News
Energy modeling tool for buildings being developed

Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy, have developed a modeling tool that identifies cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities in existing buildings.

Using supercomputing, the energy modeling method assesses building types, systems, use patterns and prevailing weather conditions.

The team’s modeling approach applies automation to extract a building’s floor area and orientation parameters from publicly available data sources such as satellite images. Researchers tested the tool on more than 175,000 buildings in the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area, demonstrating energy-saving opportunities.

In a media release, Joshua New, a researcher in laboratory’s Building Technology Research Integration Center, said: “We can model a building in minutes from a desktop computer. This is the next level of intelligence for energy-saving technologies.”

Future plans include making the tool openly available to help reduce energy demand, emissions and costs for America’s homes and businesses.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory