
The building envelope, which includes the walls, windows, roof, and foundation, forms the primary thermal barrier between the interior and exterior environments. With envelope technologies accounting for approximately 30% of the primary energy consumed in residential and commercial buildings, it plays a key role in determining levels of comfort, natural lighting, ventilation, and how much energy is required to heat and cool a building. Members of the Building Envelope Technology Research Team collaborate with DOE's national laboratories to deploy high-performance envelope design solutions for space conditioning load reduction and to facilitate the construction of durable and high performing envelope technologies.
Building owners and managers can create more energy-efficient buildings by improving the performance of their building envelopes. Join the Building Envelope Campaign to get expert support and technical assistance and earn DOE recognition.
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Featured Solutions

Recent advances in window technologies for both reductions in conduction loses and solar gains can help in tremendous energy savings in commercial buildings.

Exterior walls are the major components of the building envelope. By being a barrier between the interior and the exterior environments, walls need to have features that minimize the energy losses while maintaining durability.

Roofs are another source of building energy loss, but roofing design and materials can help to reduce the amount of cooling required in certain climates by reflecting solar heat rather than absorbing it.
Air barrier solutions, like sealants, membranes, spray foams, and sheathings, are key to addressing air leakage in commercial buildings, which can account for about 20% of the total energy used to heat and cool buildings. During this Building Envelope Tech Team Meeting, the team discussed current practices in measuring air leakage and explored technical resources to support the application of advanced air barrier technologies.
Results from a LIQUIDARMORâ„¢ CM pilot project shows that advanced air barrier technologies can reduce the average air leakage rate, saving money on heating and cooling costs and improving the building envelope airtightness.

This presentation from the Better Buildings Envelope Technology Research Team explores window shading attachments, air barrier technologies, and resources for building enclosure commissioning.
Other Resources
Webinar
This webinar was the inaugural meeting of the new Building Envelope Tech Team.
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Join the Building Envelope Campaign
A building's envelope (windows, walls, roof) accounts for approximately 30% of the primary energy consumed in commercial buildings; participants in the Building Envelope Campaign work to improve the performance of building envelopes in both new and existing buildings by setting goals for performance, determining available energy savings, and leveraging technical support from DOE.
Contacts

Antonio J. Aldykiewicz, Jr. is a Senior R&D Staff Member with the Building Envelope Materials Research Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He brings more than 20 years of industrial experience in the development and commercialization of building materials and systems focused on energy efficiency and durability of the building enclosure. He is also a LEED AP BD+C accredited professional with an interest in sustainability issues related to the built environment.