Conference Paper

Proceedings of SimBuild Conference 2024

Integration Of Hourly Energy Usage And Emission Rates Through Mapping Between Climate Zones And eGrid Region

Yulong Xie ¹, Yun Joon Jung ¹, Jian Zhang ¹, Yunyang Ye ², Yan Chen ¹, Victor Salcido ¹, Douglas Maddox ¹, Ellen Franconi ¹, Michael Rosenberg ^1
1 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, United States of America
² University of Alabama

Abstract: Building energy codes are among the most cost-effective strategies for reducing carbon emissions. In this study, we have enhanced the U.S. DOE’s commercial and residential prototype model frameworks. These were originally designed to support the development of building energy codes based on energy use and cost metrics. Now, we have augmented these frameworks to quantify carbon emissions. This is achieved by simulating hourly building energy usage and utilizing the Cambium hourly emission rates. To integrate these two different geographic scales – the eGrid regions from which the Cambium emission rates are derived, and the ASHRAE climate zones where energy simulations are conducted – we have established quantitative mappings between climate zones and eGrid regions. These mappings are created for both commercial and residential prototype buildings, using commercial construction volumes and residential construction permits, respectively. This approach allows our analysis framework to account for emission rate disparities across various eGrid regions within a particular climate zone, as well as for energy consumption variations in buildings with different functionalities.
Keywords: Carbon emission, Building energy code, Prototype Building Models
Pages: 88 - 99
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