This project is an aggressive multi-disciplinary, comprehensive, whole building approach to designing and constructing a net zero energy retrofit of an existing low-income multi-family complex. To the best of our knowledge this will be the first Multi-family Net Zero/ Deep Energy Reduction (DER)...

Laboratory refrigeration has not been extensively studied, with the exception of ULT freezers.  The largest insight into the energy savings potential comes from the ENERGY STAR Product Specification for Laboratory Grade Refrigerators and Freezers, published in 2016.  Data from 14...

Most building power distribution systems use alternating current (AC). This significantly influences the design of connected, direct current (DC) appliances including light-emitting-diode (LED) light sources and digital controls.  With the proliferation of DC devices as standard design...

This project is a laboratory evaluation of commercial plug load controls. The control devices connect wirelessly to the cloud and can report energy usage data. These devices are specific to commercial applications. The objective of the evaluation is to test the controls capability of the devices,...

The objective of this project was to evaluate the possibilities for Demand Response (DR) using connected ecosystems currently available in the market. Current residential demand response programs focus on the control of single communicating devices such as Direct Load Control (DLC) switch connected...

This study demonstrated how existing constant air volume (CAV) RTUs may approximate a variable air volume (VAV) system to increase efficiency and comfort for the building’s occupants. Given that 60% of the U.S. commercial floor space is served by CAV RTUs, these dynamic air balancing systems...

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) implemented a Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Production Builder Demonstration that supported six builders in California in designing and monitoring a ZNE house. Each builder received technical support from start to finish to upgrade one of their existing...

This project created algorithms predicting the performance of drain water heat recovery devices as a function of their installed angle. The algorithms use the same process as previous Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) drain water heat recovery projects1. Four representative DWHR devices, two...

Under the auspices of PG&E’s Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Production Builder Demonstration, De Young Properties built a 2,019 square foot ZNE home in Clovis, CA. This report describes the results from monitoring the occupied home for a full year.The ZNE definition used for the design was based...

As part of PG&E’s Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Pilot Program, De Young Properties designed and built a single story 2,064 square foot single family home located in Clovis, CA. It was built in 2013 and used as a model home until 2018 when it became occupied. All loads were monitored for the first...