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LA100 Equity Strategies. Chapter 1: Justice as Recognition

The LA100 Equity Strategies project synthesizes community guidance with robust research, modeling, and analysis to identify strategy options that can increase equitable outcomes in Los Angeles' clean energy transition. Grounded in the analysis of past and ongoing energy inequities and engagement with underserved communities, the project presents community-guided and community-tailored strategies that aim to operationalize recognition and procedural justice. This chapter focuses on recognition justice, identifying and analyzing past and present social, cultural, and institutional barriers to affordable and clean energy for LA communities, as well as disparities in the distribution of energy system burdens and benefits. Acknowledging historical and structural factors behind current energy inequities is a first step in developing energy equity strategies for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to achieve distributional justice - the just and equitable distribution of energy benefits and burdens in LA's energy transition. Recognition, procedural, and distributional justice are the three tenets of energy justice around which the LA100 Equity Strategies project is organized. In the United States, theory and practice around justice have historically focused on unequal distribution of environmental benefits and burdens. The historical siting of hazardous infrastructure such as power plants and transportation corridors in communities of color and low-income communities has disproportionately concentrated negative environmental impacts in their neighborhoods. Those inequities are reproduced via programs, policies, and other efforts (e.g., zoning and regulations, rebates and incentives, lending, investment, and financing) that directly affect people's lives and livelihoods. In recent decades, energy justice scholars and activists broadened their analysis to examine how environmental inequities intersect with other forms of social difference in the distribution of energy benefits and burdens. This approach investigates how differences in class, race, gender, age, and abilities, among others, intersect to understand the social, cultural, and institutional processes that create and perpetuate energy inequities. The LA100 Equity Strategies project embraces this approach to developing a more just clean energy future for LA. Because recognizing and understanding past and existing inequities is vital to addressing them in ways that ensure an equitable energy transition for all Angelenos, this chapter focuses on identifying and analyzing the challenges and inequities of LA's past and existing energy system, including LADWP programs.

community↗

Ecological risk assessment software for radioactive waste management facilities - 15464

Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) is a systematic process which can be used to identify, quantify and characterize the risk posed by contaminants and physical stressors in the environment on biological receptors, including human and non-human biota. Human receptors can be addressed through a Human Health Risk Assessment and non-human biota can be addressed through an Ecological Risk Assessment (EcoRA). In 2012 the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) issued a CSA standard N288.6 Environmental Risk Assessment at Class I Nuclear Facilities and Uranium Mines and Mills. The standard applies to radioactive waste management facilities, as well as nuclear power plants. The ERA can also be used retrospectively, to estimate the effect that a contaminant or stressor has already had on the environment; and can be used to assist in determining possible remedial or risk management options to return the quality of the affected environment to a predetermined state. While industry-standard tools for estimating radiological doses to humans are readily available, there is a need for a tool to implement the CSA N288.6 standard for Ecological Risk Assessment. To address this need, AMEC developed a computer code called -Assessment of Impact of Contaminants on Ecological Receptors (AICER)-. The code was developed to be consistent with the CSA standard N288.6, by assessing the impact of radiological contamination on non-human biota for normal operations. The code can also be used to screen for the potential effects of conventional contamination on the environment. In addition, the code is also applicable for abnormal events and accidents with the appropriate modification of some parameters used in the code. The AICER code was qualified in accordance with the requirements of the Canadian quality standard CSA N286.7 -Quality Assurance of Analytical, Scientific, and Design Computer Programs for Nuclear Power Plants-. The functionality of the code is illustrated with screen shots in the paper, following the introduction of the theoretical model for the dose calculation. An inter-comparison with RESRAD-BIOTA and ERICA Assessment tool at the conceptual level was conducted. In addition, the practical application of the code for the assessment of the impacts related to an existing radioactive waste management facility is provided. In particular, analysis was conducted to evaluate radiological doses to non-human biota resulting from a fire accident scenario involving an existing waste storage and processing facility. Analysis included all feasible waterborne and airborne exposure pathways. Doses were evaluated for a range of species representing valued ecological components at various trophic levels and compared with benchmark values for indicator species. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

