Research Tracker

OLEDWorks will develop the cost-effective and scalable manufacturing methods needed to produce a high-performance, large-area OLED lighting panel and luminaire system. This work will help develop and integrate the cost effective manufacturing technologies necessary to achieve the DOE performance and cost targets.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory will demonstrate a high-efficiency refrigerator that uses novel rotating heat exchanger technology to reduce energy use. The technology could produce energy savings of approximately 13%, or 407 TBtu/year.

KLA-Tencor will develop, characterize, and verify a high-throughput, precision hot test tool for high-brightness light-emitting diodes (HBLEDs). The hot test tool will have an impact on the HBLED manufacturing process such that 2 quads of energy savings could be achieved at full market penetration.

Lumileds, LLC will develop an LED light engine that integrates a new low-cost, high-power chip and optimized drivers. This light engine will enable comprehensive luminaire system cost reduction.

QM Power, Inc. will develop advanced HVAC motors that are significantly more efficient and cheaper than current solutions for almost all electric motor compressor and fan applications. The technology will have the potential to save more than 0.62 quads of energy.

GE Global Research will build a scalable, efficient, modular luminaire to address the integration of driver, optics, and package in a flexible integration platform that allows for simplified manufacturing to customized performance specifications.

In this project, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will partner with Robert Bosch, LLC and Colorado State University to develop and demonstrate a novel technology package which can overcome numerous adoption barriers and achieve energy savings as well as providing flexible demand-side management including demand response. The full scope of this project is to develop and demonstrate an innovative Home Battery System which provides electric energy storage and conversion, along with self-learning adaptive control signal outputs for appliances and reliable predictions for residential demand response. The team will develop and perform preliminary validation of customer identification program (CIP) requirements on the Home Battery System. The work will results in improved understanding of the system performance and cost tradeoffs. The project will make substantial progress toward a marketable product but may not result in a market-ready Home Battery System product.

The Home Energy Information Accelerator will demonstrate innovative policies and approaches to spur investment in energy efficiency across our homes, buildings, and industrial facilities.

Like a miles-per-gallon rating for a car, the Home Energy Score is an easy-to-produce rating designed to help homeowners and homebuyers gain useful information about a home's energy performance. Based on an in-home assessment that can be completed in less than an hour, the Home Energy Score not only lets a homeowner understand how efficient the home is and how it compares to others, but also provides recommendations on how to cost-effectively improve the home's energy efficiency.

Like a miles-per-gallon rating for a car, the Home Energy Score is an easy-to-produce rating designed to help homeowners and homebuyers gain useful information about a home's energy performance. Based on an in-home assessment that can be completed in less than an hour, the Home Energy Score not only lets a homeowner understand how efficient the home is and how it compares to others, but also provides recommendations on how to cost-effectively improve the home's energy efficiency.

Like a miles-per-gallon rating for a car, the Home Energy Score is an easy-to-produce rating designed to help homeowners and homebuyers gain useful information about a home's energy performance. Based on an in-home assessment that can be completed in less than an hour, the Home Energy Score not only lets a homeowner understand how efficient the home is and how it compares to others, but also provides recommendations on how to cost-effectively improve the home's energy efficiency.

Like a miles-per-gallon rating for a car, the Home Energy Score is an easy-to-produce rating designed to help homeowners and homebuyers gain useful information about a home's energy performance. Based on an in-home assessment that can be completed in less than an hour, the Home Energy Score not only lets a homeowner understand how efficient the home is and how it compares to others, but also provides recommendations on how to cost-effectively improve the home's energy efficiency.

Like a miles-per-gallon rating for a car, the Home Energy Score is an easy-to-produce rating designed to help homeowners and homebuyers gain useful information about a home's energy performance. Based on an in-home assessment that can be completed in less than an hour, the Home Energy Score not only lets a homeowner understand how efficient the home is and how it compares to others, but also provides recommendations on how to cost-effectively improve the home's energy efficiency.

