PNNL

Abstract

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the number and cost of disasters are increasing over time, exposing the vulnerability of buildings and energy systems against extreme weather events. Over the past two-decades, the United States has experienced 265 weather and climate disasters that exceeded $1 billion in damages. In 2017, the United States faced the costliest disaster year, with 16 distinct billion-dollar events totaling over $320 billion. The built environment will likely face extreme weather events of greater magnitude and extent over the next half-century. In addition to natural disasters, the frequency and duration of extreme temperature events, most notably heatwaves, will also increase in frequency and intensity, impacting new regions of the U.S. to unanticipated temperature conditions. Driven in part by a warmer atmosphere, climate models project increased precipitation, higher wind speeds, and drought patterns that will intensity flooding, hurricanes, and wildfire events. Energy efficiency technologies and design strategies can provide resilience benefits for buildings and the energy system at large, before, during and after a major disruptive event. Energy efficient buildings reduce power demand, reducing the stresses to the grid. Grid-enabled technologies, such as smart thermostats and heat pump water heaters, can adjust load consumption to support time-sensitive peak demand periods. Efficiency measures play a critical role to support building resilience for extreme temperature events that present additional risk to building occupants when disruptions lead to power outages. Strategies such as insulation, efficient windows, envelope air tightness and passive ventilation can prolong comfortable indoor temperature conditions during a power outage. Efficient buildings, particularly when combined with a backup power or energy storage systems, are better equipped to function and maintain operability under such conditions. In this study, we investigate building efficiency as a resilience mitigation strategy as it relates to the ability to shelter in place during extreme heat and cold events that coincide with an electricity power outage. Specifically, we evaluate the impact that current code and beyond code efficiency measures have to protect against damage caused by extreme temperatures. We develop and apply a methodology to quantify the societal benefits of efficiency mitigation measures. The method includes characterization of extreme temperature events, the definition of metrics to characterize baseline and improved conditions, the analysis of occupant and property exposure, the estimated impact of exposure on occupant health and property damage, and the quantification of the value at risk.