Residential Energy Code Field Study
The Governor's Office of Energy (GOE) will assist and support the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) in the multi-phase residential field study with the purpose of identifying opportunities for energy code training & education in new construction.
Buildings account for roughly 40 percent of the nation's energy consumption. Enhancing their efficiency will lead to a stronger economy, a cleaner environment, and significant energy savings for U.S. home and business owners. With this goal in mind, the U.S. Department of Energy has provided funding for states to conduct residential field studies. The participation of builders and local building departments is crucial in supporting this important activity.
The second set of DOE funded studies are being conducted across four southwest states (AZ, NV, CO, UT), and includes: collecting and analyzing data to establish the baseline energy use of typical new single-family residential buildings in the state; conducting education, training & outreach activities based on findings of the baseline study.
In April 2021, the data collection phase was completed, and the analysis of the data was provided by Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL), who has published these results on the Residential Energy Code Field Study Dashboard. NASEO, SWEEP and the Mozingo Group are collaborating with GOE to offer trainings specific to the needs identified in the analysis and have the highest impact. Further details will be provided once available.
Cooperation & Confidentiality
The reported data and trainings do not include any personally identifiable information (e.g., home addresses or builder names). Results are reported at the state and climate zone level, and the purpose of the study is not to evaluate compliance based on individual homes.
Cooperation from builders and local building departments is essential to the success of the study. Key benefits include access to more targeted training opportunities, and greater knowledge about residential
energy use in the state. The primary benefit, of course, is to help increase energy savings, which equates to significant utility cost savings to communities and homeowners across our
state.
Kick Off Meetings
The Residential Field Study kick off meetings were held on October 16 in Northern Nevada & October 17 in Southern Nevada. In total 35 stakeholders attended the meetings and showed support of the field study. The attendees were representatives from the building industry, local governments and other interested parties. Training kick off meetings are being planned and further details will be provided.
Study Highlights
- Results to be based on an energy metric
and reported at the state level
- Focuses on individual code requirements
within new single-family, site-built homes
- Data confidentiality built into the
experiment
- Designed around a single site visit
prioritizing key items
- Designed with statistically significant
results in mind