PEAR

A simple PC spreadsheet program that estimates the total annual heating and cooling energy consumption of conventional houses in over 800 locations, using a database of thousands of DOE-2 computer simulations. PEAR (Program for Energy Analysis of Residences) Version 2.1 calculates the cost-benefit of conservation measured depending on user-input base case condition and costs. Used by architects and engineers to analyze the energy efficiency of house designs; used by utility companies and energy offices to evaluate retrofit measures; used by universities to teach energy-efficient design.

Keywords

design, retrofit, residential buildings

Validation/Testing

N/A

Expertise Required

Basic PC computer literacy; no specialized training required.

Users

200 plus.

Audience

Architects, engineers, energy consultants, utility companies, state and federal agency staffs, university faculties of architecture and engineering.

Input

General building description, including building type, areas and amounts of insulation of walls and roofs, amount of air leakage, type and areas of windows, perimeter length, efficiency of space conditioning system, and building location.

Output

Total annual heating and cooling energy use, and their breakdown by building component, e.g., walls, roofs, etc.

Computer Platform

PC-compatible.

Programming Language

Pascal

Strengths

Fast, inexpensive, and easy to use.

Weaknesses

Dependent on the accuracy of the DOE-2 data base; modeling of internal conditions and thermostat settings are fixed; not usable for foreign locations.

Contact

Availability

Research copies free from technical contact.
Available for $25 from:
National Technical Information Service
Springfield, Virginia

telephone (703) 487-4807
facsimile (703) 321-8547

Printable Version