Research Tracker | Building America Solution Center

Low Cost, Large Diameter, Shallow Ground Loops for Ground-Coupled Heat Pumps

This project will address the high cost of ground heat exchangers (GHEs) for water-to-water and water-to-air heat pumps to facilitate the application of efficient ground-coupled heat pumps in California. The project will focus on shallow (20-30 feet deep) and large diameter (2-3 feet diameter) ground heat exchanger designs using helical coil heat exchangers. The project team will develop models, validate them with field data from two existing sites, identify optimal designs, and develop modeling methods that can be adapted for use with Title 24 standards compliance tools. The project will also produce typical design specifications that will support future Title 24 eligibility criteria. A design guide will be developed for use by the industry as a training aid, and a position paper will be prepared for the Department of Water Resources' California Geothermal Heat Exchange Well (GHEW) Standards Stakeholder Advisory Group.

Low Cost, Large Diameter, Shallow Ground Loops for Ground-Coupled Heat Pumps

This project will address the high cost of ground heat exchangers (GHEs) for water-to-water and water-to-air heat pumps to facilitate the application of efficient ground-coupled heat pumps in California. The project will focus on shallow (20-30 feet deep) and large diameter (2-3 feet diameter) ground heat exchanger designs using helical coil heat exchangers. The project team will develop models, validate them with field data from two existing sites, identify optimal designs, and develop modeling methods that can be adapted for use with Title 24 standards compliance tools. The project will also produce typical design specifications that will support future Title 24 eligibility criteria. A design guide will be developed for use by the industry as a training aid, and a position paper will be prepared for the Department of Water Resources' California Geothermal Heat Exchange Well (GHEW) Standards Stakeholder Advisory Group.

MarketZero: Taking an existing grocery store to scalable near-ZNE

This project will demonstrate a cost-effective pathway to achieving maximum energy efficiency in a grocery store. The project will identify and install a comprehensive costeffective energy efficiency upgrade package that utilizes innovative strategies such as advanced heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, refrigerants, fans, air curtains, phase change materials, occupancy sensing measures and advanced lighting and controls. The project will also provide new design approaches that allow for rapid technology discovery and incorporation to ensure the most current technologies are implemented into the design.

MarketZero: Taking an existing grocery store to scalable near-ZNE

This project will demonstrate a cost-effective pathway to achieving maximum energy efficiency in a grocery store. The project will identify and install a comprehensive costeffective energy efficiency upgrade package that utilizes innovative strategies such as advanced heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, refrigerants, fans, air curtains, phase change materials, occupancy sensing measures and advanced lighting and controls. The project will also provide new design approaches that allow for rapid technology discovery and incorporation to ensure the most current technologies are implemented into the design.

Measure Results from Affordable Zero Net Energy Homes

The project will implement lessons learned from previous high performance housing research and measure the results in two new houses built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and homeowners. The houses will be built in a disadvantaged community in Stockton. Each house will include advanced architectural design features, high performance enclosures, advanced heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, low-cost water heating systems and other advanced energy efficiency measures. One all-electric home and one mixed fuel (combined electric and natural gas) home will be built to demonstrate the respective costeffectiveness of each set of features. In addition to the measured results from actual occupancy, the project will develop a guide to affordable residential zero net energy design and construction, training curriculum, and new class offerings based on the project results for building practitioners.

Measurement and Control of Ventilation Rates in Commercial Buildings in California

This project uses modeling to analyze peak energy demand, and indoor air quality advantages of controlled minimum ventilation rates (VR); evaluates multiple technologies applicable to real-time measurement and control of ventilation rates; and uses the results to develop occupancy specific guidelines for using carbon dioxide (CO2) in demand controlled ventilation systems and for measurement of ventilation rates.

Meeting Customer and Supply-side Market Needs with Electrical and Thermal Storage, Solar, Energy Efficiency and Integrated Load Management Systems

This project will develop co-optimization strategies for distributed energy resources (DERs) to maximize customer and system value under existing CPUC-approved retail and California Independent System Operator (California ISO) wholesale tariff structures, future market structures and pricing, and the transactive energy pricing signals developed under agreement EPC-15-054. The project will test and configure two DER portfolios: a) one consisting of large retail customers and schools using battery energy storage, solar photovoltaics, and integrated load management, and b) the other consisting of hotels using passive thermal energy storage and energy efficiency. Both will be coupled with integrated load management, to respond to price signals as well as develop operational strategies that provide best practices for wholesale integration subject to the identified retail and wholesale tariffs and operational constraints.

