Residential Façade Upgrades in Collaboration with Partners

Lead Performer: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) – Richland, WA
Partner: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) – Oak Ridge, TN
DOE Total Funding: $450,000
Project Term: October 19, 2020 – September 30, 2023
Funding Type: AOP Project (Direct-Funded Lab Project)

Project Objective

This project focuses on addressing the energy-efficiency challenges in older homes, which comprise approximately 70% of the residential building stock in the United States. These homes were constructed before the establishment of the DOE's Building Energy Codes program in 1992, resulting in significant air leakage, inadequate insulation, and inefficient windows. Improving the energy efficiency of existing homes is crucial to achieving ambitious decarbonization goals and reducing carbon emissions. In previous years, PNNL collaborated with other national labs and building science researchers to identify barriers and viable solutions for façade retrofits, conducting case studies across the country. PNNL will partner with ORNL to perform lab and field work, focusing on a targeted wall upgrade called Adding Insulation when Re-Siding (AIRS) that includes continuous insulation and potential storm windows.

This project currently has three primary objectives:

• Develop refined installation guidance for retrofit wall assemblies and window details, which will be documented and vetted by experts. The team will create schematics, graphics, checklists, and decision trees to be disseminated on the AIRS campaign website and in the Building America Solution Center (BASC).
• Evaluate the real-world impact of the AIRS energy upgrade through before-and-after interviews, utility bill analysis, interior condition monitoring, empirical tests, and Home Energy Scores (HES). This analysis will provide valuable insights into the actual and perceived value of the retrofit, facilitating further advancements in energy-efficient residential façade upgrades.
• Provide recommendations for future research that can address barriers to widespread adoption of efficient façade upgrades. These recommendations will include suggestions for integrated product development ideas to enhance installation ease, quality, and resilience.

Project Impact

This project addresses the energy-efficiency challenges in older homes, which represent a large portion of the residential building stock in the United States. By improving the energy efficiency of these homes through façade retrofits and the AIRS energy upgrade, the project aims to achieve lower energy consumption, reduced carbon emissions, and improved comfort for homeowners. The project's outcomes, including refined installation guidance, real-world analysis of the retrofit's value, and recommendations for future research, will inform and drive the market forward in adopting efficient façade upgrades and integrated enclosure approaches, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable built environment.

Contacts

DOE Technology Manager: Eric Werling
Lead Performer: Patricia Gunderson, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory