Weatherization service providers learn how to use the National Energy Audit Tool (NEAT) at a training session sponsored by DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the mid-1990s. (Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory) |
The Weatherization Assistance Program made a great leap forward when it adopted energy audits in the late 1990s because it allowed weatherization service providers to customize the energy efficiency packages for each home. Today, these audits are used in 37 states. The National Energy Audit Tool (NEAT) is available to weatherization agencies free of charge.
The National Energy Audit Tool
The National Energy Audit Tool (NEAT) is an advanced but easy-to-use computerized energy audit developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program. This computer program is designed for state and local agencies and utilities to determine the most cost-effective energy efficiency measures for single-family homes.
NEAT produces a prioritized list of cost-effective measures customized for each dwelling based on building characteristics and type of heating and cooling systems. The output also includes an estimated dollar value for the projected energy savings, savings-to-investment ratios, and a list of materials necessary to perform the recommended retrofit.
ORNL introduced NEAT in the summer of 1993, and by the following year, it was already being used by weatherization agencies in 20 states. During 1995, NEAT was used by approximately 500 local agencies in 30 states to make retrofitting decisions for more than 80,000 low-income dwellings. Today advanced energy audits are used in every state. Based on field tests in Wisconsin, New York, and North Carolina, NEAT has helped auditors improve average heating energy savings by 18% to 25% over standard selection methods.
NEAT comes in several formats:
- Basic NEAT: DOS-based, requires 512K of RAM, available on a single 720-K diskette
- NEAT GUI: basic NEAT with a graphical user interface
- Upcoming format: the next version of NEAT will include a Windows interface along with other upgrades. The release date has not yet been established.
There are several versions of NEAT, including:
- NEAT 7.0 for Windows, which is the most recent version.
- NEAT 6.1, released in November 1997. NEAT 6.1 includes standard and graphical user interfaces, context-sensitive help, lighting retrofits, and other new features. It is being distributed in a package of programs designated as the Weatherization Assistant that also includes the Manufactured Home Energy Audit (MHEA).
- NEAT 6.0D, which is a demonstration version with context-sensitive help (5/8/95).
- NEAT 5.2B: prior production version (6/2/95-9/27/97). This version can still be used by setting the computer's date to a date earlier than 9/27/97.
- NEAT 4.3: prior production version (10/14/93-6/1/95).
Manufactured Home Energy Audit
The Manufactured Home Energy Audit (MHEA) was developed for the Weatherization Assistance Program by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Like NEAT, this audit is a software tool that predicts manufactured home energy consumption and recommends weatherization retrofit measures tailored to that particular home.
Manufactured homes can be effectively weatherized only via measures developed specifically for such homes. The unique construction characteristics of manufactured homes require that each measure be evaluated separately to devise a package that will result in high energy and dollar savings. MHEA evaluates each manufactured home individually and takes into account local weather conditions, retrofit measure costs, and fuel costs.
MHEA stands apart from other building energy analysis tools in many ways. Calculations incorporated into the computer code specifically address manufactured home heating and cooling load trends. The retrofit measures evaluated by MHEA are all applicable to manufactured homes. Help messages describe common weatherization practices for manufactured homes and provide hints on how to install retrofit measures. These and other features make MHEA easy to use when evaluating energy consumption and the effects of weatherization retrofit measures on manufactured homes.
Weatherization agencies can order both NEAT and MHEA free of charge from the Energy Science and Technology Software Center (ESTSC) operated by DOE's Office of Scientific and Technical Inquiry. For more information, call ESTSC at 423-576-2606 or via e-mail at estsc@adonis.osti.gov.
Information for Homeowners Receiving Weatherization Services
See the following documents for background on energy audits used in weatherization:
- Home Energy Audits
DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) publishes this fact sheet as part of its "Consumer Information" series; 7 pp.; last updated October 2002.
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