Lead Performer: Gas Technology Institute – Des Plaines, IL
Partners:
-- Dvele Inc – San Diego, CA
-- Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Oak Ridge, TN
DOE Total Funding: $1,000,000
Cost Share: $250,000
Project Term: August 1, 2020 – July 31, 2023
Funding Type: Advanced Building Construction FOA Award
Project Objective
The TEAMH project will apply multiple emerging technologies with modular manufacturing innovation and automation to cost-effectively produce new homes at a level of quality and energy savings on par with Passive House building practices. The project goal is to develop a scalable modular home design and construction process that can produce homes with 50% energy savings and no incremental cost versus site-built single-family homes built to the IECC 2018 energy code. Objectives of the project include:
- Define cost and performance-optimized efficiency measures and modular home manufacturing processes capable of achieving 50% savings over IECC 2018 code-minimum homes at no additional lifecycle cost when ramped into volume production.
- Construct and commission a high-performance pilot home using the cost and performance-optimized modular home measures and production process.
- Monitor energy, comfort, and indoor air quality parameters in the high-performance modular home over heating and cooling seasons.
The project team will implement enhanced factory automation and robotics into their modular home production facility. The TEAMH project will expand the current automation plans to deliver a process that includes the following key elements:
- Fully digitized and collaborative design software to integrate into robotized production process -- translating Building Information Modeling into robotics assembly language.
- Production practices that produce modular homes with a hybrid of human and automated robotic labor, leveraging the efficiencies and strengths of each.
- Integration of emerging envelope technologies such as vacuum insulated panels or phase change material for load buffering and peak shifting.
For the research project, the project team will demonstrate production for Cold/Very Cold climates with a demonstration in a Climate Zone 5 site such as Lake Tahoe, California.
Project Impact
TEAMH showcases residential construction practices that overcome industry challenges such as higher consumer expectations, skilled labor shortages, more rigorous energy codes, and new technologies.
Contacts
DOE Technology Manager: Eric Werling, Eric.Werling@ee.doe.gov
Lead Performer: Jason LaFleur, Gas Technology Institute