2002 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings

2002 ACEEE Informal Sessions Descriptions

The U.S. Department of Energy Building America Program emphasizes research; development; technology implementation; and cost-sharing with the housing industry. This successfully proven process develops system engineered, sustainable, innovative building methods and the integration of cost-effective advanced technologies.

The increased emphasis on research, for Fiscal Year 2003, will reinforce the systems engineering approach for design and construction of new houses; will cost-effectively reduce residential energy use, in phases, from 30 to70 percent; will improve comfort and indoor air quality; will investigate the integration of on-site power generation, will reduce construction time and waste; and will accelerate the development and adoption of high performance in production housing.

Building America has five consortia of leading experts in building science and system engineering that offer large volume house builder members of the consortia free technical assistance through design reviews; energy modeling; performance specification writing; workshops and experiential training; on-site consulting; and access to the results of Building America research.

Each Building America team is constructing research test houses and developing community-scale projects that incorporate its systems innovations. More that 14,000 energy-efficient houses have been constructed in a total of 29 States to date by the five teams. After the test houses are completed, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory provides feedback on the systems-level benefits of the energy technologies and design strategies used. Results demonstrate that Building America houses use 30 to 60 percent less energy than conventional houses, and, at the same time are more comfortable and durable. All houses are tested after completion to insure that they meet and often exceed the jointly developed DOE/EPA Energy Star requirements. Through implementation by DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, case studies, research reports, seminars, and on-site demonstration work-sessions enable builders to adopt appropriate energy-saving strategies in different climatic regions throughout the Nation. Thus, the research, conducted cooperatively through the Building America consortia teams and the DOE National Laboratories, improves the quality and performance of today's houses and provides valuable information for houses of the future.

For more information, contact:

George S. James
U.S. DOE
e-mail: george.james@hq.doe.gov

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