July 2001
This report summarizes electrical energy use data for single-family detached homes available from public and private sources. Data sources summarized in this report include:
- National annual data from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)
published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA),
- Monthly data from two builders,
- Hourly profiles from three utility companies, and
- Detailed energy use data from field measurements.
In this review, annual and monthly electrical energy consumption is analyzed primarily on a square footage basis. This normalization factor was selected as a means to compare different buildings. The limitation in using a per unit area basis is the assumption that all homes regardless of size have the same amount of lighting and appliances and usage patterns, which is not the case. The primary benefit in using this unit area basis is that it gives a simple, easily performed estimate of expected electrical consumption for any given home.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this research is to identify electrical energy use and demand characteristics for single-family homes. These characteristics may be used to better estimate the size
required for electric generation equipment serving an individual home. The energy use data
are used first to understand the annual electric energy consumption for a given home type in
a particular climatic region. Secondly, using hourly and higher resolution data, a better
understanding of electrical demand may be obtained. Both annual consumption and peak
demand are necessary for designing and optimizing distributed electrical generation
equipment for residences.
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing
37 pages