The Home Improvement Catalyst (HI Cat) is a new DOE initiative focused on high impact opportunities to achieve energy savings in home improvements already planned or being undertaken by homeowners. The Home Improvement Catalyst is designed to identify the multiple pathways to achieving an energy efficient home through energy upgrades and speed the adoption of market-ready energy improvements; resulting in greater energy savings over time.

The Home Upgrade Program Accelerator is designed to help home energy upgrade programs bring services to more homes across the country by leveraging data management strategies that minimize costs while improving overall program effectiveness. These programs are currently completing hundreds of thousands of home upgrades annually with average savings of 20% for participating households.

The Home Upgrade Program Accelerator is designed to help home energy upgrade programs bring services to more homes across the country by leveraging data management strategies that minimize costs while improving overall program effectiveness. These programs are currently completing hundreds of thousands of home upgrades annually with average savings of 20% for participating households.

Carnegie Mellon University will design, implement, and evaluate a human-in-the-loop sensing and control system for energy efficiency of heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and lighting systems based on a novel occupancy sensor. Through occupant sensing and real-time data collection, this project will reduce energy waste, targeting a 20% energy savings, while increasing occupant comfort by accurately estimating occupants in an area to overcome current HVAC system operations.

Throughout the development of the AVS resources and meta-analysis, HI Cat will conduct outreach to EPA, utilities, CEE, REEOs, and program implementers seeking to advance programs that advance high performance HVAC and QI practices. DOE is partnering with MEEA to collect data and evaluate the HVAC SAVE program (Iowa), test approaches to offering additional services, and develop a case study of the HVAC SAVE program in Iowa.

This project will combine electrochemical compression technology with ionic liquid desiccant to provide the most efficient means of managing latent and sensible heat loads in air-conditioning (AC) systems. This technology replaces the standard mechanical compressor commonly found today in AC systems with an electrochemical compressor that utilizes fuel cell technology to enable efficient heat pump systems.

The University of California, Santa Barbara, will identify the fundamental causes of current droop in state-of-the-art commercial LEDs. These findings will lead to development of higher-performing LED lighting technologies.

This project will test the effectiveness of innovative designs for demand response programs for residential customers using a behind-the-meter customer engagement platform developed by Chai Energy. Each of these innovative demand response strategies integrates a recent approach that energy researchers have shown to be effective in reducing customer consumption. These strategies include providing households with a) tailored energy-analytic feedback, b) aggregated versus single-period incentive information, c) non-financial environmental health benefit frames and d) social comparisons. An additional strategy will explore how the timing of the delivered demand response information affects the magnitude of household participation and response

This project will test the effectiveness of innovative designs for demand response programs for residential customers using a behind-the-meter customer engagement platform developed by Chai Energy. Each of these innovative demand response strategies integrates a recent approach that energy researchers have shown to be effective in reducing customer consumption. These strategies include providing households with a) tailored energy-analytic feedback, b) aggregated versus single-period incentive information, c) non-financial environmental health benefit frames and d) social comparisons. An additional strategy will explore how the timing of the delivered demand response information affects the magnitude of household participation and response

With a focus on typical business as usual HVAC trade practices, HI Cat seeks to capture greater efficiency at high volume within the home improvement transactions at key decision points. HI Cat will work in partnership with industry to design contractor ready resources via development of a Sequencing Tool that curates advisory content that can be applied during the sales transaction. The sequencing tool, designed for use by trade contractors, will identify opportunities to improve upon the current transaction in any given scenario, without disrupting it. Related resources, such as a contractor playbook, will provide ing relevant sales tools and tips; selection, specification, and field installation guidance; proposal and contract language; etc. It will also offer messaging about the energy efficiency pathway or customer journey, reference applicable DOE and industry technical standards/guidance and provide technical information to address follow on EE opportunities.

Trane, in partnership with the University of Illinois, will develop engineered microstructure surfaces that will reduce refrigerant leaks and enhance HVAC&R systems efficiency by improving the strength and quality of brazed joints.

Lumileds, LLC will develop structures that will dramatically improve efficiency droop. The improvement in droop will be utilized to achieve higher performing LEDs.

