Lead Performer: Fraunhofer USA – Boston, MA
DOE Total Funding: $500,000
Cost Share: $125,220
Project Term: July 1, 2020 – January 31, 2022 (Phase 1)
Funding Type: Advanced Building Construction FOA Award
Project Objective
Deep energy retrofits can cut home heating and cooling bills in half or more, but they are very expensive and disruptive. The objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate a new labor-saving approach to deep energy retrofits, using prefabricated insulated blocks for mass customization of low-rise residential building retrofits in cold, very cold, and mixed humid climates. The lightweight (less than 5 pounds), closed-cell polyurethane foam panel blocks will add R-26 to existing buildings to create a wall that is highly resistant to both heat and moisture penetration. This approach will greatly reduce the onsite labor and installation to super-insulate an existing house, achieving whole-wall R-values between R-30 and R-40, more than double that of a typical house.
Ultimately, the project team aims to develop a comprehensive, market-optimized, high-performance wall retrofit system and delivery process that achieves the following performance metrics:
- Post-retrofit wall R-value greater than R-30
- Require less than five days to complete the retrofit of a 2,400-square-foot single-family home
- Installed cost of less than $6 per square foot of wall area (volume production)
To accomplish these goals, the project team has proposed an integrated approach, which begins with the application of imaging/laser scanning technology to generate high-resolution 3D façade models as inputs into a computer-aided design program. The program will automatically determine the number of panel blocks and required features necessary to clad the entire wall. In-factory machining will fabricate the individual panel blocks with the necessary façade details around wall penetrations and connections (windows, doors, pipes, porches, vents, flashing, etc.). The blocks can be mounted over existing wood, vinyl, or masonry claddings and offer different exterior finishes of various colors and profiles.
Project Impact
By integrating several innovations, the project team will enable completion of a full wall retrofit by two workers in five days or less at an installed cost of less than $6 per square foot. The resulting system will be a cost-effective solution for cutting heating and cooling loads in half for existing low-rise residential buildings in cold, very cold, and mixed humid climates. Furthermore, the low capital investment required by contractors will make this approach compatible with the business models of small contractors, which makes it more likely to be widely adopted.
Contacts
DOE Technology Manager: Eric Werling, [email protected]
Lead Performer: Andre Sharon & Kurt Roth, Fraunhofer USA