WETO Software Stack Best Practices

Wind energy researchers typically share one key characteristic: a passion for increasing wind energy in the global energy mix. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports this mission in a number of ways including allocating funding directly to various aspects of wind energy research through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) via the Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). While the traditional output of research is academic publication, software development efforts are increasingly a major focus. Software tools in the research environment allow researchers to describe an idea and quickly increase the scope and scale as they study it further. As a product of research, these tools represent a direct pipeline from researcher to industry practitioners since they are the implementation of ideas described in academic publications. Given this vital role in wind energy research and commercial development, the broad research software portfolio supported by WETO must maintain a minimum level of quality to support the wind energy field in the growing transition to renewable energy. This report outlines a series o f best practices to be adopted by all WETO-supported software projects, as well as expectations that the communities interacting with these projects should have of the developers and tools themselves. Wind energy research software has a unique standing in the field of scientific software. The stakeholders are varied with a subset being: (1) DOE EERE leadership, (2) DOE WETO leadership and program managers, (3) National lab leadership, (4) Associated project principle investigators, (5) Research software engineers, (6) Wind energy researchers in academia (including graduate students, post docs, and national lab staff), (7) Industry researchers and practitioners, (8) Commercial software developers, and (9) The general public interested in wind energy. These software are typically the end-user of other generic software libraries, so the funding cycles are often tied to applied research rather than the development of the software itself. Since the developers are also wind energy researchers, these tools are typically designed in a way that closely resembles the application in which they're used. Additionally, the expertise and incentives for the developers have a high variability, and often neither are aligned with software engineering or computer science. Given the unique environment in which wind energy research software is produced and consumed, it is critical for model owners to understand the context of their software. A framework for developing this understanding is to answer the following questions of a given software project: What is it's purpose? What is its role in the field of wind energy? What is the profile of the expected users? For how long will it be relevant? What is the expected impact? These questions allow model owners to identify the appropriate methods for the design, development, and long term maintenance of their software. Additionally, the answer provide context for future planners to understand why particular decisions were made and discern the consequences of changing course. The information is aggregated from experience within WETO-supported software development groups as well as external organizations and efforts to define the craft of research software engineering. These best practices aim to make the collaborative development process efficient and effective while improving the model understanding across stakeholders. Additionally, the general adoption of a common framework for software quality ensures that the end users of WETO software can trust these tools and accurately understand the risks to workflow integration.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Industrial Energy Management During a Pandemic: Lessons Learned from DOE Better Plants Program Partners

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing many challenges for manufacturers, especially those that depend on workers whose jobs cannot be performed remotely. This has detrimentally impacted the energy management workforce, energy support system performance, as well as operations and supply chains.This article discusses four primary challenges for industrial energy management caused by the pandemic, strained budget for energy projects, increased energy intensity caused by low production rates and other safety practices, limited access to energy systems, and the lost knowledge and experience of senior staff. This article also proposes some potential solutions for these challenges that include implementing no- and low-cost energy conservation measures, adopting alternative financing options, improving shutdown procedures, reducing baseloads, creating an effective online energy-monitoring system, performing virtual energy assessments, building a robust EnMS, and attending online and in-person training events.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Grid Resilience Plans: State Requirements, Utility Practices, and Utility Plan Template

As of June 2024, 14 states and one city require jurisdictional electric utilities to file resilience plans. Drawing on these requirements and filed plans, this report offers a standard template that states and utilities can consider to improve utility filings for grid resilience plans, either as part of a distribution system plan or as a separate filing. Key elements include a vulnerability assessment, description of proposed resilience programs, and projected costs and rate impacts. While many of these requirements and plans focus on extreme weather hazards, the template also can be used to address additional threats, including cyber and physical attacks and seismic events.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