This project will improve the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of amber and red aluminium gallium indium phosphide (AlGaInP)-based LEDs by developing strain-engineered cladding layers to provide enhanced carrier confinement.

the University of Miami, in partnership with Schneider Electric and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will create a tool for dynamic cooling and airflow optimization that is customized for the design and operational requirements of data centers and computer rooms by integrating several open-source modeling packages: the Modeling Buildings Library/Spawn-of-EnergyPlus for flexible IT equipment and cooling system modeling; LBNLs GenOpt for optimization; and the University of Miamis Fast Fluid Dynamics package for airflow modeling.

As part of an ongoing effort to enhance low-power wireless communication, this project will develop a wireless connectivity module made of radio frequency (RF) hardware and systems software that enables RF connectivity at over 50% lower active power consumption for integration into MELs.

The proposer seeks to assess the prevalence of different space heating systems and the efficacy of known measures that address their most common inefficiencies. The proposer will convene an advisory panel, assess the scope of steam heat as a problem in New York as well as existing measures, and conduct a cost-benefit and impact analysis. The project will complete with the development of proposals for policymakers, industry customers, and potential training programs.

OLEDWorks will reduce OLED manufacturing costs by developing innovative high-performance deposition technology. If OLD costs can be reduced to enable OLED lighting to make up 5% as large a market as LEDs by 2025, OLED lighting will save approximately 10 TWh/year.

This project will demonstrate the installation of innovative technologies to retrofit an existing, low-income, mixed-use multi-unit building in a dense urban setting to become zero net energy (ZNE). Innovative strategies include a rapid new technology discovery and assessment approach, to ensure the most current emerging technologies are incorporated, as well as innovative measurement and verification. These approaches and other ZNE design process innovations will be packaged into an advanced ZNE design methodology for use in the demonstration project as well as broad dissemination to the design and innovation community. Numerous technical innovations and pre-commercial technologies are planned for inclusion including dynamic chromatic glass, heat recovery ventilators, variable refrigerant flow, occupancy based plug-load management, advanced light emitting diode lighting systems and a combined photovoltaic-thermal system.

This project will demonstrate the installation of innovative technologies to retrofit an existing, low-income, mixed-use multi-unit building in a dense urban setting to become zero net energy (ZNE). Innovative strategies include a rapid new technology discovery and assessment approach, to ensure the most current emerging technologies are incorporated, as well as innovative measurement and verification. These approaches and other ZNE design process innovations will be packaged into an advanced ZNE design methodology for use in the demonstration project as well as broad dissemination to the design and innovation community. Numerous technical innovations and pre-commercial technologies are planned for inclusion including dynamic chromatic glass, heat recovery ventilators, variable refrigerant flow, occupancy based plug-load management, advanced light emitting diode lighting systems and a combined photovoltaic-thermal system.

Philips Research North America will develop an innovative LED office lighting system that integrates light delivery, optics, and controls. The office portfolio developed in this project will maximize energy efficiency and occupant health and well-being.

Philips Research North America will develop an innovative LED lighting system for patient rooms. This solution will be energy efficient and will meet all the needs of patients, caregivers, and visitors.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has just completed extensive research to determine energy efficiency savings for storm windows. The goal of this project is to obtain residential and possible commercial Unit Energy Savings (UES) measure approval from the Regional Technical Forum (RTF) for interior and exterior low-e storm windows. This work will create the (Simplified Energy Enthalpy Model) SEEM workbook and ProCost model to inform regional savings and cost-effectiveness assumptions, presentation of these data to the RTF in collaboration with RTF staff, and associated documentation.

The project will study the integration trade-offs, cost and energy optimization of daylighting, LED electric lighting, plug load sensors and zonal air plow controls. If widely adopted, the integrated controls package in this project could have savings up to 750 Tbtu per year.

The Levy Partnership, Inc. will develop low-cost, highly efficient comfort system designs to enable affordably built homes to use heat pumps with superior air distribution systems. This demonstration could result in 50% energy savings over 2009 code requirements.

This agreement develops a new tool that integrates moisture and thermal analysis. By integrating these two properties the optimal strategies can be determined for improving envelope design for new construction and retrofit applications.This agreement provides building professionals with a user-friendly engineering software tool at no cost.

