Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Residential Building Adaptive Energy Management System (R-BAEMS) Design
EPA Grant Number: SU833953Title: Residential Building Adaptive Energy Management System (R-BAEMS) Design
Investigators: Lough, Katie Grantham , Wright, Christopher David , Schaefer, Brian Joseph , Brennan, Cory Joseph , Glass, Bryan Michael , Baur, Stuart W. , Battern, Lisa , Stone, Robert
Institution: Missouri University of Science and Technology
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 31, 2008 through July 31, 2009
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2008) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Many guidelines exist for design of passive solar characteristics in a structure to reduce heating and lighting demands (DOE, 2000; IEA, 2007). However, fewer design strategies exist for incorporating active energy management systems (AEMS) into residential structures. The purpose of this research is to address that gap in the sustainable built environment knowledge by investigating the type, usage and placement of sensors to monitor temperature and humidity and actuators to modify the interior climate of residential structures.
The research objective of this project was to measure the environmental impact of automated energy management systems for residential structures. Residential climate control and creature comfort needs account for the majority of the residential energy demand.
The scope of this project included a feasibility study of the R-BAEMS that focused on measuring the energy usage between two similar houses – one implemented with a rudimentary R-BAEMS and one with no active system. Both houses are products of two previous Solar Decathlon competition entries. The houses now exist at the S&T Solar Village. The 2007 house has a basic automation package on its upper windows that can be used as part of the R-BEAMS actuators. The village layout is shown in Fig. 2. Each house serves as student housing providing an opportunity to measure real world conditions. The solar and thermal systems controllers are placed in the basement of each house and therefore are accessible without disturbing the resident and the living environment.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The expected outcomes from Phase I included 1) a set of guidelines for implementing R-BAEMS in residential structures from both a retrofit and original design perspective and 2) a cost and energy analysis of R-BAEMS impact on the environment. The status of each of the outcomes is presented in Table 21 which indicated that in spite the delayed sensor suite installation, the R-BAEMS project is progressing toward success. The expected output of the project, as proposed in Phase I, was an experimentally determined R-BAEMS specification. The status of the proposed output is shown in Table 2 below. Again, the progress is delayed due to the massive sensor suite installation for the S&T Solar Village; however, specification development for home automation systems on new designs has not been adversely affected.
Table 1. R-BAEMS Phase I Outcome Status
Expected | Outcome | Outcome Status Delay Justification |
---|---|---|
Guidelines for implementing R-BAEMS in original home designs | R-BAEMS (now termed Chameleon) is currently being installed in the 2009 S&T Solar Home. Construction can be viewed from the live webcams at http://solarhouse.mst.edu/webcams.html. A draft of the implementation guidelines have been created and will be updated as the actual installation progresses. | n/a |
Guidelines for implementing R-BAEMS as retrofits in existing home designs | The sensor suite installation for the 2002 and 2005 Solar Houses has not been completed past the AC energy loads. Once the entire sensor suite has been completed in those homes without a home automation system, the data will be evaluated to identify the most appropriate guidelines for an R-BAEMS retrofit. | Sensor Suite Installation 30% complete with NREL. The Sensor Suites are part of NREL’s Solar Building Benchmark program and must be installed by NREL personnel to adhere to the program’s criterion. As they become available to assist with the installation we have worked with them to ensure the project’s success. |
Cost analysis of R-BAEMS | The sensor suite installation for the 2002, 2005, and 2007 Solar House has not been completed past the AC energy loads. Once the entire sensor suite has been completed, the data will be evaluated to identify the return-oninvestment for the R-BAEMS system. | |
Energy Analysis of R-BAEMS | An AC energy analysis has been conducted for the 2002, 2005, and 2007 S&T solar homes since January 2009. | n/a |
Sensor/Appliance Anomaly Identification is an additional output of this project. |
Table 2. R-BAEMS Phase I Output Status
Expected | Outcome | Outcome Status Delay Justification |
---|---|---|
R-BAEMS Experiments | In Progress. See Table 1 for S&T Solar Village experimental plan. | Sensor Suite Installation 30% complete with NREL. The Sensor Suites are part of NREL’s Solar Building Benchmark program and must be installed by NREL personnel to adhere to the program’s criterion. As they become available to assist with the installation we have worked with them to ensure the project’s success. |
R-BAEMS Specifications | R-BAEMS (now termed Chameleon) is currently being installed in the 2009 S&T Solar Home. Construction can be viewed from the live webcams at http://solarhouse.mst.edu/webcams.html. A draft of the specifications has been created and will be updated as the actual installation progresses and equipment performance is evaluated. |
Conclusions:
The Phase I of the R-BAEMS project balances people, prosperity, and the planet by researching implementation of home automation systems to new construction and retrofitting existing homes. The home automation systems allows people to be environmentally and economical friendly in their energy consumption while living in a comfortable environment.
