Energy efficiency

News and Updates

New NIST Framework Strives for Cleaner, More Secure Power Grid

February 18, 2021

Whether it’s a new set of solar panels glistening on a neighbor’s roof or a freshly installed smart thermostat at home, burgeoning renewable and smart

Quantum Matchmaking: New NIST System Detects Ultra-Faint Communications Signals Using the Principles of Quantum Physics

September 23, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised and demonstrated a system that could dramatically increase the performance

A shower head with steamy water coming out.

NIST Identifies Critical Needs for Improved Plumbing

May 11, 2020

We don’t use water like we used to. In recent decades, concerns about cost, water shortages and environmental impacts together with changes in plumbing design

Projects and Programs

Cityscape in the background. Solar panels in the foreground.

Smart Grid Program

Ongoing

The Smart Grid Program develops and demonstrates smart grid measurement science advances to improve the efficiency, reliability, resilience, and sustainability

Measuring the Performance of Net-Zero Energy Homes

Completed

A Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF) has been constructed and extensively instrumented. The facility incorporates a high-performance envelope, a

Measurements, Standards, and Data for Energy Conversion Materials

Ongoing

The Measurements, Standards, and Data for Energy Conversion Materials Project provides the underpinning measurement science needed to support the development

Nanocalorimetry Measurements

Ongoing

Nanocalorimetry provides a capability to measure the thermal properties of very small samples and at very fast rates. Materials and interfaces of interest

Publications

Load Forecasting Tool for NIST Transactive Energy Market

September 27, 2021

Author(s)

Farhad Omar, David Holmberg

Customers and transactive energy (TE) market managers may rely on load forecasting algorithms to purchase or sell power in a forward market environment, using

Baseline Control Systems in the Intelligent Building Agents Laboratory

September 22, 2021

Author(s)

Amanda Pertzborn, Daniel Veronica

The goal of the Embedded Intelligence in Buildings program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is to develop and deploy advances in

Comparative Operando XPS and SEM Spatiotemporal Potential Mapping of Ionic Liquid Polarization in a Coplanar Electrochemical Device

September 21, 2021

Author(s)

Andrei Kolmakov, Evgheni Strelcov

The polarization response of a co-planar electrochemical capacitor covered with an ionic liquid as the electrolyte has been examined by a combination of two

On the Benefits of Whole-building IAQ, Ventilation, Infiltration, and Energy Analysis Using Co-simulation between CONTAM and EnergyPlus

September 13, 2021

Author(s)

William Stuart Dols, Chad Milando, Lisa Ng, Steven Emmerich, Jyrteanna Teo

Publicly available tools to perform whole-building simulation of indoor air quality, ventilation, and energy have been available for several decades. Until

Software

HVAC SIMulation PLUS other systems (HVACSIM+)

May 11, 2021

The first version of HVACSIM+, which stands for “HVAC SIMulation PLUS other systems”, was introduced by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in

Building Life Cycle Cost Programs

June 1, 2020

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed the Building Life Cycle Cost (BLCC) Programs to provide computational support for the

The NIST Data Alignment Tool

June 18, 2019

The Data Alignment Tool (DAT) was built to assist with the analysis of data used in testing fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) tools and building

HVAC-Cx Building HVAC Systems Commissioning Tool

December 14, 2017

HVAC-Cx is a semi-automated commissioning software tool designed to facilitate performance analysis for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC)

Tools and Instruments

Apparatus for the Measurement of High Temperature Thermoelectric Transport Properties

The Seebeck coefficient is a physical parameter routinely measured to identify the potential thermoelectric performance of a material. However, researchers

Material Analysis Using Neutron Depth Profiling

Light elements such as helium, lithium, boron, and nitrogen are essential constituents in materials that enable energy technologies; lithium ion batteries