This project will further refine a new approach to using mini-split heat pumps in existing homes. The team will focus on using a single, centrally located mini-split heat pump as the primary system, while only using the existing lower efficiency central system as needed.

Sinovia Technologies will combine a barrier film technology with a nanowire transparent conduction film to make a single substrate product for OLED lighting. This technology will improve the efficiency and lower the cost of OLEDs.

This project studies the synergistic interactions of daylighting, plug controls, automated fault detection and diagnostics (AFDD) and HVAC optimization. If widely used, the package of daylighting techniques, plug loads, AFDD and controls for HVAC systems validated in this project could have savings of 756 Tbtu per year.

This project will develop and evaluate cost-effective packages of pre-commercial integrated energy efficiency measures and controls to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) performance for multi-story small commercial offices in San Francisco and Southern California. The packages will target a minimum of 50 percent energy savings when compared to standard building energy use. The packages of energy efficiency measures will be analyzed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's FLEXLAB, an advanced facility for testing whole-building integrated systems, to develop and validate solutions under varied climate and use conditions. The simulation models will be validated through results from FLEXLAB testing and a 3-story whole-building demonstration pilot located in San Francisco. Data on energy, occupant comfort, and occupant behavior will be analyzed and packaged into best practices to be replicated elsewhere in the State.

This project will develop and evaluate cost-effective packages of pre-commercial integrated energy efficiency measures and controls to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) performance for multi-story small commercial offices in San Francisco and Southern California. The packages will target a minimum of 50 percent energy savings when compared to standard building energy use. The packages of energy efficiency measures will be analyzed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's FLEXLAB, an advanced facility for testing whole-building integrated systems, to develop and validate solutions under varied climate and use conditions. The simulation models will be validated through results from FLEXLAB testing and a 3-story whole-building demonstration pilot located in San Francisco. Data on energy, occupant comfort, and occupant behavior will be analyzed and packaged into best practices to be replicated elsewhere in the State.

This project will develop an optimal system configuration for smart comfort controlled ceiling fans integrated with learning thermostats. This system will be tested and evaluated for energy performance and occupant acceptance in low income multi-family residential and small commercial buildings in disadvantaged communities in California. This research and development will advance the solution's technology readiness level and support market adoption acceleration.

This project will develop an optimal system configuration for smart comfort controlled ceiling fans integrated with learning thermostats. This system will be tested and evaluated for energy performance and occupant acceptance in low income multi-family residential and small commercial buildings in disadvantaged communities in California. This research and development will advance the solution's technology readiness level and support market adoption acceleration.

This project will develop a low cost smart thermostat unit that will have simple user interface. Though the test sites are low-income and senior housing, this technology could be adapted to other residential sectors. The smart thermostat will understand user preferences and manage indoor conditions to optimize energy use without requiring internet connectivity. HVAC energy use can be traced to three factors: losses in the ducting system, substandard equipment efficiency and occupant settings. Low income households are mostly renters which makes changes to the duct system or HVAC unit not feasible. By providing automatically optimized thermostat settings this project will determine if smart thermostats are a cost effective method to address HVAC energy use in the low-income and senior housing sectors.

This project focuses on establishing a framework and identifying priority R&D needs for coordination with industry, Emerging Technology and market deployment programs. PNNL will develop a white paper evaluating the state of the art of commercially available sensors and controls technology for operations, maintenance, and commissioning applications in residential HVAC. This work assesses technology gaps and market needs, and provides clear recommendations for government action and industry involvement in advancing sensors, controls, diagnostics, and automated fault correction. The task will explore opportunities for industry engagement to gain feedback on report findings, better identify industry development plans, and focus BA/BTO investments.

This project will attempt to measure the impact of lighting on the users of an outdoor lighting space. The experiments will determine the effects of different lighting types on the melatonin levels of the participants. As different CCT light sources will be used, their differing spectral contents can be evaluated to determine the most appropriate light source for implementation in the outdoor environment.

Princeton University will integrate multiple aspects of outcoupling enhancement within one OLED structure to achieve greater than 60% outcoupling efficiency. This development will lead to higher-efficiency OLEDs.