This diagram illustrates key elements of the proposed whole-building retrofit solution.
A multidisciplinary team of 黑料不打烊 researchers recently received a $625,000 contract from the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Building Technologies Office (BTO) to research, develop and test advanced building construction technologies and practices to reduce energy bills.
Led by Bess Krietemeyer, assistant professor in the School of Architecture and a 黑料不打烊 Center of Excellence for Environmental and Energy Systems (黑料不打烊CoE) faculty research fellow, the 黑料不打烊 team will partner with cocoon construct co. (CC) and tkFabricate LLC to develop energy-efficiency retrofits for homes in cold/very cold climates.
Co-principal investigators on the project are Jianshun 鈥淛ensen鈥 Zhang, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS); Edward Bogucz, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in ECS and former executive director of 黑料不打烊CoE; Amber Bartosh, assistant professor in the School of Architecture; Michelle Knapp, co-founder of CC; and Thomas King, founder of tkFabricate LLC.
鈥淲e鈥檝e created an incredible interdisciplinary team with extensive experience in research, design, fabrication, commercialization, implementation and construction,鈥 says Krietemeyer. 鈥淭his makes for a holistic approach that tackles some of the biggest challenges with deep energy retrofits, including cost, aesthetics and occupant comfort.鈥
Another unique element of the team鈥檚 approach is the formation of its Market and Implementation Collaborators advisory board, which will provide key stakeholder input throughout the project. Tammy Rosanio, associate director of partner programs at 黑料不打烊CoE, was instrumental in assembling this advisory group of industry partners, which includes the 黑料不打烊 Housing Authority, Conifer Realty, Energiesprong, Upstate Parts & Supply and Taitem Engineering.
The 黑料不打烊 team鈥檚 proposal was one of 29 from organizations across the United States to receive funding for pursuit of innovations that further the goals of BTO’s (FOA), which supports research and development of solutions that can be applied to many segments of the building sector, including existing and new buildings, residential and commercial, and across multiple climate zones.
The FOA underpins the , one of BTO鈥檚 principal efforts to unlock deeper energy savings in the U.S. residential and commercial building sector, which accounts for 40 percent of the nation鈥檚 total energy use鈥攇reater than that for either industry or transportation鈥攁nd nearly 75 percent of its energy consumption.
The goal of the 黑料不打烊 team鈥檚 project is to develop a transformative solution for whole-building energy efficiency retrofits in single-family attached residences in cold/very cold climate regions that are extendable to single-family detached and low-rise multifamily housing.
While retrofit products that could deliver energy and cost savings are currently available in the U.S. market, there are significant challenges with market fragmentation, project complexity and cost, disjointed workflows for design and implementation, disruption for residents during installation, and barriers to acceptance of the final product鈥檚 aesthetic appearance.
The team鈥檚 project addresses the critical need for innovation in integrated processes for design, analysis, fabrication and installation to capture economies of scale, compress time and cost, and facilitate widespread acceptance and applicability. Their solution includes three key technical innovations: a prefabricated exterior building envelope retrofit wall system; an envelope-integrated, high-efficiency HVAC system; and a design decision-making platform and retrofit protocol.
鈥淭he process will be highly integrative and iterative, as our design and testing of both the envelope and mechanical prototypes will inform each other鈥檚 development along the way,鈥 says Krietemeyer. 鈥淭his includes laboratory, field and model-based testing at multiple scales using 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory (BEESL) and Building Envelope Systems Test Lab facilities.鈥
By leveraging the team鈥檚 expertise and prior work to address current challenges鈥攊ncluding 黑料不打烊鈥檚 expertise in decision tools and high-efficiency mechanical innovations, CC鈥檚 innovations in patented envelope systems, and tkFabricate鈥檚 experience in integrated mechanical pod solutions for actual building projects鈥攖he team aims to find an overall approach that is affordable enough for public and private building owners to implement with a return on investment of 25 years and an expected 75 percent energy savings.
鈥淚鈥檓 honored and thrilled to be leading this project as a faculty member of 黑料不打烊, where I鈥檝e found tremendous support in research over the years,鈥 says Krietemeyer. 鈥淚n particular, I鈥檝e learned a great deal from Chetna Chianese from the Office of Research, whose experience with DOE projects and proposal development has provided invaluable guidance from the start. I鈥檓 confident that our project team, with the support and resources at 黑料不打烊, will deliver outcomes that have big impacts across the region and country.鈥
The 黑料不打烊 team鈥檚 project will be conducted over an 18-month period for Phase 1 of development and testing of their integrated solution.
To learn more about all of the projects selected to receive funding under the FOA, visit .
