Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “occupant engagement”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Plug Load Management Through Occupant Engagement at Washington State University

To decrease costs and improve building occupant safety, Washington State University (WSU) began planning a plug load management campaign in 2020, with implementation beginning in 2021. This case study describes the campaign's goals, approach, and results over the past 5 years, ultimately showing that occupant- and behavior-focused strategies can meaningfully reduce plug load energy use while improving health and safety.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Realizing High-Performance Buildings

High-performance buildings (HPBs) are exceptional examples of both design and practice. Their energy footprints are small, and these are buildings that people want to work in because of their intelligent structure, operations, and coincident comfort. However, the operation of most buildings, even ones that are properly constructed and commissioned at the start, can deviate significantly from the original design intent over time, particularly due to control system overrides and growing plug and data center loads. With early planning for systems such as submetering and occupant engagement tools, operators can identify and remedy the problems. This guide is a primer for owners and owners' representatives who are pursuing HPBs. It describes processes that have been successful in the planning, procurement, and operation of HPBs with exceptional energy efficiency. Much of the guidance offered results from a series of semi-structured conference calls with a technical advisory group of 15 owners and operators of prominent HPBs in the United States. The guide provides a prescription for planning, achieving, and maintaining an HPB. Although the guide focuses on the operations stage of buildings, many of the operations practices are specified during the planning stage.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Top 5 Waste Outreach & Engagement Tips

This fact sheet outlines five best practices for successfully engaging occupants, employees, and stakeholders in a waste reduction plan, developed through DOE's Better Buildings Waste Reduction Pilot by participating commercial organizations.

waste, waste reduction, waste diversion, outreach,↗
DOE OSTI2024

Pathways to commercial building plug and process load efficiency and control

Abstract To accomplish net-zero carbon emissions in the built environment by 2050, we must equitably decarbonize commercial buildings, including reducing plug and process loads (PPLs). PPLs are plug-in or hardwired electric and gas loads that are not associated with major building end uses like lighting and HVAC. Research shows PPL energy reduction strategies and control technologies have the potential to save energy. But even when implemented, these savings have rarely been achieved and there has not been widespread uptake in U.S. commercial buildings. We investigate why these technologies and strategies have not seen widespread adoption and identify behavior and technology pathways to increase PPL reduction in U.S. commercial buildings. We examined behaviors of commercial building stakeholders through 44 interviews and cross-referenced qualitative analysis findings with in-depth technical knowledge of existing PPL control technologies and reduction strategies. PPL control implementation must be paired with management strategies, such as occupant engagement and training, to achieve optimal savings, and best practices should be disseminated across the industry. We found that increasing access to cost and energy savings data will promote uptake of PPL control technologies and allow designers to better incorporate PPLs into building design. Improving access to funding for PPL energy efficiency projects and addressing the split-incentive problem will increase adoption of PPL efficiency and control. Code bodies should continue to include PPL monitoring and reduction measures in energy codes. Key building stakeholders, including cybersecurity and information technology teams, should be involved in PPL monitoring and reduction strategy processes for successful implementation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2015

Personalized Energy Reduction Cyber-Physical System (PERCS): A gamified end-user platform for energy efficiency and demand response.

The mission of the Personalized Energy Reduction Cyber-physical System (PERCS) is to create new possibilities for improving building operating efficiency, enhancing grid reliability, avoiding costly power interruptions, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. PERCS proposes to achieve these outcomes by engaging building occupants as partners in a user-centered smart service platform. Using a non-intrusive load monitoring approach, PERCS uses a single sensing point in each home to capture smart electric meter data in real time. The household energy signal is disaggregated into individual load signatures of common appliances (e.g., air conditioners), yielding near real-time appliance-level energy information. Users interact with PERCS via a mobile phone platform that provides household- and appliance-level energy feedback, tailored recommendations, and a competitive game tied to energy use and behavioral changes. PERCS challenges traditional energy management approaches by directly engaging occupant as key elements in a technological system.

