Commissioning twin houses for assessing the performance of energy conserving technologies

In 1998, twin houses were built at the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology in Ottawa to assess the energy performance of new and innovative energy efficient materials and components for houses. The two research houses are identical energy efficient houses typical of tract-built models available on the local housing market. They also feature identical simulated occupancies based on home-automation technologies and are monitored for energy performance and thermal comfort. The simulated occupancy controls turn on and off major appliances, lighting and equipment. The houses were commissioned in the winter and spring of 1999, and benchmarked in the next heating season. This paper records the energy features of the houses and commissioning results. With the benefit of detailed monitoring of energy systems in both houses, many of the anomalies in component operation and controls were found and fixed. These anomalies could easily go undetected in regular houses.