Mobile Efficiency for Plug Load Devices

The goal of the project is to reduce the energy consumption of residential and commercial plug load devices, such as set-top boxes, TVs, computers and game consoles. The project will leverage mobile design practices, hardware components and energy management software kernels, and prove their effectiveness on virtual prototypes and reference designs of targeted plug load devices. Based on these findings, the recipient will develop, tune and deploy the design methodology guidelines for energy efficient plug load designs to the manufacturers of plug load devices and their hardware, software and tools suppliers. The recipient will also define and introduce a widely accepted industry standard through the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to support the newly developed unified design methodology and secure its long-term adoption and further evolution.

Optimization of Energy Efficiency to Achieve Zero-Net Energy in Multifamily and Commercial Buildings

The recipient will use EnergyPlus, a building energy modeling tool, to analyze the costeffectiveness of various electricity saving/generation measures for multifamily and commercial buildings in California. For each building type and climate zone, the results will include a cost-benefit analysis for each measure individually and for an optimized package of measures that reduces net electricity consumption to achieve as close to zero net energy as is cost-effectively possible.

Optimization of Energy Efficiency to Achieve Zero-Net Energy in Multifamily and Commercial Buildings

The recipient will use EnergyPlus, a building energy modeling tool, to analyze the costeffectiveness of various electricity saving/generation measures for multifamily and commercial buildings in California. For each building type and climate zone, the results will include a cost-benefit analysis for each measure individually and for an optimized package of measures that reduces net electricity consumption to achieve as close to zero net energy as is cost-effectively possible.

Optimizing Radiant Systems for Energy Efficiency and Comfort

This project will develop new practical design and operation tools for radiant cooling and heating systems in order to provide a standardized guidance for radiant systems. The approach will include a combination of fundamental full-scale laboratory experiments, whole-building simulations, development of simplified models for radiant system controls, validation of these new methods in field studies, occupant satisfaction surveys, and an update to Title-24 for radiant systems. The project outcomes will include 1) a simplified tool for calculating the cooling load and cooling capacity of a radiant slab system, including calculation methods with significant direct solar radiation, 2) a simplified online operational tool for radiant slab systems, and 3) updates to the Title 24 Alternative Calculation Method Reference Manual to enable improved modeling capabilities of radiant systems.

Optimizing Radiant Systems for Energy Efficiency and Comfort

This project will develop new practical design and operation tools for radiant cooling and heating systems in order to provide a standardized guidance for radiant systems. The approach will include a combination of fundamental full-scale laboratory experiments, whole-building simulations, development of simplified models for radiant system controls, validation of these new methods in field studies, occupant satisfaction surveys, and an update to Title-24 for radiant systems. The project outcomes will include 1) a simplified tool for calculating the cooling load and cooling capacity of a radiant slab system, including calculation methods with significant direct solar radiation, 2) a simplified online operational tool for radiant slab systems, and 3) updates to the Title 24 Alternative Calculation Method Reference Manual to enable improved modeling capabilities of radiant systems.

Optimizing Use of Non-traditional Waters, Drought Proofing the Electricity System and Improving Snowpack Prediction

The purpose of this project is to fund research that will reduce the stress on current water infrastructure in California. Research will include: (1) development of high water recovery desalination processes for non-traditional waters, (2) characterizing the potential for non-traditional water use in California, (3) development of recycled water scenarios for electricity generation, and (4) improving the characterization of California's snowpack.

Optimizing Use of Non-traditional Waters, Drought Proofing the Electricity System and Improving Snowpack Prediction

The purpose of this project is to fund research that will reduce the stress on current water infrastructure in California. Research will include: (1) development of high water recovery desalination processes for non-traditional waters, (2) characterizing the potential for non-traditional water use in California, (3) development of recycled water scenarios for electricity generation, and (4) improving the characterization of California's snowpack.

Pathways to More Cost-Effective ZNE Homes

The project will provide detailed cost effectiveness modeling of all electric zero net energy (ZNE) homes versus ZNE homes with gas-based heating. Evaluation will include costs of building integration, energy efficiency packages, installed equipment and lifetime investment costs such as energy costs, and infrastructure costs (natural gas pipeline and electricity distribution system). The project will provide both spatial and temporal analysis in providing cost effectiveness assessment in four California climate zones and provide cost evolution scenarios as a function of time, for example as the ZNE industry scales up and under various policy and energy cost assumptions. The analysis will provide policymakers with a better understanding of the costs and benefits of ZNE policy choices between today and future ZNE milestones (2020, 2030), and the trade-offs for all electric versus electric and gas households

