Energy Systems Lab moves into new digs in Valley Park Center II

Charles Culp and Jeff Haberl, professors of architecture at Texas A&M and associate directors of the [Energy Systems Laboratory] (http://www-esl.tamu.edu/) , welcomed visitors at the lab’s June 2001 open house in at is new facility in Valley Park Center II, 402 Harvey Mitchell Parkway.

The ESL, a division of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station affiliated with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, provides funded research opportunities for graduate architecture students who focus on energy-related, energy efficiency and emissions reduction research.

“In the past, it was difficult to schedule ESL gatherings, because we were scattered between several buildings,” said Haberl. “The move took quite a bit of everyone’s time in the spring and summer, but it should pay off by reducing the time we would have spent running between buildings.”

The ESL directs its efforts toward innovative energy technologies and systems and toward commercializing affordable results for industry. It has made contributions to improved energy efficiency by determining the environmental benefits of reduced energy use, analyzing the savings from energy efficiency projects and disseminating knowledge through conferences and workshops.

Areas of ESL research specialization include:

• Enhancing overall energy efficiency in buildings through research, simulation, data analysis, and outreach;
• Measurement and verification of energy savings for commercial building;
• Energy efficiency in industrial facilities and
• Conducting research and calibrated testing on HVAC systems.

In addition to the above activities and responsibilities, the lab produces a knowledge base to help the Texas building industry stay energy efficient through research, scholarly publications, conferences, and the general engineering process. The lab also offers workshops, training, and support to the building industry, which ultimately benefits Texas taxpayers.