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Breadcrumb

  1. Research
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  4. Federal Buildings

Federal Buildings

Stewarding energy
use in federal facilities

Building research engineers at PNNL develop and demonstrate advanced technologies and methods for evaluating building performance, and testing advanced control technologies to optimize building performance. Novel approaches to performance evaluation and optimization are helping federal and private building owners identify opportunities to improve efficiency, validate technology effectiveness, and achieve water and energy use goals in the most cost-effective way.

 

Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

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Unlike buildings owned and maintained by private citizens, government buildings are powered using taxpayer dollars. Every U.S. citizen has a vested interest in the cost associated with the operations and maintenance of government building systems, from plumbing and lighting to air conditioning and ventilation.

DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) works with federal agencies to assure the productivity of energy and water are maximized to meet the agencies’ missions, illustrating good stewardship of taxpayer dollars. PNNL plays a role in FEMP’s mission by providing the expertise and resources to help the federal sector become more energy and water efficient and resilient.

PNNL supports FEMP on multiple fronts, including building optimization, energy and water resilience and security, training, and strategic support. PNNL researchers provide technical expertise in building operation and maintenance, facility evaluations, water management, resilience planning, and cybersecurity, among others.

Lab-developed tools and resources

PNNL researchers developed cybersecurity toolsets for buildings to help agencies plan for cybersecurity threats to facility-related control systems. They are also developing technical resources to assist federal agencies in conducting comprehensive energy and water evaluations. This assistance includes training for FEMP with guidelines for developing energy and water resilience plans. The Technical Resilience Navigator assists organizations in managing the risk to critical missions from disruptions in energy and water services.

Tools developed by PNNL—such as the Facility Energy Decision System, or FEDS—help federal agencies model energy and cost performance of heating, cooling and other building systems, as well as calculate energy consumption and electrical demand for buildings or an entire campus or installation. PNNL’s water management and training tools, like the Alternative Water Mapping Tool, help federal agencies plan alternative and sustainable water resources—like harvested rainwater and condensate captured from air handling units—to offset use of fresh surface water and groundwater. 

PNNL helps our federal counterparts achieve their mission while maximizing the benefits of resources used to accomplish those missions.

Recent News

MARCH 18, 2025
News Release

Three PNNL Projects Earn Federal Laboratory Consortium Awards

Read
External photo of PNNL Discovery Hall building
JULY 16, 2024
Staff Accomplishment

Evren Earns ASHRAE Honor

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Fatih Evren receives ASHRAE award
OCTOBER 11, 2023
Staff Accomplishment

Guide for Buildings Tallies 2,100+ Downloads

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Andrea Mengual stands next to a poster featuring the BPS guide's cover
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Facilities

Advanced Building Controls Laboratory Building Operations Control Center Environmental Chambers Integrated Building Assets Lab Homes Systems Engineering Building

Related Divisions

Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division

Related Links

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Contact

Tim Ledbetter
Communications Professional
Tim.Ledbetter@pnnl.gov
509.375.5953

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