Sintov, Nicole↗
DOE OSTI2014

An Assessment of Envelope Measures in Mild Climate Deep Energy Retrofits

Energy end-uses and interior comfort conditions have been monitored in 11 Deep Energy Retrofits (DERs) in a mild marine climate. Two broad categories of DER envelope were identified: first, bringing homes up to current code levels of insulation and airtightness, and second, enhanced retrofits that go beyond these code requirements. The efficacy of envelope measures in DERs was difficult to determine, due to the intermingled effects of enclosure improvements, HVAC system upgrades and changes in interior comfort conditions. While energy reductions in these project homes could not be assigned to specific improvements, the combined effects of changes in enclosure, HVAC system and comfort led to average heating energy reductions of 76percent (12,937 kWh) in the five DERs with pre-retrofit data, or 80percent (5.9 kWh/ft2) when normalized by floor area. Overall, net-site energy reductions averaged 58percent (15,966 kWh; n=5), and DERs with code-style envelopes achieved average net-site energy reductions of 65percent (18,923 kWh; n=4). In some homes, the heating energy reductions were actually larger than the whole house reductions that were achieved, which suggests that substantial additional energy uses were added to the home during the retrofit that offset some heating savings. Heating system operation and energy use was shown to vary inconsistently with outdoor conditions, suggesting that most DERs were not thermostatically controlled and that occupants were engaged in managing the indoor environmental conditions. Indoor temperatures maintained in these DERs were highly variable, and no project home consistently provided conditions within the ASHRAE Standard 55-2010 heating season comfort zone. Thermal comfort and heating system operation had a large impact on performance and were found to depend upon the occupant activities, so DERs should be designed with the occupants needs and patterns of consumption in mind. Beyond-code building envelopes were not found to be strictly necessary for the achievement of deep energy savings in existing uninsulated homes in mild marine climates, provided that other energy end-uses were comprehensively reduced. We recommend that mild climate DERs pursue envelopes in compliance with the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and pair these with high efficiency, off-the-shelf HVAC equipment. Enhanced building envelopes should be considered in cases where very low heating energy use (<1,000 kWh/year or <0.5 kWh/ft2-year) and enhanced thermal comfort (ASHRAE 55-2010) are required, as well as in those situations where substantial energy uses are added to the home, such as decorative lighting, cooling or smart home A/V and communication equipment.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2016

Engaging Tenants in Reducing Plug Load Energy Use

Plug and Process Loads (PPLs) account for an increasingly large percentage of commercial building energy use in the U.S. due to the rising number of energy intensive plug-in devices. In addition, buildings are becoming more and more efficient and plug load energy use has become an increasingly pertinent component to achieving aggressive energy targets and netzero energy status. For multi-tenant buildings, controlling plug loads in tenant spaces can be a significant challenge. Luckily, there are a number of PPL reduction strategies, best practices, and lessons learned from numerous commercial real estate and higher education leaders who have successfully engaged building occupants and tenants in reducing PPL energy use. This paper provides actionable PPL reduction strategies and best practices that building owners and managers can immediately apply to their own buildings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Using occupant interaction with advanced lighting systems to understand opportunities for energy optimization: Control data from a hospital NICU

For this study, lighting system control data from five patient rooms in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) over a 25-week monitoring period were analyzed to better understand how the NICU staff and families interacted with an automatic tunable lighting system (variable spectrum and intensity) with manual override options. The data were analyzed to determine the amount of time spent in available lighting modes, estimate energy consumption, and to observe any patterns in how the lighting system was being used by occupants. Further analysis revealed opportunities for optimizing the system for occupant needs and energy savings. The patient room occupants were clearly engaged in using the lighting system throughout the 24-hour day to meet needs and preferences. Giving occupants control over the lighting system did not result in a considerable increase in energy use. Implementing a time-out would minimize the extended periods of time when the lights were left on without need at the highest brightness level, further decreasing energy use. This analysis reveals the potential of lighting control data to contribute to energy savings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Emerging Pathways to Upgrade the US Housing Stock: A Review of the Home Energy Upgrade Literature

