This webinar was held on March 18, 2015, and reviewed Building America research tools, including: Field Test Best Practices, Building Energy Optimization (BEopt) software, and the National Residential Efficiency Measures Database. These tools were created to support best practices in the building science community. Presenters and specific topics for this webinar included:
• Lieko Earle and Bethany Sparn, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), presenting Field Test Best Practices. Field testing is a science and an art—a tricky process developed through trial and error. NREL developed the Field Test Best Practices, a unique web-based tool for documenting and sharing best practices for field experiments and long-term monitoring of residential building systems. This tool is a central repository of decades of practical field testing knowledge collected by the DOE national laboratories, Building America research teams, and the greater building science community. This presentation will provide an overview of the content structure, demonstrate key features, and introduce the new discussion forum. View the presentation.
• Scott Horowitz, Craig Christensen, and Noel Merket, NREL, presenting Using the BEopt Software to Identify Cost-Effective High Performance Designs. NREL developed BEopt to help meet Building America's goal to develop market-ready energy efficient solutions for new and existing homes. This presentation will provide an overview of BEopt and opportunities for builders to improve their home designs by finding the best efficiency measures for their climate and costs. Speakers will also discuss the National Residential Efficiency Measures database, a centralized resource of residential building retrofit measures and costs for the U.S. building industry. View the presentation.