by Jbs062410 h3 — June 30, 2010—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on June 17 awards totaling more than $76 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support advanced energy-efficient building technology projects. The research is designed to help make buildings more energy efficient and cost-effective, and will also be used to develop efficiency training programs for commercial building workers and operators.
The 58 selected projects are in 24 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. They cover six technical areas: advanced building control strategies for net-zero energy buildings; improved capabilities to simulate complex interactions between building elements and energy costs; new technologies for building envelopes and windows; increased efficiencies for residential and commercial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; improved water heating; and methods to reduce miscellaneous electrical loads.
For example, the University of Washington will develop detailed energy simulation models for the design of hospitals that use 60 percent less energy than typical hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. And Syntroleum Corporation of Oklahoma will investigate the use of low-cost bioproducts for phase-change materials in building walls and roofs. Materials that change phase can store more energy than traditional building materials, allowing them to absorb heat on sunny winter days and release that heat during the night, explains DOE.
