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Chapter 5 contains market and technology data on building materials and equipment. Sections 5.1 and 5.2 cover the building envelope, including building assemblies, insulation, windows, and roofing. Sections 5.3 through 5.7 cover equipment used in buildings, including space heating, water heating, space cooling, lighting, thermal distribution (ventilation and hydronics), and appliances. Sections 5.8 and 5.9 focus on energy production from on-site power equipment. The main points from this chapter are summarized below:

• 2010, shipments of heat pumps and furnaces increased 3% and 12%, respectively, compared to the previous year, reversing a five-year downward trend. (5.3.1)


• New solar photovoltaic capacity in 2010 doubled from the previous year, resulting in cumulative capacity of 2150 MW in the U.S. (5.8.8)


• Residential window sales for new construction dropped 66% from 34.1 million units in 2005 to just 11.4 million units in 2009. (5.2.1) In commercial buildings, low-e glass continued to take market share from clear and tinted glass. (5.2.7)

From 1990 to 2009, the window industry saw major shifts in glazing and framing materials. In the residential market, vinyl frames took a quarter of the market from wood frames, while double-pane sealed insulated glass units took market share from single-pane and unsealed double-pane windows. (5.2.1), (5.2.4), (5.2.5) In the commercial market, tinted and reflective glazing, which together accounted for 47% of the market in 1995, accounted for only 13% in 2009. Low-e coatings increased their share from 17% to 54%, and clear glazing held on to about one-third of the market. (5.2.7)


In the residential HVAC market, heat pumps have been increasing in popularity relative to furnaces, the most commonly purchased type of heating equipment. In 1990, manufacturers shipped only one-third as many heat pumps as furnaces. By 2010, that proportion had increased to nearly three-quarters. (5.3.1)


Seven companies manufactured most of the furnaces, heat pumps, and central air conditioners shipped in 2008 for installation in the United States. UTC/Carrier held the largest market share (32% of gas furnaces and 27% of heat pumps and central air conditioners). (5.3.6), (5.3.7) This equipment was on the whole more efficient than the equipment sold in previous years. (5.3.2), (5.3.4) However, the efficiency of the installed base lags behind the efficiency of new equipment due to long service lifetimes, which in the residential sector average between 11 and 20 years, depending on equipment type. (5.3.4), (5.3.8)