Physics-based Interval Data Models to automate and scale home energy performance evaluations

Smart Building − Better Quality of Life Through Sensor Technologies

Using Software to Automatically Detect Home Retrofit Options

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Fraunhofer CSE's new software tool can improve the uptake of energy-saving retrofits in residential buildings by 50 percent or more.

Fraunhofer CSE is developing a software tool that automatically and remotely analyzes smart thermostat and interval meter data to identify household-specific retrofit opportunities that reduce heating energy consumption, potentially improving the uptake of energy-saving retrofits by 50 percent or more. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the project Physics-based Interval Data Models to Automate and Scale Home Energy Performance Evaluations for funding in its Building America Program in 2016.

A major focus of the Building America program is reducing a home’s heating and cooling costs. Typically, heating and cooling account for 40 percent of a home’s energy consumption—the largest single energy use and more than water heating, refrigeration, and lighting combined. In 2014, U.S. homeowners spent approximately $70 billion to heat their homes and $24 billion to cool them. Building America works with industry partners to create healthier and more comfortable homes that reduce homeowners’ utility bills.