The residential buildings sector is responsible for about 20% of total US energy use. In order to achieve climate goals, we need ways to reduce carbon emissions and energy use in this sector. In addition, resiliency, electric grid stability, emergency survivability and other energy and building-related issues are becoming increasingly important challenges. New homes in most of the US meet various energy codes and are reasonably energy efficient. However, the vast majority of energy use is from existing homes that were not required to conform to energy performance requirements. It is becoming imperative to reach as many of these existing homes as possible and find ways to improve their energy-related performance. This must be done in such a way that it meets the needs and desires of homeowners and building occupants, as well as those of the contractors and design professionals engaged in doing the upgrades themselves. Energy retrofits of homes started in the 1970’s in response to the energy crisis, however, these retrofits were very limited in scope and relatively few homes were upgraded. Those homes that have been upgraded generally still have much scope for improvement. A huge effort is needed to get to scale to address the energy use in housing. The target population is effectively every home in the country, whether a large suburban single-family home, or a small downtown apartment. In order to provide a framework for analysis and the basis for plans to get to large-scale retrofits of homes, this literature review summarizes the state-of-the art in the US buildings industry. It identifies where more research, engineering, or technology is needed, as well as relevant industry trends, such as electrification, one-stop shop program design and others. It also examines other key topics, such as availability of financing, minimizing household disruption, and engaging home owners and occupants. This literature review builds on a similar review from several years ago (Less and Walker, 2014). The current review focuses on efforts in the intervening years. This literature review is part of a larger DOE study of deep energy upgrades that includes industry surveys and development of cost-stack analyses. For this review, we gathered data not just from the published literature, but also from practitioners in conjunction with other aspects of the larger DOE study. In some cases, we refer to comments from specific individuals or companies, or refer to specific products by name. This is not intended as an endorsement, but rather to provide clarity on sources of information and examples of relevant technologies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterizing Plug Load Energy Use and Savings Potential in Army Buildings

The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy and Environment) tasked the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to examine plug loads in typical Army buildings. Plug loads (also known as miscellaneous electric loads (MELs)) represent the electricity used by appliances and devices that are plugged in or hardwired and serve functions outside of a building’s core end uses. Common plug loads include computers, printers, copiers, networking devices, refrigerators, and vending machines. They also include personal electronic devices such as televisions, smart phones, tablets, and gaming systems. Examples of hardwired MELs include elevators, air compressors, and fire and security systems. The findings from this study confirm that significant energy is consumed within Army buildings by plug load devices and hardwired MEL equipment. A number of opportunities are identified for reducing unnecessary energy use that could save the Army over $5 million per year when broadly applied. Army regulations clearly spell out expectations for the purchase and operation of information technology equipment (computers, laptops, monitors, printers, and multi-function devices). However, the policies regarding the shutdown or activation of sleep and other lower power modes after 30 minutes of inactivity (15 minutes for monitors) do not appear to be consistently followed. There are many effective approaches and pathways for impacting change as it relates to improving awareness, implementing measures, and adjusting behaviors to identify and reduce plug load energy use. The Army should prioritize and consider deploying all of these to better understand and manage plug load equipment to save energy and enhance resilience across their facilities. Engaging the building occupants who use these devices daily via outreach and education should be a strong component of the strategy. The focus should be on reducing waste without sacrificing productivity or the benefits that many of these devices provide. Continued evaluation of plug loads beyond that performed here is important to gather lessons from additional building and equipment types, and to stay aware of evolving device technology and management options. This will highlight additional needs for policies, best practices, control technologies, and education of personnel to achieve real reductions in energy waste from plug load equipment. It is recommended that this study may serve as the foundation for a broader and sustained focus on plug loads and MELs, towards simultaneously enhancing the productivity, readiness, and resilience of the Army while reducing energy use and demand, and freeing up resources to better support the mission.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

From models to reality: a systematic review on simulated and measured residential heat pump energy savings

