The objective of this project was to develop a functionality testing procedure for residential smart thermostat devices, in support of an energy efficiency and demand response residential smart thermostat rebate program, in the planning stages at the time of this writing. This testing procedure...

This project will look at "Gamification" to motivate people to use less energy, either by changing their behavior or by purchasing energy-efficient appliances, equipment, or buildings. Gamification is “approaching problems from the perspective of a game designer to tap into the psychology of...

The Solar Decathlon is a DOE-sponsored international competition which challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar powered houses that are cost-effective and energy-efficient. These competition homes are highly visible and typically see more than a quarter of a million visitors....

Sweetwater Spectrum, a planned community of four single-story residences and a community center located in Sonoma, CA, is designed to serve adults with autism spectrum disorders. The project was initiated as one of several zero net energy demonstrations and provided the opportunity to evaluate...

This project evaluates the lighting performance and energy savings potential of a Lamp-style Retrofit Kit, External Driver (a solution with separate lamp and driver), combined with a Wireless Advanced Lighting Control System (ALCS) to achieve additional energy savings and DR...

The California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan has set a long-term goal that all new residential construction in California be ZNE by 2020. One of Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) strategies in support of this goal is to inform the local building industry of ZNE benefits, concepts, and...

The overarching Demand Response (DR) Appliance project is aimed at three types of residential appliances: refrigerators, dishwashers, and clothes washers. This report focuses on refrigerators manufactured by LG Electronics. Concurrent with this project, the U.S. Environmental Protection...

This project aims to demonstrate use of a broadband/ZigBee gateway capable of meeting the CAISO’s requirements for DR bidding of sub-200-kW commercial and industrial DR loads into ancillary service markets. Engineers will lab test and demonstrate a new architecture that utilizes a smart meter, a...

This project will assess phase change materials (PCMs) in single-wide mobile homes. The test will consist of three test homes: a control (no PCM), PCM in walls, and PCM in the ceiling. Results will inform energy performance potential of...

This project set out to evaluate the effectiveness of an energy management program that combines an EMIS with technical support, in the form of an Energy Coach, to drive energy savings for small and medium business customers in PG&E’s service territory. To do so, we deployed a test...