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Abstract: This paper identifies the impact of thermostat strategies on heating and cooling energy consumptions in buildings, thus suggesting the importance of a database for understanding the effect of thermostat settings and for deciding energy-conscious strategies. Using computer simulation, diverse thermostat strategies – change of setback period, change of set-point temperature, and change of setback temperature – were tested parametrically in a typical USA single-family homes, located in two climate zones, namely cold (Detroit, Michigan) and hot-humid (Miami, Florida). Analysis revealed that heating and cooling systems were significant energy-consuming components in each climate zone. Accordingly, heating energy in cold climate zones and cooling energy in hot-humid climate zones have potential for matchingly significant saving. Diverse thermostat strategies (changes of setback period, of set-point, of setback temperature) demonstrated their obvious impacts on such saving. In the cold climate in particular, the heating system showed the most significant energy-saving effect via proper thermostat strategies. Proper setback period, set-point and setback temperature need to be established to achieve energy efficiency in residential buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper investigates factors explaining the adoption of energy-efficient heating, cooling, window, and lighting technologies in U.S. commercial buildings. It presents multinomial logit models of technology adoption using the 2003 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey microdata set, examining, first, fundamental building components, and, second, energy-efficient adaptations. Key findings are that the choice of fundamental building components is strongly influenced by locational factors, the activities that are expected to take place in the building, and building-specific characteristics. Lighting technologies are an exception, and are poorly explained by these factors. By contrast, energy-efficient heating, cooling, window, lighting, and control adaptations appear to share common drivers, and are more likely to be adopted in newer, larger, more energy-intensive, owner-occupied buildings. These are the buildings that can best afford the up-front costs of innovation, which is often a design-intensive process. Absent policy interventions, the energy-efficient adaptations are unlikely to diffuse rapidly to the rest of the commercial building stock. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]