3717 -- Verification of Three Energy Estimation Programs for a Low-Energy House PDF

A low-energy (R-2000) house located in Halifax, Canada, equipped with an air-source heat pump was monitored for a year using a computerised data acquisition system. Data on indoor and outdoor temperatures, relative humidities, and power consumption were collected. The collected data were processed and analysed to evaluate the operating characteristics, thermal performance, energy consumption, and economic feasibility of the heat pump and the low-energy house in cooling and heating modes. The methodologies used in the analysis of the data collected, and the findings, are summarised in Ugursal et al. (1992). Detailed reviews of the methodologies and findings are presented elsewhere (Ugursal 1991a, 1991b - Ma and Ugursal 1992a, 1992b - Ma 1991). The collected data and the results were also used (1) to assess the accuracy of the predictions of one hourly and two simplified building energy estimation programs (Li 1991), (2) to evaluate the economic feasibility of using a dual-fuel (gas/electricity) heat pump in the test house vis-a-vis the existing conventional air-source heat pump (Li 1991 - Li and Ugursal 1992), and (3) to conduct a comparative evaluation of the feasibility of using various types of heating and cooling systems in R-2000 and conventional houses located in different parts of Canada (Li 1991). Here, the accuracy of the predictions of the three energy estimation programs is discussed and reviewed based on comparisons of program predictions with actual data.

KEYWORDS: Canada, low energy housing, air heat pumps, monitoring, indoor, outdoor, temperature, relative humidity, energy consumption, heating, analysis, calculating, heat pumps, accuracy, analysis, performance, economics, feasibility, heating, cooling, comparing, computer programs.