Demonstration of ZNE Technologies in a Dormitory Environment

The goal of this all-electric building project was to verify Zero Net Energy (ZNE) through the use of Energy-Efficient (EE) building materials, appliances and construction methods. This project was for a 85-bed, non-profit transitional housing village located in San Bernardino that offers shelter, mental health assistance and job skills training for the homeless. The primary focus was to validate ZNE by monitoring energy use and Photovoltaic (PV) production at four newly-built transitional housing units. Southern California Edison(SCE) contracted with Kliewer and Associates, LLC (K&A) for the instrumentation, data collection and analyses. Work included procuring and installing M&V equipment to facilitate monitoring and assessing energy use and production. The facility was far below the occupancy limit for quite some time, running at under 50% capacity due to the pandemic. Without full capacity being achievable in the foreseeable future, data collection began on January 1, 2021, and continued through December 31, 2021. After completing the one-year data gathering period, the analyzing phase started. The goals of this phase were to: Collect energy consumption and PV generation data Measure and calculate the housing project’s gross energy use of all electric technologies, by building and by circuit. Conduct an analysis and create a report following International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) standards of developing field assessment reports for public dissemination. Document the realized net electrical consumption, including the four buildings’ PV generation. Once these steps were complete, data showed the buildings performed at (or near) ZNE levels, as the design and energy modeling suggested. This report details the steps taken during the design, construction, and monitoring periods, explains why the buildings performed as designed, and shows collected data.