Team Members:
Emmanuel Asare – Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering
Rachel Emerine – Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering
Derick Phanos – Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering
Mustafa El Miari – Undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Nelson Fumo
School: University of Texas at Tyler
Challenge: No Peaking! Managing Peak Power Demand in Building
The objective of this challenge is to reduce peak power demand (load) in U.S. buildings (residential, commercial, new, or existing) by focusing on their thermal loads and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Innovative solutions should lead to significant reductions in carbon emissions while being accessible to low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities.
Project Title: Shade System for Residential Buildings
Solution: In this Shade Systems for Residential Buildings project, the peak demand for HVAC electricity consumption is investigated for potential reduction using a shading system on mobile homes. To achieve this reduction a design was created using readily available materials to produce a shade that does not need electricity to be deployed and can be removed during times when it is not needed. Simulations were run to establish the benefits of the shade system for mobile homes using EnergyPlus an open-source building simulation program distributed by the United States Department of Energy. These simulations represented a comparison of 3 regions of the United States without the shading system to establish a base of energy consumption and with the shading system to find the energy saved. For the south, middle, and north regions, the energy savings were 14%, 17%, and 15% respectively. Material cost for the design is estimated at $340 pretax with installation the cost could be about $1,140. With self-installation or assistance from community outreach programs such as the Greener CASA program in East Texas and potential price offsets from government programs or the electric company, the price of the system can be reduced or completely offset for the homeowner making it able to help the lower to mid-level income users that tend to live in mobile homes. With the widespread adoption of the system, the Shade System for Residential Buildings could reduce energy consumption by approximately 400 GWh per year for mobile homes in the U.S.