TH-D-BRB-04: Pinnacle Scripting: Improving Efficiency While Maintaining Safety

Scripting capabilities and application programming interfaces (APIs) are becoming commonly available in modern treatment planning systems. These links to the treatment planning system (TPS) allow users to read data from the TPS, and in some cases use TPS functionality and write data back to the TPS. Such tools are powerful extensions, allowing automation of routine clinical tasks and supporting research, particularly research involving repetitive tasks on large patient populations. The data and functionality exposed by scripting/API capabilities is vendor dependent, as are the languages used by script/API engines, such as the Microsoft .NET framework or Python. Scripts deployed in a clinical environment must be commissioned and validated like any other software tool. This session will provide an overview of scripting applications and a discussion of best practices, followed by a practical introduction to the scripting capabilities of three commercial treatment planning systems. Learning Objectives: Understand the scripting capabilities available in several treatment planning systems Learn how to get started using scripting capabilities Understand the best practices for safe script deployment in a clinical environment R. Popple, Varian Medical Systems has provided research support unrelated to the topic of this session.R. Cardan, Varian Medical Systems for grant research, product evaluation, and teaching honorarium.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Fixed-node diffusion Monte Carlo potential energy curve of the fluorine molecule F{sub 2} using selected configuration interaction trial wavefunctions

The potential energy curve of the F{sub 2} molecule is calculated with Fixed-Node Diffusion Monte Carlo (FN-DMC) using Configuration Interaction (CI)-type trial wavefunctions. To keep the number of determinants reasonable and thus make FN-DMC calculations feasible in practice, the CI expansion is restricted to those determinants that contribute the most to the total energy. The selection of the determinants is made using the CIPSI approach (Configuration Interaction using a Perturbative Selection made Iteratively). The trial wavefunction used in FN-DMC is directly issued from the deterministic CI program; no Jastrow factor is used and no preliminary multi-parameter stochastic optimization of the trial wavefunction is performed. The nodes of CIPSI wavefunctions are found to reduce significantly the fixed-node error and to be systematically improved upon increasing the number of selected determinants. To reduce the non-parallelism error of the potential energy curve, a scheme based on the use of a R-dependent number of determinants is introduced. Using Dunning’s cc-pVDZ basis set, the FN-DMC energy curve of F{sub 2} is found to be of a quality similar to that obtained with full configuration interaction/cc-pVQZ.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office FY 2017 Budget At-A-Glance

The Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs (WIP) Office is part of EERE’s balanced research, development, demonstration, and deployment approach to accelerate America’s transition to a clean energy economy. WIP’s mission is to partner with state and local organizations to improve energy security and to significantly accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies and practices by a wide range of government, community, and business stakeholders.

Finance, Budget, FY2017, FY 2017, WIP, Weatherizat↗

Cameco Corporation's Approach to Legacy and Ongoing Waste Management Within the Fuel Services Division - 19124

Since 2011, a Fuel Services Division (FSD) employee has been dedicated to oversee divisional waste management with the goal of accelerating the recycle/disposal of accumulated legacy radioactive wastes stored at its Ontario operations in Blind River and Port Hope. The Blind River Refinery (BRR) and Port Hope Conversion Facility (PHCF) were previously owned by the federal Crown Corporation, Eldorado Nuclear, becoming part of Cameco in 1988 and Cameco Fuel Manufacturing (CFM), previously known as Zircatec Precision Industries, becoming part of Cameco in 2006. Accumulated legacy radioactive waste is stored at each of the facilities. This radioactive waste has accumulated from operations beginning in the 1930's in Port Hope and the 1980's in Blind River. Due to minimal commercially available outlets for the disposal and/or treatment of these wastes, the waste was managed onsite by storage in underutilized space in buildings, trailers and/or in the secured yard. This relatively low-cost practice meant that over decades, the inventory increased at an unsustainable rate until available space became a limiting factor. During this time, the labelling, inventory records, characterization details and other history of many of the waste materials was not maintained adequately. Due to the volume of waste that had accumulated, campaigns to address these deficiencies in information were not considered feasible, sustaining the issue of accumulation of low-level radioactive waste. Since 2011, FSD has completed annual campaigns to address the accumulated legacy waste, which has included processing of material for decontamination to meet the unrestricted release criteria under the Canadian Nuclear Substance and Radiation Devices Regulations (NSRDR), disposal of marginally contaminated wastes (<500 ppm uranium) at a permitted landfill in the United States, processing of contaminated materials to reduce the volume of low-level radioactive waste and disposal at a designated facility in Port Hope. In addition FSD has undertaken significant changes to radioactive waste management practices at each of the facilities. Multiple characterization techniques, including visual observation, review of process and other historical records, laboratory analysis and radiation scanning have been utilized in campaign planning to identify the scope and appropriate waste management technique(s) to reduce the inventory of stored material. This divisional waste management program has resulted in a significant change to how radioactive waste is generated, inventoried, characterized and managed within FSD and has increased the visibility within the leadership team of the opportunities and challenges of waste management, such as alignment with decommissioning planning, project planning and budgeting. The heightened awareness has led to better financial and physical resource planning to execute waste projects with a current projected elimination of the legacy waste within FSD by 2025. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Zero Energy Ready Out of the Box

