The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) is interested in identifying pathways that will reduce energy consumption from Miscellaneous Electric Loads (MELs). After hosting a panel discussion at the 2016 BTO Peer Review, the Emerging Technologies Program hosted a workshop on June 3, 2016 in San Francisco, California, to discuss applied research and development (R&D) solutions that could inform potential future funding opportunities on the topic. 

More than 30 experts from industry, academia, national labs, and utilities participated in the daylong event. The morning plenary included presentations on BTO’s interest in the topic, previous R&D that has advanced the field to date, and current R&D projects underway by outside organizations. The speakers included:

  • Pat Phelan, Emerging Technologies program manager, DOE BTO
  • Leo Rainier, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
  • Mangesh Basarkar, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
  • Felix Villanueva, California Energy Commission

After the opening session, participants assembled into breakout groups for facilitated discussion to address two main questions: 1) What technology platform and appliance-specific solutions exist to reduce energy consumption from MELS; and 2) What are appropriate quantitative metrics and targets for specific technology solutions for reducing MELs?

The presentations can be accessed below.

View the Presentations