Outreach

Harvesting the energy saving potential in the process of retrofit actions presents an opportunity to improve the overall performance of tobacco growing operations and at the same time reduces the environmental footprint of the industry. Little was known about the actual impact of retrofit scenarios on the energy consumption of the curing process. Energy simulation tools exist in a simple form for homeowners and in highly sophisticated applications for designers and facility managers. However, none of those can be directly applied for the assessment of energy consumption in curing barns.

Students from Virginia Tech and Virginia Western Community College participated in an unusual experiment: In the name of fire safety, two nearly identical residence hall rooms, one with and one without a sprinkler system, were set on fire.

In the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, green homebuilding practices were migrating from cutting-edge to becoming the “new normal.” The transition from conventional practices to green practices in the building industry required firms to acquire new skills and knowledge to meet market demand for these new technologies. This new knowledge included understanding new technological systems, ranging from solar panel installation to energy efficiency assessments and beyond.