In this conference paper for the ASHRAE Buildings XV conference, December 2022, PNNL staff share key metrics for companies who are combining off site construction with certification to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home program to create homes that are both cost effective to construct and high performance to live in. Key performance metrics and measures for modular, panelized, and SIP homes are compared against all homes in the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program and against new homes built to code. These metrics show that off-site construction homes got similar or better energy performance to site-built homes, and in the case of modular and panelized, at considerably lower average cost than site-built homes. The paper also highlights the experiences of two DOE Zero Energy Ready Home builders who employ offsite construction methods. One builder constructs production homes using pre-assembled panels. The other builder designs and ships kit homes all over the United States. The paper will focus on the optimum value engineering aspects of the panelized construction processes used by each builder to identify management and production practices employed by the builders to operate profitably while meeting high energy performance goals, despite a year marked by skyrocketing materials costs and supply chain and labor shortages. Cost and labor savings methods will be discussed in the context of these two unique business models.

U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Pr↗

Current Status of the DOE/NNSA Nuclear Criticality Safety Program Hands-on Criticality Safety Training Courses

In 2011, the US Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) developed and piloted a 2-week nuclear criticality safety (NCS) practitioner course to support training and qualification of new NCS staff. The course was developed in accordance with the American National Standard Institute/American Nuclear Society (ANSI/ANS) standard for NCS training and qualifications (ANSI/ANS-8.26-2007). In 2013, an NCS manager’s course was developed for process supervisors, managers, regulators, and other professionals with NCS-related responsibilities. These courses consist of classroom education, facility training, and hands-on subcritical and critical experiments training. Each course is currently offered twice per year. The 2-week practitioner course offers a week of classroom training, with practical workshops and exercises focused on teaching students how to perform an NCS evaluation. The second week of training involves hands-on critical and subcritical experiments and measurements. The first week is offered in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the DOE Nevada Field Office or the National Atomic Testing Museum. Depending on the student’s clearance level, the second week is offered at Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) (uncleared and L-cleared students) or at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) (Q-cleared students). The 1-week manager’s course is offered at SNL or NCERC, depending on clearance or interest, and includes classroom and hands-on critical and subcritical experiments and measurements. This paper provides an overview and status report for the DOE/NNSA NCSP training courses in NCS and provides information about future course offerings.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Scaling up the energy service company business: market status and company feedback in the Russian Federation

Many energy efficiency professionals have proposed using Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs) as a mechanism to improve public sector energy efficiency in countries with restrictive government budgets. However, in practice, most middle-income countries have used this mechanism only in a limited way. Russia offers an interesting case study because of its huge energy savings opportunities, increasing energy prices, robust political backing for public sector energy efficiency, and evolving legislation that supports EPCs. In 2009, the Russian Federation launched a program to reduce the energy intensity of the country’s large public sector, which accounts for 9 percent of Russia’s total energy consumption. To achieve energy efficiency goals, Russia experimented with its public procurement rules, adjusting them to encourage EPCs. We conducted structured interviews with Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) in Russia and supplemented them with online research. Our review shows that, to date, nearly 50 ESCOs signed about 150 contracts in public facilities. Most ESCO contracts in Russia are for 5 years, and they generally are small (under $100,000). ESCOs in Russia face a challenging environment, which leads to smaller projects. ESCOs also are concerned about costly and risky tender procedures, uncertainty regarding repayment from public facilities, the inability to expand projects, and financing. We discuss these challenges and propose potential solutions at policy and company levels. The ESCOs feedback regarding Russia’s experimental model can inform the country’s program for public sector energy efficiency and offer lessons for other countries attempting to develop the EPC mechanism.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Heterogeneous Hierarchical Workflow Composition

