CAREER: Intelligent Energy Retrofit Decisions for Large-scale Residential Buildings

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Large-scale retrofits of existing buildings can potentially reduce energy use by 60%-80% and carbon emissions by 30%. Large-scale retrofits are critical in America where more than 44% of existing buildings are expected to be replaced or renovated by 2050. Retrofits of residential buildings have potential to save more energy than commercial buildings. Although the technologies for residential buildings are not complicated, large-scale retrofits are held back due to a lack of understanding human-building interaction and the high complexity of community systems. This knowledge gap results in inaccurate and unnecessary retrofit decisions and causes wasted energy and investment. For example, an energy-efficient stove is not useful if occupants rarely cook. To address this gap, the investigator has created a new concept of routine occupant behavior (ROB) to indicate the stable occupant behaviors that are essential for building retrofit decisions. The research program aims to better understand human-building integration and produce intelligent, cost-effective, and transformative energy retrofit decisions for large-scale residential buildings. Built upon the ROB concept, the PI proposes a highly integrated research and education/outreach plan.The research outcomes targeted are: (1) definition of ROB via a theoretical framework and a detection tool; (2) optimization of whole-community retrofit decisions via dynamic human-building networks; and (3) enablement of across-community retrofit knowledge transfer via an intelligent lifelong learning model. Research outcomes are to be validated using data from four testbeds with up to 3,000 single-family and multifamily units across multiple climate zones and geographic landscapes. The holistic education/outreach program aims to prepare the next generation of convergent researchers and engineers with knowledge, skills, and abilities in green technology and philosophy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.