Session: 17-01: Poster Presentations

Paper Number: 168352

168352 - Cost and Benefits From Energy Retrofits and Electrification of Low-Income Residential Housing in Colorado 

Abstract: 

As home electrification is introduced in low-income communities, it is critical that the process does not increase residents’ energy costs. Household electrification is the process of replacing combustion fueled appliances with electric alternatives. The  most commonly replaced appliances are furnaces, stoves/ovens, and water heaters. This process can result in higher utility bills for homeowners depending on the deployment strategy, electric and gas rates, and installation costs. Thus, it is important to assess and find pathways to develop cost-neutral (or at lower operating cost) electrification to increase electrification projects across the country. 
This project is part of a larger group of projects that is assessing the role of batteries in energy resiliency and reducing energy costs. In particular, this study quantifies the actual costs of about 30 homes that are being retrofitted and electrified in the Denver metro area, calculates the potential energy and cost savings, and finds pathways to produce cost-neutral electrification. Each analyzed home had an energy assessment performed, and the information was used to develop and validate building energy models in BEopt using utility dat a. Typical retrofits in this project consist of increasing attic insulation, adding household ventilation, switching stoves to induction models, decreasing air leakage, and switching heating/cooling to heat pumps in many of the homes. The cost of electrification for most houses in the study range between 20 and 40 thousand dollars. The early simulation results show annual energy savings in the range of 400-800 dollars per year, in some cases this can be around 50% lower than the baseline energy bills. As the study progresses the models of each house can have multiple simulations ran to assess which retrofit options would lead to the most cost beneficial scenario.
 

Presenting Author: Quin Guy Colorado School of Mines

Presenting Author Biography: Quin Guy is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. He holds his Bachelor's and Master's in Mechanical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines as well. His research is focused on building energy modeling and validation. His research has varied from commercial building modeling to community scale residential modeling.