Workflow systems promise scientists an automated end-to-end path from hypothesis to discovery. However, expecting any single workflow system to deliver such a wide range of capabilities is impractical. A more practical solution is to compose the end-to-end workflow from more than one system. With this goal in mind, the integration of task-based and in situ workflows is explored, where the result is a hierarchical heterogeneous workflow composed of subworkflows, with different levels of the hierarchy using different programming, execution, and data models. Materials science use cases demonstrate the advantages of such heterogeneous hierarchical workflow composition.

distributed workflows↗

Adaptive nonlinear wavefront shaping in layered TMDs

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides are promising candidates for nonlinear photonics applications, offering strong nonlinear susceptibility and compatibility with integrated platforms. Although considerable effort has been devoted to manipulating second harmonic generation in these materials, the dynamic control of nonlinear wavefronts remains largely unexplored. Metasurfaces have enabled significant progress in nonlinear beam engineering, yet their practical implementation is limited by low conversion efficiencies and restricted design flexibility. In this work, we employ feedback-based wavefront shaping using spatial light modulators to enhance SHG from pyramid-like WS 2 multilayer structures by over three orders of magnitude in selected spatial regions. This approach allows us to program nonlinear holograms and dynamically shape the SHG signal through phase-only modulation, opening new possibilities for nonlinear imaging, optical information processing, and data communication.

Mavian, Alex [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, ↗

Performance House -- A Cold Climate Challenge Home

Working with builder partners on a test homes allows for vetting of whole-house building strategies to eliminate any potential unintended consequences prior to implementing these solution packages on a production scale. To support this research, CARB partnered with Preferred Builders Inc. on a high-performance test home in Old Greenwich, CT. The philosophy and science behind the 2,700 ft2 'Performance House' was based on the premise that homes should be safe, healthy, comfortable, durable, efficient, and adapt with the homeowners. The technologies and strategies used in the 'Performance House' were not cutting-edge, but simply 'best practices practiced'. The focus was on simplicity in construction, maintenance, and operation. When seeking a 30% source energy savings targets over a comparable 2009 IECC code-built home in the cold climate zone, nearly all components of a home must be optimized. Careful planning and design are critical. To help builders and architects seeking to match the performance of this home, a step-by-step guide through the building shell components of DOE's Challenge Home are provided in a pictorial story book. The end result was a DOE Challenge Home that achieved a HERS Index Score of 20 (43 without PV, the minimum target was 55 for compliance). This home was also awarded the 2012 HOBI for Best Green Energy Efficient Home from the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Connecticut.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Solar, Install, Mount, Production, Labor, Equipment Balance of Systems

