Work

Cross-cutting strategies to lower electricity use of miscellaneous electric loads in the domestic sector

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Miscellaneous Electric Loads (MELs) account for roughly one quarter of building electricity use in most developed countries. A product-specific approach to lowering MELs electricity use in this category takes too long and costs too much because there are so many MELs, each providing unique services. An alternative approach focusing on key functionalities was therefore explored. These functionalities include: (1) power management, (2) power scaling, and (3) power conversion. Cross-cutting efficiency improvements to these functionalities can be incorporated into broad categories of MELs, thus saving electricity and lowering costs. Even though the population of MELs is diverse and rapidly evolving, major technical opportunities exist to improve their efficiency in these functionalities. Research into energy-saving solutions within the cross-cutting technologies will probably have larger savings than focusing on single products.

Source: Energy Efficiency

DOI: 10.1007/s12053-025-10347-9

Authors: Alan Meier, Joshua Butzbaugh, Wyatt Merrill

Institutions: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, United States Department of Energy

Language: English

Topic: Building Energy and Comfort Optimization

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,390