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Download fileEnergy savings from domestic zonal heating controls: Robust evidence from a controlled field trial
journal contribution
posted on 2021-12-02, 09:21 authored by Kevin LomasKevin Lomas, David AllinsonDavid Allinson, Stephen WatsonStephen Watson, Arash BeizaeeArash Beizaee, Victoria HainesVictoria Haines, M LiDomestic zonal heating controls enable hydronic systems to heat rooms to different temperatures at different times. The first credible evidence known to the authors, of the in-use energy savings of such controls, is reported. The results and research methods are globally relevant. The energy demands and room temperatures in 68, gas-heated, owner-occupied, semi-detached homes, in the English Midlands were monitored for a year before zonal controls were fitted in 37 of the homes prior to the second year of monitoring. The other homes retained the existing heating controls and so provided a matched (control) group. Surveys and questionnaires characterised the dwellings, heating systems and households. In two thirds of the homes with zonal controls the annual gas demand decreased, in one third it increased. Overall, the mean gas demand decreased by 3.5% relative to the homes that retained their existing controls. Savings were achieved primarily by reducing bedroom temperatures, especially in the evenings. Wireless, digital zonal controls are unlikely to provide an acceptable payback through reductions in energy bills at today's prices, but they offer households the flexibility to react to time-of-use energy pricing. A matched (control) group is essential for the reliable calculation of energy demand changes arising from interventions in occupied homes.
Funding
DEFACTO: Digital Energy Feedback and Control Technology Optimisation
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Find out more...EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Energy Demand (LoLo)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
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School
- Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
- Design and Creative Arts
Department
- Design
Published in
Energy and BuildingsVolume
254Publisher
ElsevierVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Rights holder
© The AuthorsPublisher statement
This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Elsevier under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Acceptance date
2021-10-11Publication date
2021-10-16Copyright date
2021ISSN
0378-7788Publisher version
Language
- en