Sept. 3, 2014: New NIST Lab Aims to Cut Building Energy Use
Intelligent Agent Technologies to be Used to Optimize Building Performance
GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is converting one of its laboratories into the equivalent of a small office building in order to develop and test smart software technologies designed to slash energy use in commercial buildings.
The energy to power a commercial building is consumed by HVAC, lighting, plug-in equipment, and other operations, notes NIST. By one estimate, day-to-day energy expenses make up 32 percent of a building’s total cost over its lifetime.