U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Building Technologies Program – Commercial Building Initiative
National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies (NLCBT) in 2008 to focus the intellectual and scientific resources of five national laboratories on research, validation, and commercialization priorities critical to DOE's Commercial Building Initiative (CBI).
These labs work together to advance energy-efficient building technologies and the progress of CBI. They conduct research and development (R&D), provide technical advice and review DOE plans and activities, and work with the Commercial Building Energy Alliances and Commercial Building Partnerships—partnerships between DOE and private sector commercial building owners and operators—to evaluate and test technologies, establish performance evaluation criteria, and perform energy verification of buildings and systems.
The NLCBT includes:
ANL, chartered in 1946 as the nation's first national laboratory, develops and applies advanced modeling and simulation tools to study strategic commercial building issues. The lab focuses on life-cycle analysis, consumer market and behavioral analysis, innovative financing approaches, supply chain issues, and full building sector analysis. ANL researchers develop transformational energy storage systems to enable broad-based deployment of variable renewable energy resources essential to long-term CBI targets. The lab's research on building sensors and controls will help enable dramatically more efficient buildings.
The Commercial Building Systems Group at LBNL focuses on the development of advanced computer-based building design tools that assist architects and engineers in decision making from early, schematic design through construction, commissioning, and operation. The group also seeks ways to integrate isolated building technologies into complete systems that allow for compounded energy efficiency and an increased building life-cycle.
NREL is DOE's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency R&D, and its Buildings Program is dedicated to developing the technological and analytical basis for cost-effective ultra energy-efficient buildings. Some core strengths include: development of computerized building energy analysis, optimization tools, and graphical user interfaces; design of ultra energy-efficient; retrofit of existing buildings; monitoring and simulation of building energy flows; and development of advanced non-compressor-based cooling systems, advanced glazing materials, advanced low-cost solar thermal heating and water heating systems, Building Integrated PV systems, and Hybrid PV-Thermal systems.
ORNL's Buildings Technologies Research and Integration Center focuses on research and development of new building technologies, whole-building and community integration, and improved energy management in buildings during their operational phase. Three groups make up this center: Building Envelopes Research; Residential, Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency; and Whole-Building & Community Integration. ORNL addresses new and existing buildings in its pursuit of sustainability.
PNNL develops multi-disciplinary solutions that enhance the energy efficiency of the nation's buildings. PNNL is the lead national laboratory for DOE's energy codes and standards, including support of the International Energy Conservation Code. PNNL's market transformation activities help to develop markets for emerging technologies such as solid-state lighting and highly insulating windows. PNNL also actively participated in developing the Advanced Energy Design Guides.
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