The GTRI led project team in partnership with the DOE, universities, and numerous industry leaders, have advanced the mission of the DOE EERE, the Solar Energy Technologies Program, and the SunShot Initiative by accelerating the research, development, and demonstration of solar PV technologies that provide Extreme Balance of Systems Cost Reductions (BOS-X). The research produced 132 design concepts, resulting in 19 invention disclosures, five patent applications, four 90% pre-commercial designs, and three licensed technologies. Technology practice rights were obtained by an industry partner, and a new solar commercial start-up company was launched in Atlanta as a result of this project. Innovations in residential, commercial, and utility scale balance of systems technologies were realized through an unprecedented multi-disciplinary university/industry partnership with over 50 students and 24 faculty members that produced 18 technical publications, a PhD thesis, and two commercially deployed operating prototypes. The technical effectiveness and economic feasibility of the multidisciplinary systems based approach executed by the project team was realized through 1) a comprehensive evaluation of industry, regulatory, and public stakeholder requirements; 2) numerous industry/student/faculty engagements in design studios, technical conferences, and at solar PV installation sites; 3) time and motion studies with domain experts that provided technical data and costs for each phase and component of the solar PV installation processes; 4) extensive wind tunnel and systems engineering modeling; and 5) design, construction, and demonstration of the selected technologies in the field at high profile sites in Atlanta. The SIMPLE BOS project has benefitted the public in the following ways: • Workforce development: The launch of a start-up company to commercialize the DOE funded SIMPLE BoS designs has directly created 9 new jobs in the State of Georgia. As of November 2014, the Georgia solar industry employs 2,890 solar workers, representing a 12.8% growth in employment over 2013 (Solar Jobs Census, 2014). • Growth of the solar industry: The DOE SIMPLE BoS SunShot Award to GTARC accelerated the growth of the solar industry in Georgia, due to the national publicity of the award and the engagement of numerous solar PV manufacturers, designers, and installers on the SIMPLE BoS project. In 2011 less than 50 megawatts of solar PV capacity existed in Georgia; by 2016 Georgia may reach nearly 800 MW of total approved solar capacity with the 2012 Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative. • Technical outreach and publications: Georgia Tech has participated in numerous technical symposiums, technology demonstrations, campus solar PV tours, and produced 18 publications for the solar industry and general public. • Cost reductions for consumers: The SIMPLE BoS pre-commercial systems and discoveries enable cost reductions of 50% or more in labor and materials for residential, commercial and utility scale PV installations.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Field Trial of an Aerosol-Based Enclosure Sealing Technology

This report presents the results from several demonstrations of a new method for sealing building envelope air leaks using an aerosol sealing process developed by the Western Cooling Efficiency Center at UC Davis. The process involves pressurizing a building while applying an aerosol sealant to the interior. As air escapes through leaks in the building envelope, the aerosol particles are transported to the leaks where they collect and form a seal that blocks the leak. Standard blower door technology is used to facilitate the building pressurization, which allows the installer to track the sealing progress during the installation and automatically verify the final building tightness. Each aerosol envelope sealing installation was performed after drywall was installed and taped, and the process did not appear to interrupt the construction schedule or interfere with other trades working in the homes. The labor needed to physically seal bulk air leaks in typical construction will not be replaced by this technology. However, this technology is capable of bringing the air leakage of a building that was built with standard construction techniques and HERS-verified sealing down to levels that would meet DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes program requirements. When a developer is striving to meet a tighter envelope leakage specification, this technology could greatly reduce the cost to achieve that goal by providing a simple and relatively low cost method for reducing the air leakage of a building envelope with little to no change in their common building practices.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Building America Case Study: Field Trial of an Aerosol-Based Enclosure Sealing Technology, Clovis, California

This report presents the results from several demonstrations of a new method for sealing building envelope air leaks using an aerosol sealing process developed by the Western Cooling Efficiency Center at UC Davis. The process involves pressurizing a building while applying an aerosol sealant to the interior. As air escapes through leaks in the building envelope, the aerosol particles are transported to the leaks where they collect and form a seal that blocks the leak. Standard blower door technology is used to facilitate the building pressurization, which allows the installer to track the sealing progress during the installation and automatically verify the final building tightness. Each aerosol envelope sealing installation was performed after drywall was installed and taped, and the process did not appear to interrupt the construction schedule or interfere with other trades working in the homes. The labor needed to physically seal bulk air leaks in typical construction will not be replaced by this technology. However, this technology is capable of bringing the air leakage of a building that was built with standard construction techniques and HERS-verified sealing down to levels that would meet DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes program requirements. When a developer is striving to meet a tighter envelope leakage specification, this technology could greatly reduce the cost to achieve that goal by providing a simple and relatively low cost method for reducing the air leakage of a building envelope with little to no change in their common building practices.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