In our view, buildings are more than the facilities we work in, sleep in, or eat at. Buildings account for about 40 percent of our nation's energy use, and they consume 75 percent of our nation’s electricity, but there are significant opportunities to improve the way buildings function. 

With more than three decades of experience in building energy research, PNNL is central to the nation’s efforts to improve the performance of homes and buildings, making them more affordable to operate, more resilient to disruptions, and more reliable in meeting the needs of their occupants—while also enhancing the comfort of the built environment. Our research teams have delivered impactful cost savings through equipment and system performance improvement such as accelerating highly efficient solid-state lighting products and developing advanced building controls for smaller size commercial buildings that lack resources to implement complicated control systems. 

Ongoing innovations in practical and cost-effective technologies—as well as the integration of reliable domestic energy sources—are changing the way power is used in buildings. Our researchers are developing and evaluating advanced building controls that, when deployed, could significantly lower utility bills for building and homeowners by as much as 30 percent. We’re also advancing technologies such as next-generation heat pumps that improve reliability and performance in a range of climates. To support decision-making, we have created tools like the Building Energy Audit Template and Rooftop Unit Comparison Calculator that help building owners and managers identify smart, cost-savings upgrades and better manage operational systems. We are also investigating control strategies that enable coordination of building assets—such as water heaters and air conditioning systems—with the electric grid to improve demand flexibility and reduce structural needs for load growth. PNNL is taking energy management one step further through building-grid integration on our primary campus in Richland—a living laboratory where our buildings are energy-aware, self-commissioning, and ready to engage with the electricity grid. 

Other unique laboratory assets include a pair of research homes that allow us to evaluate technologies designed to lower costs and improve performance in both new and existing buildings. PNNL’s Lighting Science and Technology Laboratory help us evaluate solutions that are practical, scalable, and grounded in real-world needs. Our Integrated Building Assets provide coordinated, systematic capabilities to study new building control concepts and technologies. PNNL’s researchers use the Advanced Building Controls Laboratory, to study HVAC controls  and the Environmental Chambers to simulate, test, and measure the performance of HVAC systems and other building equipment.  

Efficient buildings, effectively integrated as energy assets into the grid, can become a key component for grid reliability. We will continue to explore these buildings and homes, experimenting with them and developing technologies that make them more efficient and better places to live and work. 

View Energy Efficiency at PNNL brochure.