Project
2.2 - Attic Heat For Water Heating
Objective
To design and evaluate system for recovering heat from attics in HfH and manufactured
houses and using that heat for domestic water heating.
Prior Research
- Relatively more low-income
households use electric water heaters than is the case for higher-income households.
- Research (e.g., University
of Nebraska, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) has identified the ways in which
hot water is used in households. Other research has shown that electricity
used for water heating by low-income households is also relatively high. For
example, data from the First Year Load Impact Study of 1998 Low Income Energy
Efficiency Programs for PG&E, SDG&E, SCE, and SCG showed that low-income
households in single-family dwellings used 4,044 kWh per year in PG&E's
service area, 3,180 kWh in SDG&E's service area, and 3,804 kWh in SCE's
service territory.
- Research on technologies
for improving the efficiency of electric water heating has focused primarily
on heat pump water heaters. However, the first cost of such technology generally
precludes its use in housing for low-income households.
Tasks
- Review Literature
- Develop Conceptual Attic/Water
Heat Design
- Prepare Monitoring Plan
- Install Attic/Water
Heat Systems
- Install Monitoring Equipment
in Test and Control Homes
- Collect and Analyze
Performance Data
Projected Outcomes
- Data and analysis regarding
most appropriate design for an attic heat recovery system that can be installed
in houses occupied by low-income households and used for domestic water heating.
Two or three design plans will be developed, implemented, and evaluated in
the test houses.
- Technical goal for project
is to save 790 kWh per household.
- Market penetration goal
is 25 percent of new HfH housing in the first year and 100 percent for the
fifth year. For manufactured housing, the market penetration goal is 10 percent
for the first year and 50 percent for the fifth year.
Please visit the Project
News and Public Documents page to view
updates for this task, and current research activities.
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