U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Sensing and Controls for Energy Efficient Buildings: A Cross Cutting Project

The Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) is widely recognized for its contribution to bringing the wireless revolution to the industrial marketplace. The result has been the commercialization of wireless sensors that are meant for the industrial setting. The DOE Building Technology Program’s (BTP) emphasis on developing technologies and methodologies that will provide significant energy savings in buildings has instituted a program that is focused on adapting the ITP-sponsored wireless sensor results into an inexpensive, robust system that is tailored to energy-efficiency optimization of commercial building operation. The BTP project includes a demonstration facility where the developed sensors are integrated into the existing building automation system. While private sector building optimization efforts are underway, their “focus” is not addressing the practical needs for inexpensive, wireless sensors tailored to monitoring parameters for HVAC optimization as well as parameters that directly impact the occupants’ comfort. The development of the crosscutting ITP+BTP sponsored activity described in this paper leads to the possibility of a change of culture in the perception of a “living building” that can meet the need for reduction in energy usage while enhancing the occupants’ comfort while in the building. The presentation will discuss the technology developments, demonstration results, energy savings for widespread adoption of the developed systems, and examination of the culture change associated with an energy-efficient “living building”.