Integrated Mechanical System Pods
Research Team:
RMI (prime), Staengl Engineering, tkFabricate, AEA, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, Syracuse Center of Excellence, Winn Companies
Integrated Mechanical System Pods
Research Team:
RMI (prime), Staengl Engineering, tkFabricate, AEA, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, Syracuse Center of Excellence, Winn Companies
Challenge
One of the most substantial barriers in retrofitting a building is the amount of rework that must be done to a building’s interior, which becomes time-consuming, disruptive, bespoke, and costly. HVAC systems installed in existing buildings are often difficult to retrofit since the system components are spread throughout the whole building and installed in inaccessible locations such as behind floors or ceilings.
Project Objective
The Project Team will design, fabricate, and commercialize Integrated Mechanical System Pods (IMSPs) for multifamily buildings in the United States market. The project team will develop two models of IMSPs: The IMSP-U for buildings with individual apartment mechanical systems and the IMSP-C for buildings with central mechanical systems. These all-electric pods will provide heating, cooling, ventilation, domestic hot water (DHW), dehumidification and grid-interactive controls in one simple, highly efficient, and easy to deploy package (see Figure 1). The creation of an easily deployable, modular and cost neutral IMSP will help unlock a dramatic increase in deep energy retrofit rates across the United States by eliminating time and cost barriers common with traditional retrofits.