Residential energy monitoring: Missouri S&T Solar Village development

"As energy costs are rising, public and private sector groups are searching for improved energy efficiency technology. Research tools for predicting residential energy usage are lagging behind commercial developments. Missouri S&T has a unique and strong opportunity to strengthen its involvement in the development of residential energy research and knowledge. The S&T Solar Village, a collection of homes designed for energy efficiency and renewable energy, is poised to support this research. This thesis develops a design for residential energy evaluation and data collection of the four solar homes in the Village. The energy evaluation system identifies over 300 sensors and equipment to monitor and analyze energy production and consumption. The sensor suite is designed to collect data on weather, energy production, energy consumption, and resource utilization for a full building envelope analysis. This thesis also reviews the additional work of installation and data collected from the AC electric sensor set and a designed electricity information feedback interface for the Solar Village. Finally, a discussion of energy research opportunities made possible by the sensor suite is presented"--Abstract, page iii.