High-performance HVAC solutions are central to residential energy management. A substantial share of these are electric, reversible-cycle systems, with heat pumps representing the largest portion of current and near-term adoption. This review synthesizes peer-reviewed and grey literature on residential space heating and cooling heat pumps. The academic literature is dominated by modeling (73.8%), with limited field measurement (13.1%). Grey literature from United States serve as a supplemental resource providing measured savings. Conversions from electric-resistance heating consistently show the largest site energy reductions, while oil/propane baselines yield moderate savings, and gas baseline scenario often deliver small and region-dependent savings. This study cross-checks the grey literature measured data with simulation data filtered from the ResStock dataset. The comparison indicates a discrepancy between simulations and measured data: simulated site EUIs are typically lower than measured EUIs, but percentage energy savings fall in similar ranges, implying simulations capture directional effects while underestimating energy use. Factors associated with variability and model–measurement differences include system characterization and control representation (e.g., backup heat engagement, thermostat/setpoint strategies, commissioning/installation quality), occupant behavior, weather normalization, metering scope, and envelope characterization. This paper also outlines the proposed methodology for comparing simulation and measured data for heat pumps. It emphasizes the metrics used for comparison and units harmonization, building characteristics matching, and compact metadata are needed for simulations to match measured data. The proposed methodology is expected to improve the credibility of simulated savings as measured evidence grows.

Yu, Lili↗
DOE OSTI2014

Control Limits for Building Energy End Use Based on Engineering Judgment, Frequency Analysis, and Quantile Regression

Approaches are needed to continuously characterize the energy performance of commercial buildings to allow for (1) timely response to excess energy use by building operators; and (2) building occupants to develop energy awareness and to actively engage in reducing energy use. Energy information systems, often involving graphical dashboards, are gaining popularity in presenting energy performance metrics to occupants and operators in a (near) real-time fashion. Such an energy information system, called Building Agent, has been developed at NREL and incorporates a dashboard for public display. Each building is, by virtue of its purpose, location, and construction, unique. Thus, assessing building energy performance is possible only in a relative sense, as comparison of absolute energy use out of context is not meaningful. In some cases, performance can be judged relative to average performance of comparable buildings. However, in cases of high-performance building designs, such as NREL's Research Support Facility (RSF) discussed in this report, relative performance is meaningful only when compared to historical performance of the facility or to a theoretical maximum performance of the facility as estimated through detailed building energy modeling.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS1980

Occupational changes in the organ of hearing and equilibrium in sailors and fisherman

Prophylactic examination in persons engaged in fishing industry and in sailors of ocean-going ships demonstrated occupational cochlear neuritis, resulting from the action of noise and vibration. Five hundred and fifty three sailors and fishermen working under conditions of noise were studied. A total of 233 persons 43.7% were found to be suffering from changes of the auditory analyzer typically resulting from the action of noise and vibration. The most pronounced changes of hearing were revealed in fishermen, in 44.8% of the persons examined, the percentage also being the highest among the engine room workers (63%). The incidence of cochlear neuritis in sailors of the ocean-going steamship line and in personnel of research ocean-going ships was almost equal (39.9-40%). These indices differed in the engine room workers (42-46%). Vestibular function was investigated by caloric and rotation tests with the use of electronystagmography. The data obtained point to diminution of the vestibular analyzer excitability with increase of the length of navigation service.

Menyakin, R. P.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Communication breakdown: Energy efficiency recommendations to address the disconnect between building operators and occupants

As technology advances, progressive building performance goals are met with ease and occupant behavior plays an increasingly significant role in preventing building operators from achieving those goals. However, removing occupants from participating in building control and operation is counterintuitive to the purpose of building operation. Occupant-centric control (OCC) has been suggested as a means of incorporating the occupant while simultaneously reducing the negative impact their behavior can have on building performance. As a result, operators are now tasked with incorporating OCC into their daily operation. The relationship between building occupants and operators is a critical component to OCC, and balancing occupant comfort and building performance. In this paper, we present findings from an international qualitative study of building operators with a focus on the operator and occupant relationship. This paper identifies the role operators play in OCC, how these relationships develop, and how these relationships impact building operation through two key research questions: What factors influence the quality of relationships between occupants and operators? How can the relationships between operators and occupants be improved? Subsequently, these questions revealed this relationship becomes strained when building performance is prioritized over comfort, occupants are ignored or uneducated, and feedback is negative or sparse. In short: there is a disconnection between operators and occupants. Here we propose several solutions including modifying job requirements to prioritize occupant comfort, educating occupants to make autonomous decisions that are not detrimental to operation, and creating effective communication channels for instances where operator intervention is required.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaporative coolers and wildfire smoke exposure: a climate justice issue in hot, dry regions