Pathways to More Cost-Effective ZNE Homes

The project will provide detailed cost effectiveness modeling of all electric zero net energy (ZNE) homes versus ZNE homes with gas-based heating. Evaluation will include costs of building integration, energy efficiency packages, installed equipment and lifetime investment costs such as energy costs, and infrastructure costs (natural gas pipeline and electricity distribution system). The project will provide both spatial and temporal analysis in providing cost effectiveness assessment in four California climate zones and provide cost evolution scenarios as a function of time, for example as the ZNE industry scales up and under various policy and energy cost assumptions. The analysis will provide policymakers with a better understanding of the costs and benefits of ZNE policy choices between today and future ZNE milestones (2020, 2030), and the trade-offs for all electric versus electric and gas households

Performance Evolution, Specification and Verification of Building Control Sequences

The project develops IT based component technologies to enable more efficient building operations and reduce costs. The project is expected to reduce the time to specify, implement and verify the proper operation of control sequences and make a strong business case for designers, controls contractors and controls manufacturers to adopt the new technology.

Pilot-Scale Evaluation of an Integrated Building Control Retrofit Package

This project will test an Integrated Building Control Package that maximizes energy efficiency for existing commercial buildings. The project will refine novel control algorithms that utilize shared device state and environmental data for lighting, fenestration and heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Sharing and considering data from multiple device types will further improve overall, sustained, system performance and operation. Control algorithms will prioritize lighting or heating/cooling savings based on climate and building design. HVAC system management will leverage passive ventilatio

Pilot-Scale Evaluation of an Integrated Building Control Retrofit Package

This project will test an Integrated Building Control Package that maximizes energy efficiency for existing commercial buildings. The project will refine novel control algorithms that utilize shared device state and environmental data for lighting, fenestration and heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Sharing and considering data from multiple device types will further improve overall, sustained, system performance and operation. Control algorithms will prioritize lighting or heating/cooling savings based on climate and building design. HVAC system management will leverage passive ventilatio

Plug Load Reduction App:RYPL

This project will research methods to reduce home idle loads by utilizing smart meter analytics, an engaging smart phone app, a new online crowd-sourced database of miscellaneous electric loads, and an online efficient product marketplace to educate California residents about the idle load of their home and ways to reduce it. The system will be piloted within all three electric investor owned utility territories and measure actual energy savings through smart meter data.

Power and Water Saving Advanced Hybrid Air/Wet Cooling System

This project will integrate water features into a novel heat exchanger which uses high performance porous fins to enhance cooling ability. Bench scale testing has shown the ability of the heat exchanger to enhance cooling through water vaporization and mass transfer. By integrating the proven heat exchanger with water features, this project has the potential to create a low cost and low risk product to reduce electric power and water use of refrigeration systems in California.

Power Management User Interface

This project seeks to reduce computers' energy consumption by improving how users employ existing power management capabilities. Although all computers have the capacity to enter low-power modes such as sleep, and can be shut down when not in use, this potential for energy savings has not been realized in the majority of desktop computers. The majority of desktop computers remain on at full power when they are not being used. The problem is one of user behavior. The project will use a software solution to change user behavior by changing the tool they are using. This approach is firmly based in behavior theory and human-computer interaction research, which have long demonstrated that the interface of a device can change users' behavior. The energy savings of applying such an interface is estimated to be as high as 50 percent per computer, between 139 and 321 kWh per year.

Power Management User Interface

This project seeks to reduce computers' energy consumption by improving how users employ existing power management capabilities. Although all computers have the capacity to enter low-power modes such as sleep, and can be shut down when not in use, this potential for energy savings has not been realized in the majority of desktop computers. The majority of desktop computers remain on at full power when they are not being used. The problem is one of user behavior. The project will use a software solution to change user behavior by changing the tool they are using. This approach is firmly based in behavior theory and human-computer interaction research, which have long demonstrated that the interface of a device can change users' behavior. The energy savings of applying such an interface is estimated to be as high as 50 percent per computer, between 139 and 321 kWh per year.

Residential Intelligent Energy Management Solution: Advanced Intelligence to Enable Integration of Distributed Energy Resources

This project will test and validate an Intelligent Energy Management Solution (iEMS) in 100 residences to communicate with a variety of distributed energy resources over different climate zones and behavioral patterns. The intent of the project is to model and measure the potential energy and cost impact associated with the use of the iEMS in homes without affecting occupant comfort. The project will also integrate the use of pilot time-of-use utility rates in conjunction with simulated dynamic pricing signals to optimize customer cost savings.

Robust Super Insulation at a Competitive Price

Heating and cooling represents the greatest energy consumption in buildings. This agreement develops thermal building insulation material with high R-value at a cost competitive to conventional insulation materials. The expected result provides a significant increase in energy efficiency for retrofitting buildings.