About Us +
Researchers in the Building Technology & Urban Systems Division (BTUS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory develop data and technologies that increase energy efficiency and improve the health, safety and comfort of building occupants, in the United States and worldwide.

We work closely with industry partners, academics and government officials to achieve these goals, and share our research widely
Research +
We are at the forefront of cutting-edge research that redefines building technology and explores all areas of urban systems.

We have been leaders for decades in developing energy-efficient windows, improving indoor air quality, coming up with new ideas to fix the nation's electricity grid, and so much more.

Visit our research areas at the right to find out more.
Colum 1 +
Colum 2 +
Publications +
Enjoy presentations from Building Technology & Urban systems research experts on a wide variety of topics in the areas of building energy efficiency, the electricity grid and how it relates to buildings and much more.
- Presentations
News
Tools & Guides +
Explore our tools, guidebooks and software and download for free.

We offer a variety of technologies designed to simulate and model real-world circumstances to assist in energy-saving programs and help building owners build better buildings. These tools can help calculate performance of building systems like windows and shades, help consumers and builders pick the best windows for a variety of applications and much more.

Publications

Publications By Research Area

2021

Ahn, Hyeunguk, William Miller, Paul Sheaffer, Vestal Tutterow, and Vi H Rapp."Opportunities for installed combined heat and power (CHP) to increase grid flexibility in the U.S.."Energy Policy 157 (2021) 112485. DOI

Feldhausen, John J, David C Bell, Shane T Kosir, Joshua S Heyne, Corinne D Scown, Vi H Rapp, and Ana Comesana."The Co-Optimization of Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Cost, Emissions, and Performance."AIAA Scitech 2021 ForumAIAA Scitech 2021 Forum (2021). DOI

Booten, Chuck, Prakash Rao, Vi H Rapp, Roderick Jackson, and Ravi S Prasher."Theoretical Minimum Thermal Load in Buildings."Joule 5.1 (2021) 24 - 46. DOI

2020

Less, Brennan, Iain S Walker, David M Lorenzetti, Evan Mills, Vi H Rapp, Spencer M Dutton, Michael D Sohn, Xiwang Li, Jordan D Clark, and Max H Sherman."Smart Ventilation for Advanced California Homes." (2020).

Caubel, Julien J, Vi H Rapp, Sharon S Chen, and Ashok J Gadgil."Practical design considerations for secondary air injection in wood-burning cookstoves: An experimental study."Development Engineering 5 (2020) 100049. DOI

2019

Mayer, Morgan A, Tyler Huntington, Ana Comesana, Vi H Rapp, and Kyle Niemeyer."Can machine learning predict fuel properties accurately?."2019 WSSCI Fall Technical Meeting (2019).

2018

Caubel, Julien J, Vi H Rapp, Sharon S Chen, and Ashok J Gadgil."Optimization of Secondary Air Injection in a Wood-Burning Cookstove: An Experimental StudyOptimization of Secondary Air Injection in a Wood-Burning Cookstove: An Experimental Study."Environmental Science & Technology 52.7 (2018) 4449 - 4456. DOI

Fischer, Marc L, Wanyu R Chan, William W Delp, Seongeun Jeong, Vi H Rapp, and Zhimin Zhu."An Estimate of Natural Gas Methane Emissions from California Homes."Environmental Science & Technology (2018). DOI

2017

Wilson, Daniel L, Vi H Rapp, Julien J Caubel, Sharon S Chen, and Ashok J Gadgil."Verifying mixing in dilution tunnels: How to ensure cookstove emissions samples are unbiased." (2017).

Rapp, Vi H, Robert K Cheng, and Peter L Therkelsen."A high turndown, ultra low emission low-swirl burner for natural gas, on-demand water heaters." (2017).

2016

Rapp, Vi H, Julien J Caubel, Daniel L Wilson, and Ashok J Gadgil."Reducing Ultrafine Particle Emissions Using Air Injection in Wood-Burning Cookstoves."Environmental Science & Technology 50 (2016) 8368-8374. DOI

2015

Rapp, Vi H, Brett C Singer, J Chris Stratton, Craig P Wray, and Brennan Less."Assessment of Literature Related to Combustion Appliance Venting Systems." (2015).

2014

Rapp, Vi H, and Brett C Singer."Effect of Fuel Wobbe Number on Pollutant Emissions from Advanced Technology Residential Water Heaters: Results of Controlled Experiments." (2014).

2013

Rapp, Vi H, Albert Pastor-Perez, Brett C Singer, and Craig P Wray."Predicting Backdrafting and Spillage for Natural-Draft Gas Combustion Appliances: Validating VENT-II." (2013). DOI

2012

Rapp, Vi H, Anthony DeFilippo, Samveg Saxena, Jyh-Yuan Chen, Robert W Dibble, Atsushi Nishiyama, Ahsa Moon, and Yuji Ikeda."Extending Lean Operating Limit and Reducing Emissions of Methane Spark-Ignited Engines Using a Microwave-Assisted Spark Plug." Journal of Combustion 2012 (2012). DOI

2011

DeFilippo, A, Samveg Saxena, Vi H Rapp, Jyh-Yuan Chen, and Robert W Dibble."Extending the lean flammability limit of gasoline using a microwave assisted sparkplug." (2011).