The projects are in six areas:
- advanced building control strategies for net-zero energy buildings;
- improved capabilities to simulate complex interactions between building elements and energy costs;
- new technologies for building envelopes and windows;
- increased efficiencies for residential and commercial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning;
- improved water heating;
- methods to reduce miscellaneous electrical loads.
For example, the University of Washington will develop detailed energy simulation models for hospital designs that use 60% less energy than typical hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. And Syntroleum Corporation of Oklahoma will investigate the use of low-cost bio-products for phase-change materials in building walls and roofs. Materials that change phase can store more energy than traditional building materials, allowing them to absorb heat on sunny winter days and release that heat during the night.
DOE also released a video that showcases the story of Greensburg, Kansas, which has recovered from a 2007 tornado to become one of the top U.S. communities in terms of sustainable energy use. Many of the town's government buildings use cutting-edge energy-saving technologies, such as high-efficiency windows, lighting, and heating and ventilation systems. View the YouTube video.
Buildings account for about 40% of the energy used in the United States, as well as 39% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.
See the DOE press release, the list of awards (PDF 115 KB), and the Web site for DOE's Building Technologies Program.
5 More States Reach Milestone for Recovery Act Weatherization
DOE announced that five more states have reached a Recovery Act milestone by completing weatherization work for more than 30% of the low-income homes they targeted.
Because Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Utah have met this requirement, along with a series of reporting and monitoring milestones for DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program, they will have access to the remaining 50% of their funding for the program.
Of the 9,000+ homes completed by this group of states, Minnesota has the lion's share, with 5,268 residences completed as of May 31. The state now gets its full $131.9 million in Recovery Act funding, intended to cover upgrades for over 16,800 homes. The states join seven others that recently marked this milestone: Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, Vermont, and Washington.
Since $5 billion in Recovery Act funding was allocated to accelerate weatherization in 2009, more than 108,000 homes nationally have been improved, saving families over $47 million on their energy bills, while supporting over 10,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2010.
According to a recent study by DOE's Oak Ridge National Lab, weatherization saves recipients an average of $400 in energy costs during the first year. See the DOE press release and the Web site for DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program.
FERC Proposes New Transmission Planning and Cost Sharing
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) took several actions on June 17 to boost effective planning and cost sharing for new transmission lines.
They approved a "Highway/Byway" method of sharing costs for new electric transmission in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) region, which includes all or parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
