TY - JOUR KW - Buildings KW - End uses KW - Miscellaneous electric loads KW - Forecast KW - U.S. national energy consumption KW - Energy savings potential AU - Joshua Butzbaugh AU - Robert Hosbach AU - Alan K Meier AB -

Over time, miscellaneous electric loads (MELs) are expected to increase both in magnitude and share of residential and commercial building energy consumption. This trend is most apparent in North America, but it is also occurring in Japan and Europe. However, the contribution of MELs to building energy use is not currently well understood, both because the products in this category are transforming rapidly and the definition and classification of MELs is ambiguous. This study estimated the national energy consumption of 36 MELs using best-available data and found them to comprise 12% of delivered electricity to the U.S. residential and commercial building sectors. If 26 of these MELs were replaced with the most energy-efficient product models available on the market, their energy consumption could be halved to 6% of delivered electricity. National energy models will better account for building energy consumption by incorporating the MELs data collected and analyzed for this study, leading to improved policy decisions.

BT - Energy and Buildings DA - 06/2021 DO - 10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.110892 LA - eng N2 -

Over time, miscellaneous electric loads (MELs) are expected to increase both in magnitude and share of residential and commercial building energy consumption. This trend is most apparent in North America, but it is also occurring in Japan and Europe. However, the contribution of MELs to building energy use is not currently well understood, both because the products in this category are transforming rapidly and the definition and classification of MELs is ambiguous. This study estimated the national energy consumption of 36 MELs using best-available data and found them to comprise 12% of delivered electricity to the U.S. residential and commercial building sectors. If 26 of these MELs were replaced with the most energy-efficient product models available on the market, their energy consumption could be halved to 6% of delivered electricity. National energy models will better account for building energy consumption by incorporating the MELs data collected and analyzed for this study, leading to improved policy decisions.

PY - 2021 EP - 110892 ST - Energy and Buildings T2 - Energy and Buildings TI - Miscellaneous electric loads: Characterization and energy savings potential UR - https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0378778821001766 VL - 241 SN - 03787788 ER -