Building-Integrated Enthalpy Exchange-Thermal and Optical Characterization

Buildings consume 40% of the primary energy used in the United States. Space cooling accounts for approximately 12.7% of that primary energy consumption. The cooling demand is determined largely by two external factors: the temperature and humidity of the outdoor air, and the amount of solar radiation incident on the buildings exterior surfaces. The proposal concerns a technology that is integrated into the building to reduce both sources of the cooling: the VENTILATION load and the ENVELOPE load.The proposal concerns an enthalpy recovery system a device that uses the cooler, drier building exhaust air to pre-cool and pre-dry incoming fresh air in hot, humid climates. Integrating the device into a part of the building enclosure provides several benefits: The large available surface area, combined with recent material technology developed by a commercialization partner, enables a very complete pre-cooling and drying of the incoming fresh air without requiring the extra energy for higher fan pressure that is needed in conventional systems. In this way, the VENTILATION portion of the cooling load can be reduced. By flowing the exhaust air through the building enclosure system on its way out of the building, that airstream can be made to trap the incoming solar radiation and flush it back to the exterior before it enters the building and needs to be managed by the building air conditioning system .In this way, the ENVELOPE portion of the cooling load is also reduced. The proposal would enable a detailed feasibility study of the ENVELOPE portion of the system functionality through measurement and simulation in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A feasibility assessment on the VENTILATION portion of the system is already underway with separate funding.Commercial Applications and Benefits: Reduction in cooling energy use will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, electrical generation requirements, and dependence on foreign energy supplies. Commercializing this technology will provide a leadership position in building-integrated thermal management and provide space- and flexibility benefits to both new and retrofit commercial real estate markets. The potential market for this hybrid technology is large, manufacturing at scale is very feasible, and several industry members have already expressed interest in partnering on this endeavor.