Conventional research house planning, acquisition, instrumentation, and characterization tests. Topical report, December 1983-August 1986

A 30-year-old, one-story, detached, single-family dwelling, with full basement, three bedrooms, and a floor area of 1150 square feet, was acquired, instrumented, and was characterized during the 1985-86 heating season. This conventional research house is located in Chicago, Illinois, and was selected because it is typical of a very large segment of existing houses in the East-North-Central region of the U.S. For the heating-characterization test, the house was equipped with a natural-gas-fired, central forced-air, power-vented, heat-pipe furnace and a storage water heater; a powered humidifier; electronic air cleaner; and a central electric air conditioner. The results of these tests will serve as the baseline for testing zoned warm-air furnaces, desiccant cooling, gas-fired heat pumps, and other advanced gas appliances.