PNNL

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program goal is to develop cost-effective technologies and building practices that will enable the design and construction of net-zero energy buildings by 2025. To support this goal, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory evaluated an integrated technology that through utilization of synergies between emerging heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems can significantly reduce energy consumption in buildings. This set consists of thermal storage, dedicated outdoor air system, radiant heating/cooling with a variable speed low-lift-optimized vapor compression system. The results show that the low-lift cooling system provides significant energy savings in many building types and climates locations. This market represents well over half of the entire U.S. commercial building sector. This analysis shows that significant cooling system efficiency gains can be achieved by integrating low-lift cooling technologies. The cooling energy savings for a standard-performance building range from 37% to 84% and, for a high-performance building, from -9% to 70%.