Residential space-conditioning-based demand flexibility (DF) has become an increasingly sought-after method for demand-side load management to enhance grid reliability and facilitate integration of renewable energy generation. However, predicting the effectiveness and flexibility of residential DF resources is challenging due to the variability in household energy use behaviors. Current estimates show that only 50 % of projected savings from DF resources are actualized due to regulatory, technological, and social barriers. From a household perspective, concerns over thermal comfort during space conditioning-based DF events significantly impact participation decisions. Currently, there is a very limited understanding of how thermal comfort during space-conditioning-based DF events in real-world settings impacts household energy use behaviors and, consequently, the success of DF programs in achieving targeted savings. This paper proposes a method to comprehensively assess the thermal comfort implications of DF strategies and presents results of their impacts on DF event participation decisions and demand savings. The proposed method was applied to a heat pump DF field study in Cordova, Alaska. The study’s key findings are: 1) DF event setpoint offsets that maintain indoor operative temperatures between 18 to 22 °C (65 to 71°F) may be preferred in Cordova, Alaska; 2) Household-level thermal comfort is more sensitive to the duration of the DF event than to the degree of temperature offset from baseline conditions; 3) The delayed impact of changes in indoor operative temperature in response to setpoint offsets, both during and after a DF event, influences occupants’ thermal comfort perceptions and willingness to persistently participate in events. The findings from application of the proposed method can help inform future larger-scale occupant-centric DF programs as it can capture information not readily available through utility and device-level energy use data. Thus, it can supplement these sources and help program administrators develop occupant-centric DF strategies, enabling more accurate predictions of participation rates and savings estimates for space-conditioning-based DF programs.

中文翻译：

---

评估热舒适性和参与住宅需求灵活性计划


基于住宅空间调节的需求灵活性 （DF） 已成为一种越来越受欢迎的需求侧负载管理方法，以提高电网可靠性并促进可再生能源发电的整合。然而，由于家庭能源使用行为的可变性，预测住宅 DF 资源的有效性和灵活性具有挑战性。目前的估计表明，由于监管、技术和社会障碍，DF 资源预计节省的成本中只有 50% 得以实现。从家庭的角度来看，在基于空间调节的 DF 事件期间对热舒适度的担忧会显著影响参与决策。目前，对于现实世界环境中基于空间调节的 DF 事件期间的热舒适性如何影响家庭能源使用行为，从而影响 DF 计划在实现目标节约方面的成功，人们的了解非常有限。本文提出了一种全面评估 DF 策略的热舒适影响的方法，并介绍了它们对 DF 事件参与决策和需求节省的影响结果。所提出的方法应用于阿拉斯加科尔多瓦的热泵 DF 现场研究。该研究的主要发现是：1） 在阿拉斯加科尔多瓦，将室内工作温度保持在 18 至 22 °C（65 至 71°F）之间的 DF 事件设定点偏移可能是首选;2） 家庭水平的热舒适度对 DF 事件的持续时间比对温度与基线条件的偏移程度更敏感;3） 在 DF 事件期间和之后，室内工作温度变化对设定点偏移的延迟影响会影响居住者的热舒适感知和持续参与事件的意愿。 所提出的方法的应用结果有助于为未来更大规模的以居住者为中心的 DF 计划提供信息，因为它可以捕获通过公用事业和设备级能源使用数据不容易获得的信息。因此，它可以补充这些资源并帮助项目管理员制定以居住者为中心的 DF 策略，从而能够更准确地预测基于空间调节的 DF 计划的参与率和节省估算。