The Northwest End-Use Load Research (EULR) Project
Authored by Graham B. Parker, CEM, CEA and David Clement, NEEA
This article highlights the Northwest End-Use Load Research (EULR) project, an electrical end-use metering project being undertaken in residential and commercial buildings in the Northwest. Composed of two studies and funded by regional electric utilities and government agencies, the EULR project was initiated in 2017 and is managed by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA).
Designed to fill a widely recognized need for current electrical end-use data, the EULR project collects continuous energy consumption data, including key heating and cooling technologies and other major end uses, through the Home Energy Metering Study (HEMS) and the Commercial Energy Metering Study (CEMS). HEMS involves more than 400 residences and CEMS monitors more than 100 commercial buildings.
By filling a large gap in our understanding of contemporary energy end-use patterns, the EULR project will be useful to academic researchers, consultants, electric utilities, and energy-related government agencies for many years to come. Currently, the region’s utilities and other organizations rely on 30-year-old data collected under the End-use Load and Conservation Program (ELCAP) to inform load forecasting, efficiency savings and conservation program planning. Since ELCAP, thanks to improved practices, codes and disruptive technologies, great strides have been made in equipment efficiency and building energy conservation. Additionally, greater attention has been paid to the region’s winter and summer capacity constraint issues.
The insight gained through the EULR project will help achieve regional conservation and clean energy goals, and satisfy utility information needs.
