Metrics, Measurement and Evaluation

Building Science-Based Methods to Quantify and Fortify Energy Resilience in Buildings

One of the challenges with resilience is that it is still loosely defined and not well-characterized. Building owners, operators and investors need to be able to assess resilience in a more fine-grained manner that provides actionable information to fortify their buildings. In essence, there is a need for rigorous building-science based methods to quantify resilience and develop corresponding fortification solutions.

Such methods would account for systems, operations and occupancy characteristics specific to the building. The goal of this Laboratory-Directed Research and Development project are to: 

• Define multi-dimensional building energy resilience metrics that integrate across spatial and temporal domains
• Develop methods to assess building resilience given various levels of data availability and quality
• Identify and evaluate approaches to fortify buildings using asset and operational strategies

Grid Modernization Lab Consortium Laboratory Valuation Analysis Team

The Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium (GMLC) was established as a strategic partnership between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the national laboratories to bring together leading experts, technologies, and resources to collaborate on the goal of modernizing the nation’s grid. 

Through the GMLC several teams are conducting field validations for Resilient Distribution Systems, and there is need for a consistent way to evaluate the impacts of each. The Laboratory Valuation Analysis Team will provide a consistent framework and approach for conducting the benefit/cost analysis of each project, impacts analysis (e.g. potential benefits to regions), and a broader synthesis of results. The team will account for the region-specific context of projects, including electricity market structure and design, as well as the threat profile that utilities must consider in their resilience and reliability planning. Valuation results for each of the five field projects, and lessons learned, will be communicated to laboratory researchers, industry partners, and policymakers/regulators.

Find out more at: gmlc.doe.gov/projects/1.5.07