Researchers from PNNL have been assessing installation and use of electric heat pumps in an Alaskan community that relies on fuel oil for heat. The resulting information could advance electrification in cold rural areas across the nation.
PNNL helps deliver efficiency-related rules and requirements that steadily improve performance of America’s buildings, saving energy and costs and reducing carbon emissions.
Mandy Mahoney, director of the DOE Building Technologies Office, visited PNNL in late November. One key agenda item involved meeting with staff for a discussion of effective equity and justice integration in buildings-related research.
Leaders from the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy visited PNNL October 19–20 for a firsthand look at capabilities and research progress.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers has given its 2022 Journal Paper Award to Jamie Kono, a PNNL building research engineer.
The Department of Energy has issued updated energy conservation standards for manufactured homes. The effort to establish the standards, supported by PNNL, is expected to result in a range of benefits for the manufactured housing sector.
PNNL’s Reid Hart and Bing Liu have earned individual Champions of Energy Efficiency in Buildings awards from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
PNNL worked with the Department of Energy on the Commercial Packaged Boiler rule, which will help reduce energy use, enhance the environment, and save dollars.
Researchers at PNNL examined heat pump water heater (HPWH) operation in Pacific Northwest residences, gaining insights into HPWH electricity use patterns. Part of the study captured trends during a COVID-19 stay-at-home order.
PNNL-developed Water Balance Tool estimates consumption for major water end-uses. Understanding the breakout of water use identifies water efficiency opportunities and allows facility managers to spot potential system losses.
Buildings account for around 40 percent of our nation's energy use and consume 75 percent of our nation’s electricity each year. Energy use is also one of the biggest costs for facility owners.
PNNL’s longstanding grid and buildings capabilities are driving two projects that test transactive energy concepts on a grand scale and lay the groundwork for a more efficient U.S. energy system.
A multi-institute research team is exploring ways to improve residential walls across America, making homes warmer and drier and delivering significant energy savings.
Researchers at PNNL construct a novel approach that requires less field work while delivering critical information on building code compliance and energy efficiency in new homes.
Following the energy crisis of 2000-2001, the State of Washington received financial settlements from six energy companies, a fraction of which was used for energy-efficiency research.