PHILADELPHIA — The Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub) announced it has renamed itself the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation (CBEI). Located at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia, CBEI is comprised of 14 organizations including major research universities, global industrial firms, and national laboratories from across the United States who collaborate to develop and demonstrate solutions for 50 percent energy reduction in existing buildings by 2030.

The name change and streamlined organization led by Penn State reflects the organization’s transition from a regional innovation cluster to a research and demonstration center that works in close partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office. As a result, CBEI is more aggressively focused on demonstrating technical and market solutions that can be incorporated into energy efficiency strategies for small and medium size buildings and scaled nationally.

“Making the buildings we use every day more energy efficient will create jobs, fuel economic growth and reduce energy costs for businesses and consumers,” Sen. Bob Casey Jr. said. “I have urged members of Congress and the Obama administration to support the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation because it will allow Pennsylvania and the country to better control our energy future.”

Information about CBEI’s current projects can be found on a new website — www.cbei.psu.edu. More than 80 investigators and affiliated graduate students are actively engaged in CBEI research and demonstration projects.

Congressman Chaka Fattah said, “I am excited and continually impressed by the work that the Consortium is undertaking at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia. Their work around energy efficient buildings is helping us rethink energy consumption and reduce our country’s overall carbon footprint. As a result of this ongoing partnership with the Department of Energy, and with a renewed focus on the efficiency of small and medium-sized buildings, CBEI will continue to help the U.S. remain at the forefront of energy efficiency efforts worldwide.”

Neil Sharkey, vice president for research at Penn State, said, “We are delighted that the CBEI management team under the leadership of director Martha Krebs has fostered this productive and close partnership with DOE and we are looking forward to continuing to produce significant results that point to new opportunities for retrofit and energy savings in the nation’s small and medium size building sector. Our university remains committed to leading a strong program based at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia in conjunction with our dedicated partners.”

For more information, visit www.cbei.psu.edu.

Publication date: 5/26/2014

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