Lead Performer: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) – Golden, CO
March 15, 2023
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Lead Performer: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) – Golden, CO
Partners:
-- Tremco - West Warwick, RI
-- Trimble - Westminster, CO
-- Microsoft - Redmond, WA
-- IBACOS - Pittsburgh, PA
-- CanmetENERGY - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
-- Colorado State University - Fort Collins, CO
DOE Funding: $4,735,000
Cost Share: $1,250,168
Project Term: October 1, 2022 - March 31, 2027
Funding Type: Advanced Building Construction FOA Award
Project Objective
In this Phase 2 ABC Integrated Building Retrofit project, the project team will develop a software system for specifying prefabricated building retrofit components and apply the system and corresponding prefab components to two low-rise multifamily buildings. The design will be tailored to each building using a machine learning model applied to site scan data, and the fabrication process of insulation panels and HVAC components will be done offsite with support from 3D mixed reality tools. The workflow includes a virtual expert for real-time installation guidance and is expected to reduce construction time and project costs by 50%. The deep energy retrofits will be performed at buildings where more than 90% of the residents qualify for a federal housing voucher program.
The goal of this project is to develop a scalable system that reduces the cost and installation time and increases the energy efficiency and durability of deep energy retrofits for low-rise residential buildings. This project specifically targets the substantial labor effort required at each stage of the retrofit project life cycle to customize each building subsystem for each individual building to be retrofit. The proposed retrofit package incorporates prefabricated overclad panels, and heat pumps for space conditioning and water heating to address all major residential thermal end uses to achieve the target of 75% site thermal energy savings.
Project Impact
In other markets, automation and offsite prefabrication of deep energy retrofit hardware has yielded substantial retrofit cost reductions and quality improvements. The technology advancements in this project aim to realize similar benefits in the U.S., where residential buildings vary widely in form and other characteristics, making simple, rapid building-specific customization capability critical to scaling the adoption of deep energy retrofits. The outcome of this project will be improved market acceptability, scalability, and uptake of deep energy retrofits as a result of reduced material waste, reduced project costs, reduced installation time, reduced occupant disruption, and superior quality.
Contacts
DOE Technology Manager: Sam Petty
Lead Performer: Marcus Bianchi and Joshua Marceau, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
RELATED INFORMATION
Visit the following page for information on the Phase 1 prototype project that preceded this Phase 2 demonstration project: