Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient (SSR) Home Test Facility

Sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy (2022-2027)

The SSR facility will complement the likes of NIST’s Net Zero Energy Residential Test Facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland (above)

Project Description

In order to test a wide variety of different sustainable products, and implement models and control sequences for grid-interactive efficient buildings, the Department of Architectural Engineering is designing and constructing a home test facility. Led by SBS Lab Director Dr. Zuo, the Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient Home Test Facility (SSR) will be on the Penn State campus, and will be a dynamic tool for use by Penn State faculty and students to experimentally test ongoing research efforts. The facility will test smart devices, operate using sustainable emission metrics, and maintain resilient measures by operating off-grid for extended periods of time. Additionally, the SSR facility will be designed to the highest WELL standard.

The SSR Home will allow us to join other high-impact research institutions in their goal to better understand how to implement and control renewable technologies. This group of potential collaborative research institutions include:

• National Institute of Standards and Technology Net Zero Energy Residential Test Facility 
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Lab Homes
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Appliance and Optimization research

Project Team

Pennsylvania State University