Exploration of Life-Cycle Energy Code Impacts

Lead Performer: The New Buildings Institute – Portland, OR
Project Term: October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2019
Funding Type: Commercial Buildings and Energy Codes Field Studies funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001532)

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

The New Buildings Institute will work in a variety of cities around the country to systematically identify how energy codes and other policy measures influence energy consumption patterns in municipal buildings. Public buildings provide a unique research environment, as they rarely change ownership and sound operational records tend to be readily accessible. The New Buildings Institute will develop a methodology to measure the impact of codes on municipal building portfolios, and provide local governments with tools to identify which buildings are ripe for energy efficiency-related investments.

PROJECT IMPACT

Almost no research has been conducted to study how energy profiles change over a building’s lifetime given changes in material age, technology, and building use. Better data will give state and local governments the information they need to allocate their limited resources more wisely. Ultimately, a cost‐effective, replicable methodology will help cities achieve their conservation goals, and greatly reduce energy bills and energy-related pollution.

CONTACTS

DOE Technology Manager: Jeremy Williams
Lead Performer: New Buildings Institute