From page 48... ...
Validating this approach might involve retrospective analyses of the impact of new or revised standards, taking into account the costs and energy savings resulting from the consumer products and building/commercial equipment that are sold pursuant to and are compliant with the new standard. Findings and Conclusions FINDING: The DOE innovation programs that comprise the Buildings Technologies Office are supportive of new, innovative or disruptive technology used for or in consumer products and buildings/industrial equipment.
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From page 49... ...
In addition, variations in consumer behavior were simulated by assuming variations in the demand relative to outside air temperature in winter conditions and weighted temperature-humidity in summer conditions. Demand Response The cost-efficiency relationship in the Engineering Analysis assumes that the only two determinants for consideration in appliance standards are cost and efficiency.
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From page 50... ...
This is likewise the analytical stage in which to include technology options that are near-commercial and offer promising reductions in energy consumption and peak demand. Some of the data and projections used in the suite of engineering and technology analyses discussed in this chapter will have important consequences both for appliance and commercial equipment standards and in other regulatory development mechanisms.
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From page 51... ...
1981. "Electric Load Curve Synthesis -- A Computer Simulation of an Electric Utility Load Shape." IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems 100(1)
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