PNNL improving commercial building energy efficiency

News Release

January 04, 2011

• PNNL News & Media Relations, (509) 375-3776

RICHLAND, Wash. — Commercial buildings account for 18 percent of U.S. energy consumption.  In an effort to significantly reduce energy use from these buildings, public and private entities are teaming as part of the Commercial Buildings Partnership to design and implement energy efficient measures.  The partnership is kicking off a three-year program, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Program, which will lead to several new or retrofitted structures across the country. DOE announced the funding in November 2010.

DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will work with Home Depot in California; Grand Valley State University in Michigan; the U.S. Army in Ft. Bragg, N.C.; U.S. General Services Administration in New England; the U.S. Job Corps in Reno, Nev.; and the Smart Grid Development in Kingstown, R.I., to help retrofit existing structures or design new structures that exceed current energy efficiency codes by at least 50 percent for new buildings and 30 percent for existing buildings.  Some buildings are attempting to use renewable energy and energy efficiency measures to produce as much energy as they consume on an annual basis. 

The projects will serve as test beds and training centers for innovative building-related research and will demonstrate how energy use can be dramatically reduced in commercial buildings — to help spur wider adoption of energy efficient building practices across the industry.

At Home Depot, for example, the team will design and construct an energy efficient prototype store in California that will require up to 50 percent less energy than current code.  This code is known as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)/Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Standard 90.1-2007 compliant buildings.

"The program will enable PNNL to use the knowledge and skills developed over three decades of buildings energy efficiency research to help commercial building owners and operators take advantage of huge opportunities for energy savings — and accelerate the widespread deployment of cost-effective, energy saving measures in commercial buildings across the U.S.," said Michael Baechler, senior buildings program manager at PNNL.

Each project partner will receive technical assistance valued at between $200,000 and $700,000, depending on the scope of work.  Partners also will contribute 20 percent in cost-share to each project. 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funded the work.  To learn more about DOE's Building Technologies Program visit: www.eere.energy.gov/buildings.

Tags: Energy, Energy Efficiency, Smart Grid

The mission of the Building Technologies Program (BTP) is to develop technologies, techniques, and tools for making buildings more energy efficient, productive, and affordable. BTP focuses on improving commercial and residential building components, energy modeling tools, building energy codes, and appliance standards. This Web site provides information and resources for industry professionals to help reduce the energy use of new and existing buildings and strengthen the nation's energy future.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on signature capabilities in chemistry, earth sciences, and data analytics to advance scientific discovery and create solutions to the nation's toughest challenges in energy resiliency and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit PNNL's News Center. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.