Low-income families in dry regions, including in the Southwestern United States, frequently cool their homes with evaporative ("swamp") coolers (ECs). While inexpensive and energy efficient compared to central air conditioners, ECs pull unfiltered outdoor air into the home, creating a health hazard to occupants when wildfire smoke and heat events coincide. A community-engaged research project to reduce wildfire smoke in homes was conducted in California's San Joaquin Valley in homes of Spanish-speaking agricultural workers. A total of 88 study participants with ECs were asked about their level of satisfaction with their EC and their willingness to pay for air filtration. About 47% of participants reported dissatisfaction with their EC, with the most frequently reported reason being that it brings in dust and air pollution. Participants were highly satisfied with air cleaners and air filters that were offered to them free-of-charge. However, a willingness to pay analysis showed that air filtration solutions would not be adopted without significant subsidies; furthermore, air filtration would be an ongoing cost to participants due to the need to regularly replace filters. Short-term filtration solutions for EC users are feasible to implement and may reduce smoke exposure during wildfire events. Such solutions would need to be offered at low-or no-cost to reduce barriers to adoption. Longer term solutions include prioritizing homes with ECs in wildfire smoke exposed regions for replacement with air cooling technologies that provide clean air. Because ECs are disproportionately in low-income homes, addressing smoke intrusion through these devices is an environmental justice issue.

Solomon, Gina M↗
DOE OSTI2021

Modeling Savings for ENERGY STAR Smart Home Energy Management Systems

The objective of this study was to develop a repeatable and defensible methodology to analyze the energy savings for Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) that meets the minimum requirements for certification under ENERGY STAR ® Smart Home Energy Management System (SHEMS) Version 1. Mandatory connected loads include a smart thermostat, two smart lights, and one smart power strip or smart outlet. Control strategies must include feedback to occupants through an in-home display, user programming, occupancy sensor-based controls, and responsiveness to utility signals such as demand response programs. Several occupant behavior patterns were selected to quantify the range of energy savings potential for a HEMS with this basic functionality. A literature review was conducted to establish realistic room-by-room occupancy levels and usage patterns for connected devices. A series of event-driven hourly profiles were created, followed by adjustments based on application of HEMS control strategies to thermostats, interior lighting, and plug load schedules. EnergyPlus modeling was performed using these hourly schedules in three locations (Boston, Houston, and Phoenix) to examine climate dependence of energy savings. Total site energy savings ranged from 4.3 to 27.1 MBtu/year (7%-35%), and utility bill savings ranged from $\$$123 to $\$$670/year (6%-29%). The highest predicted savings was realized by occupants that were not energy conscious prior to HEMS installation, but highly engaged with the HEMS controls once the system was installed. The smart thermostat accounted for most of the savings, followed by the smart power strip. Smart lighting did not save a significant amount of energy in our analysis, based on an assumption that efficient LEDs with no standby power would normally be installed anyway.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS2011

Qualification Status of Non-Asbestos Internal Insulation in the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Program

This paper provides a status of the qualification efforts associated with NASA's RSRMV non-asbestos internal insulation program. For many years, NASA has been actively engaged in removal of asbestos from the shuttle RSRM motors due to occupation health concerns where technicians are working with an EPA banned material. Careful laboratory and subscale testing has lead to the downselect of a organic fiber known as Polybenzimidazol to replace the asbestos fiber filler in the existing synthetic rubber copolymer Nitrile Butadiene - now named PBI/NBR. Manufacturing, processing, and layup of the new material has been a challenge due to the differences in the baseline shuttle RSRM internal insulator properties and PBI/NBR material properties. For this study, data gathering and reduction procedures for thermal and chemical property characterization for the new candidate material are discussed. Difficulties with test procedures, implementation of properties into the Charring Material Ablator (CMA) codes, and results correlation with static motor fire data are provided. After two successful five segment motor firings using the PBI/NBR insulator, performance results for the new material look good and the material should eventually be qualified for man rated use in large solid rocket motor applications.

Clayton, Louie↗