DOE Promotes High-Performance Buildings

At an October 3 reception on Capitol Hill and an October 4 press conference, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will roll out the initial results of its roadmapping initiatives for promoting high-performance commercial buildings. The series of roadmapping efforts to be featured involve broad-based private-sector and government representatives looking to the future of commercial buildings. Sponsored by industry groups and the Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, roadmapping workshops and strategy sessions over the past two years have studied lighting, glazing, building envelope, mechanical systems, and the integration of these technologies in high-performance commercial buildings. “On the research and development side of the building technologies group we have adjusted our budget and other materials to focus on this effort,” reports Program Manager Drury Crawley.

Each roadmapping effort aims to develop a vision for that industry by the year 2020, create a “roadmap” for achieving that vision, and then implement programs to manifest the vision. Vision 2020 documents are already available on the Department of Energy Web site (see address below) for the lighting and windows initiatives. The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute (ARTI) has published a vision document for the mechanical systems effort, and others will be published soon.