The Phase I project was successful by producing a home automation system that is currently being implemented in a new construction home complete with specification and implementation guidelines. Furthermore, the project also identified anomalies present in the existing homes that were outfitted with sensors for measurement for the project. While, the research pertaining to retrofitting existing homes and the complete cost analysis of the project is not yet complete, it is underway and the preliminary results are promising.
The team members consisted of disciplines including architectural engineering, electrical engineering, engineering management, and interdisciplinary engineering. The combination of these disciplines enabled the R-BAEMS system design to incorporate aesthetic integration into home designs, sophisticated control systems behind the scenes, and appropriate management of the systems integration that yielded results in the short time frame of the project.
The project has a great potential to bring about positive impacts making progress toward sustainability because it requires no extra effort of the user than installation. RBAEMS home automation system is designed to optimize the operation of a home’s systems toward maximum energy conservation while achieving desired functionality for the residents without disruption of their normal day-to-day activities.
The potential impacts are broadly applicable to all residential dwellings in the developed world as well as new home construction in both the developing and developed world. Beyond residential applications, the theories behind the R-BAEMS home automation system can be extrapolated to commercial structures as well.
The total cost of the R-BAEMS system is not yet available as the installation in the 2009 S&T Solar Home is not complete. Assistance to the project has come in the form of discounts and in-kind donations from both National Instruments and Siemens. Further external funding for the project was leverages for the sensor network and installation. The sensor network hardware and software cost approximately $40,000, which was funded by S&T. The labor cost for installation of the systems was funded by NREL. A return-on-investment calculation will be performed once installation is complete and significant usage data has been gathered from the sensors.
Once R-BAEMS is installed in the 2009 S&T Solar House, the project’s reduced environmental impact will be quantified in terms of energy consumption as compared to two homes of similar size without any type of home automation system (2002 & 2005 S&T Solar Houses) and also compared to a commercially available Home Automation system (2007 S&T Solar House). The expected results from the R-BAEMS installation to be shown by the sensor suite are the number of kilowatt-hours of power used by its resident will be reduced as compared to those required for the other homes.
Beyond the quantifiable energy benefits, R-BAEMS will enable a comfortable home environment that is maintainable in a climate of rising energy costs and subsequent rising cost of living. This feature contributes to an improved quality of life. Furthermore, residents will be able to contribute positively to the environment without expending a significant amount of personal effort. This in turn will allow more time and energy of those who desire to focus on other projects to benefit the environment as well. The Phase I R-BAEMS project focused on combining existing sensor, control system, and energy efficient technologies in an innovative manner to promote sustainability and improved quality of life. Phase II will continue this residential home automation technology development.
Proposed Phase II Objectives and Strategies:
The phase II proposal builds on the sensor suite implemented and the initial building system model formulated in the P3 phase I project. In the phase II proposal, we move beyond the basic sensor study and rudimentary control system to an artificial intelligence (AI) based controller that is cognizant of all power demands and commands all residential appliances and HVAC equipment to operate in the most energy efficient and power conserving modes. Additionally, the project will implement and test the Chameleon (formerly R-BAEMS of phase I) system. Specific to installation and testing, Chameleon will be implemented first in the Missouri S&T 2009 Solar House entry designed and built for the Department of Energy’s 2009 Solar Decathlon. Chameleon was chosen as the system’s moniker because the system is envisioned to integrate seamlessly within a building and its goal of reducing energy usage will produce no noticeable side-effects to the building occupant (i.e., Chameleon will be indistinguishable from its residential environment). By using the sensor suite from phase I, the system will monitor the amount of energy that is currently being consumed by the building on a zone-by-zone basis. The AI of Chameleon will use this zone information to terminate unnecessary standby power, decide the most energy efficient methods to control the building’s interior climate and schedule activities for everyday tasks such as food preparation, laundry or dishwashing. With increasing energy costs, Chameleon portends to be extremely feasible not only on an implementation scale but also on the emerging market of energy-conserving products.
Supplemental Keywords:
Energy conservation, home environment comfort, energy automation,Relevant Websites:
Live 2009 Solar House Construction: http://solarhouse.mst.edu/webcams.html Exit
Solar Decathlon: http://solardec Exit athlon Exit .org/about.html Exit
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.