Plug & Process Loads
Plug & Process Loads
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Plug and process loads (PPLs) consume about 47% of primary energy in U.S. commercial buildings. As buildings become more efficient, PPL efficiency has become pertinent in achieving aggressive energy targets. Through the PPL Technology Research Team, partners participate in a platform to share experiences and learn from their peers and work together to create resources on PPL energy reduction strategies and their applications, covering a wide variety of electronic, computer, refrigeration, and cooking devices, including equipment essential to information processing, medical treatment, and foodservice businesses. |
The Plug and Process Load Team has hosted many webinars about a variety of PPL-related topics. Access all the recordings and slide decks in the On-Demand Webinar Library.
The Plug and Process Load Team collaborates with researchers and industry experts to promote awareness and energy reduction through new technologies. Contact the Plug and Process Load Team to learn how you can get involved.
To date, 900+ Better Buildings, Better Plants partners have saved more than 3.1 quadrillion Btu, saving more than $18.5 billion and 189 million metric tons of CO2.
Featured Solutions
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Medical Imaging Equipment Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet This resource describes how Medical Imaging Equipment (MIE) energy reduction strategies can reduce the overall energy consumption of healthcare facilities.
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Medical Imaging Equipment Energy Efficiency Presentation This presentation was prepared for healthcare sector stakeholders as a resource on Medical Imaging Equipment (MIE) energy use. It provides an overview of existing work, reviews existing literature on MIE energy use and identifies energy efficiency opportunities.
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This resource is an introductory guide for commercial building process loads and is intended to help commercial building owners and operators reduce process load energy consumption. |
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Automatic receptacle controls (ARCs) can help building owners and occupants reduce plug load energy use. Therefore, a growing number of states and local jurisdictions are requiring ARCs as part of their commercial building energy codes. Learn more about what ARCs are and why they should be included in building energy codes. Click here for the Spanish version. |
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This fact sheet summarizes ATLIS, a plug load management system framework that takes advantage of smart, connected devices to identify device locations in a building, meter and control their power, and communicate this information to a central system. |
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DOE's Integrated Lighting Campaign recognized the Minnesota Department of Transportation for installing integrated controls for plug loads and lighting systems at its Cedar Avenue Truck Station. |
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Smart outlets control the flow of power to devices plugged into them and measure their energy use. Use this fact sheet to learn more about what smart outlets are and how to use them, how to procure smart outlets, and how to maintain a smart outlet system for optimal savings. |
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This guide will help office building owners and energy managers reduce PPL energy use. It includes a process for developing a PPL control strategy for office buildings. |
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This guide describes the process needed to cost-effectively reduce PPL energy impact in retail buildings. It includes general and appliance-specific PPL control strategies. |
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In partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Wells Fargo's Innovation Incubator (IN2) funded the development of smart learning behavior algorithms that could simplify smart socket installation processes and expand the energy-saving potential through suitable control schedules. |
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This fact sheet introduces two emerging technologies that could streamline plug load management (PLM) for increased energy savings for building owners: learning behavior algorithms (LBA) and automatic and dynamic load detection (ADLD). |
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Plug Load Efficiency Utility Incentives Policies and Incentives List of incentives and rebates offered by utilities for plug and process load controls.
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This toolkit provides guidance on understanding the numerous strategies for reducing plug and process load (PPL) energy consumption in your buildings, including how to select the right strategy for devices, building types, and occupant needs to maximize energy savings. |
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To address the trivial task of monitoring thousands of plug loads in today's large buildings, researchers at NREL proposed a method for combining a limited amount of smart plug metering with a device inventory to develop a disaggregated breakdown of device-level power consumption, revealing energy savings opportunities. |
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This report examines smart, wireless plug and process load (PPL) meter and control technologies and recommends research on integrating PPL data into EMIS platforms, making PPL data interoperable with other building end-use data and, developing and testing automatic PPL controls. |
Other Resources
Case Studies
Fact Sheets
Guidance
Policies and Incentives
Presentations
Reports
Specifications
Toolkits
Webinars
Additional Information
PPL Team Quarterly Update
Learn about recent activities and upcoming events from the Plug and Process Load Tech Team.
Consortium for Energy Efficiency: Distribution Transformer Initiative
The purpose of this Initiative is to drive market demand for high efficiency through assisting member programs to overcome barriers like first cost, split incentives, and absence of a consistent definition for high-performance.
DOE Appliance and Equipment Standards Program
The Building Technologies Office (BTO) implements minimum energy conservation standards for more than 60 categories of appliances and equipment. This program provides a resource to help consumers make informed decisions when selecting products in order to save energy and money.
Sector Priorities
Meet the Technology Expert
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Dr. Kim Trenbath is a Research Engineer in the Building Technologies and Science Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). She leads the Better Buildings Plug and Process Loads (PPL) Technology Research Team and researches how advanced technologies can reduce PPL energy use in commercial buildings. The PPL Technology Research Team also includes Ms. Amy Lebar, Ms. Robin Tuttle, and Mr. Omkar Ghatpande. The team is transforming the PPL efficiency market through research and applied approaches. If you have PPL questions or would like more information on the PPL Team, please contact Dr. Trenbath, Ms. LeBar, Ms. Tuttle, and Mr. Ghatpande at PPL@nrel.gov. |