Predicting air conditioner load curves from energy audit data: a comparison of predicted and actual air conditioning data from the Athens load control experiment

An approach for estimating air conditioning load curves based on household duty cycles is presented. The duty cycles are calculated from heat transfer rates using household audit data, thermostat settings and outdoor temperatures. The fit between the load curves estimated from the duty cycle model and load curves calculated from measured data for households where customers set and forget their air conditioner is presented. The air conditioner and heat pump data were gathered during the load control experiments conducted in the summer of 1987 on the Athens Utilities Board distribution system in Athens, Tennessee. Data collected on days when there was no control were used to evaluate the concept of the duty cycle coefficient which was then used to calculate the duty cycle of heat pumps and air conditioners. The theoretical calculations based on the model are compared to actual measured data and are found to be in close agreement