Aug. 6, 2014: DOE Supplies $6 Million in Funding to Support Commercial Building Efficiency
Technologies Include HVAC Optimization, Advanced Ventilation, More Efficient Refrigeration Fan Motors
WASHINGTON — The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $6 million in funding to deploy and demonstrate four emerging energy-saving technologies — focused on HVAC, refrigeration, and lighting — in commercial buildings across the country. These technologies are expected to help businesses cut energy costs through improved efficiency, while also reducing carbon emissions.
The funded projects will generate data, case studies, and information intended to help commercial building owners adopt new energy efficiency technologies, including building energy use optimization software, advanced ventilation, more efficient commercial refrigeration fan motors, and advanced lighting controls. The selected projects include:
• BuildingIQ Inc., Foster City, California — BuildingIQ will optimize HVAC energy use in commercial buildings using its Predictive Energy Optimization (PEO), a cloud-based software application that runs on top of existing building automation systems. PEO uses data from weather forecasts, utility tariffs, demand response event signals, and occupant schedules to automatically adjust building systems. These adjustments are based on building-specific modeling that PEO uses over time employing building use data, as well as predictive algorithms and advanced control strategies. Sixteen separate building demonstrations will be conducted.
• enVerid Systems, Houston — enVerid will retrofit building ventilation systems with modules that remove indoor air pollutants such as carbon dioxide. This enables the indoor air to be recycled while greatly reducing the amount of outside air ventilated into the building and reducing the load on the HVAC system. Facilities could experience significant energy savings with this retrofit technology. Ten separate commercial building demonstrations will be conducted over three years.
• QM Power Inc., Lee’s Summit, Missouri — QM Power has developed high-efficiency 7-16 watt fan motors that are often used in commercial refrigeration systems. QM Power intends to install and demonstrate approximately 12,000 high-efficiency fans in more than 50 grocery stores throughout the U.S., focusing on open display case retrofits that could result in significant efficiency improvements. If fully adopted, DOE said the motor application has the potential to achieve more than 0.6 quads in energy savings and reduce energy costs by $1 billion.
• Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Lexington, Massachusetts — This project is designed to further the implementation of advanced lighting controls (ALCs), which turn off or dim lights when they are not in use. The project will demonstrate and evaluate two or more ALC technologies in 10 buildings, which should experience significant energy savings compared to a traditional lighting retrofit without controls. Designers and installers will be trained to use the technologies. The demonstration results will be used to support development of utility incentive programs to help further drive adoption of ACLs.
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) accelerates development and facilitates deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. For more information on its building technologies work, visit the Building Technologies Office web page.
Publication date: 8/4/2014
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