ORNL & KCDC: High-Tech Energy Retrofits Coming to Western Heights Neighborhood Renovation project

Source: Knox News | Article | April 6, 2022 |

The U.S. Department of Energy, saying we’re in an “all-out sprint to beat the climate crisis,” will spend $5 million in Knoxville on a project it hopes will become a model for the rest of the country.

Oak Ridge National Lab and the Knoxville Community Development Corporation will work together to retrofit the exteriors of roughly a dozen single-family public housing units to cut home heating energy costs. But the project is wildly different from a typical home improvement upgrade.

It uses 3D printing to create a new, high-tech shell that fits around existing buildings to the exact millimeter.

The test will help advance the technology, transform the look of the building’s exterior and should save residents a ton of money.

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“Buildings are responsible for about 40% of the total energy demand in the U.S.,” said Diana Hun, building envelope research group leader at Oak Ridge National Lab. Buildings are responsible for over 75% of peak power demand and electricity use, mostly because of heating and cooling. “Retrofitting existing buildings is essential to achieve our decarbonization goals.”

To read the full article visit: Oak Ridge National Lab retrofits homes to help energy efficiency (knoxnews.com)