1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL

This Volume I-Executive Summary together with the Volume II-Final Report, and the Volume III-Appendices encompasses the work that was performed under Contract NSF C-853 and entitled "Solar Heating and Cooling of BuildingsPhase 0".

1.2 STUDY OBJECTIVES

'The purpose of this study was to establish the technical and economic feasibility of using solar energy for the heating and cooling of buildings. Specifically these objectives included:

The establishment of functional, performance, and operational
requirements for solar water heating, space heating and
cooling systems for a range of building types (i.e., Construc-
tion Review Classifications) and sizes in differing climatic
regions of the U. S.

An assessment of the market capture potential for solar heating/
cooling applications (including water heating) and identification
of the most cost-effective system/building/region combinations
for proof-of-concept experiments.

An assessment of the impact of the introduction and exploitation
of solar heating/cooling on energy suppliers and conventional
heating and cooling and service industries.

A study of the social and environmental impact of solar heating/
cooling of buildings.

A study of the projected first costs, present value, and equiva-
lent costs (including operation and maintenance costs) of solar
heating/cooling systems.

The development of recommendations for proof-of-concept experiments
in solar heating and cooling of buildings. These recommendations
will provide a set of alternative experiments which have varying
(a) percentages use of solar power, (b) sets of measurements for
assessment of user acceptance and engineering performance,

(c) time-phased schedules, (d) systematic studies of the likeli-
hood of acceptance and utilization by society, and (e) probable
costs to the Federal Government for research and development.

The development of plans for Phase 1 project operations in solar
heating and cooling of buildings.

The development of preliminary Phase 2 plans in solar heating and cooling of buildings.

The development of a strategy for achieving acceptance of solar
heating and cooling systems by financial and architectural
organizations, builders, and owners.

In all instances the rationale for the approach taken and the recommendations provided were to be delineated. In addition, the Recommended Phase 1 Plan shall include sufficient information (i.e., Technical Approach, Work Statement, Manpower Loading, Schedules, and Costs) to permit early evaluation and implementation by the National Science Foundation.

1.3 GUIDELINES & CONSTRAINTS

In conducting this Phase O study various guidelines and constraints were established by NSF. These included:

Establish and classify at least four (4) climatic regions and
provide rationale for selection

Building tyne classifications are to be in accordance with
Construction Review

Both new and existing buildings should be considered

Solar heating and cooling of buildings shall include solar water
heating

Marketing and cost projections shall include the 1980, 1990, and
2000 time periods

In addition to the above, the various system designs and Proof-ofConcept-
Experiments must be cost effective, reliable, and maintainable, and consistent
with the practices and building codes applied to conventional systems.
Furthermore, whenever possible the use of commercially available subsystems
and components should be considered. This would apply to all concepts,
particularly in those cases where augmentation by conventional systems
would be necessary.

1.4 SIGNIFICANT STUDY RESULTS

MARKET CAPTURE POTENTIAL

The market capture potential for solar hot water and space heating, using currently-available glazed collectors, energy storage systems, and control components is large, reaching about $1 billion/year by the year 2000. The majority of this market is for new construction rather than retrofit applications.

• Hot water heating systems are substantially more competitive than space heating systems for all building types and regions. This reflects the lower costs for hot water systems, as well as the stability of the hot water load throughout the year.

• Solar cooling of buildings, using current lithium bromide gas absorption refrigeration systems, is not cost-competitive to any significant extent during this century. However, modest reductions in peak cycle temperature requirements and/or system costs could reverse this situation.

Multi-family low-rise apartments are the most advantageous markets for solar energy systems (SES). Capture rates reach 26 percent for hot water and 16 percent for space heating in the year 2000. Schools have only slightly lower capture rates, but constitute a far smaller total market due to the low number of total starts.

Market capture for single family residences is lower than for
apartments, primarily because of preferential electrical utility
rates. The lowest capture rate is for commercial buildings
This low capture is due to the low hot water and space heating
requirements (for shopping centers, the year-round load is
primarily a cooling one), and low fuel rates.

• Among the four major regions of the country (West, Northeast,
South, and Central) the South and West regions account for 70%
of the total new contruction market capture for SES's in the
year 2000.

The yearly retrofit market represents about 25 to 35 percent of
the total SES installations during the time interval from 1980
to 2000.

Although the yearly dollar market for SES's is large by the year
2000, the total energy contribution varies from about 0.13 to
0.24 quads (1 quad=1015 Btu) per year, depending on the availability
of government incentives, abolition of preferential electric utility
rates or a SES cost reduction of 25%.

One reason for this low total energy capture is that the total installed solar energy system costs, converted to a cost per unit area of collector, and including all markups, generally range from about $20/ft2 down to $13/ft2 depending on system size and function.