• The UI IDL is preparing a financial analysis of the expected savings if the state of Idaho switches from the 2018 family of IECC building codes to the 2024 family. With some jurisdictions expressing concern regarding a lack of qualified air-sealing testers for 2024 requirements, the lab is also developing a streamlined checklist with graphics of nine air-sealing components that builders can address and that inspectors will check. These efforts build on work from the Energy Trust of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest National Lab.
• The UI IDL worked this spring with the Idaho Army National Guard (IDARNG) to develop building and landscaping resiliency guides. These guides will be used to evaluate bid designs when the IDARNG releases a request for proposals. The building checklist is based on a combination of existing building standards, including LEED, the Living Building Challenge, Passive House U.S., IECC 2024, and WELL. After design charettes and a review of the weighted matrix in IECC 2024, the team converged on a one-page list of appropriate design methods to minimize energy and water consumption for any new buildings or major retrofits.
• The UI IDL is working with the Boise School District to develop a comprehensive comparison between simple bulb replacements and LLLC upgrades, including energy savings, maintenance reduction, and non-energy benefits (e.g., increased occupant satisfaction). The lab is further collaborating on a roadmap for school facilities considering lighting upgrades in the district.
• The UI IDL continues to partner with Idaho’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources (OEMR) on their Government Leading by Example program. City and school officials in rural areas of Idaho are eligible for free energy audits provided by the lab and can receive a cost-share incentive from OEMR for any energy improvements made after the report.

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• MSU IDL’s co-director, Jaya Mukhopadhyay, presented two sessions focused on cold-climate residential ventilation strategies at Montana’s annual Building Codes Conference. The first session addressed energy-efficient whole-house ventilation systems that maintain indoor air quality. The second session reviewed kitchen ventilation strategies, highlighting the need for code updates to incorporate user behavior. Both presentations emphasized performance-based approaches and proposed actionable recommendations to improve health and energy outcomes in future building code revisions.
• MSU IDL presented on the very high efficiency DOAS to HVAC professionals and students at local ASHRAE lunch and learn events, local Association of Energy Engineers events, and at the Building Codes Conference. Additionally, lab co-director Matthew Skuntz taught very high efficiency DOAS to students in his 400-level HVAC course at MSU.
• MSU IDL worked with AIA Montana to integrate the Energy in Design Awards into this year’s AIA Montana Awards program. This involved developing the award framework, setting performance criteria, and coordinating the submission and review process. This collaboration helped elevate the role of building performance in design recognition and encouraged architects across the state to prioritize sustainability in their work. The results will be presented at the AIA Montana conference in Billings, September 2025.

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• The UO IDL is preparing to conduct energy simulations of proposed changes to the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC), including to determine how it compares to 2023 ORSC performance. These simulations will be based on the U.S. DOE residential prototype building models, adjusted to 2026 and 2023 ORSC provisions. The goal is to have a preliminary comparison completed by September, when the Oregon Building Codes Division committees are slated to start. A second round of comparisons will follow in November and December with the finalized 2026 ORSC provisions.
• The UO IDL is conducting a human factors study to shed light on how interior finishes influence occupants’ perceptions of mass timber buildings, and exposed wood in general, as a finish material. The goal is to better understand what makes these spaces feel welcoming—or not—and how that might affect the material’s broader adoption in the construction industry. The lab hopes to find an ideal amount of exposed wood that boosts visual appeal and supports a connection to nature, but not so much that it compromises light distribution and comfort. Findings that highlight the positive effects of exposed wood could help architects, engineers, and developers understand the benefits of mass timber, including its aesthetic, cost, and environmental value. The lab expects to complete data collection this fall and disseminate findings by the end of the year.
• Using computer simulations, the UO IDL is testing the ways different skylight configurations affect circadian light exposure across a range of latitudes and room orientations. The approach is inspired by the LEED v4.1 Daylight credit (Option 1), with a special focus on circadian health. With key findings including the importance of latitude, room orientation, and the size of windows and skylights, this study was the basis of a peer-reviewed conference paper, Evaluating the role of glazing area, orientation, and latitude on circadian health potential in a residential space, that was recently presented by Siobhan Rockcastle at Healthy Buildings 2025 in Reykjavik, Iceland.

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• UW IDL presented snapshots of energy efficiency tools and technologies in various venues, including LLLC and very high efficiency DOAS. These opportunities included engagement with co-director Heather Burpee’s UW Architecture Course, “Topics in High Performance Buildings,” a webinar with Seattle City Light, participation in a Perkins & Will podcast, and other presentations to practicing architects and architecture firms.
• UW IDL is working with AIA Seattle and the Committee on the Environment to update and provide technical training for the 2025 Energy in Design Award. The annual AIA Honor Awards event will be held in November.
• In partnership with design firms and building owners, the UW IDL has been assessing recent UW IDL consulting projects and other innovative buildings in the region to identify novel or innovative use of energy efficiency technology in new buildings. This includes site visits and planning for future building-performance measurement activities.
• The UW IDL collaborated with the BetterBricks team to assist in the creation of a Building Upgrade Guide for the recently refreshed BetterBricks website.
• The UW IDL is collaborating on a Population Health Initiative Pilot Grant to improve the health and resilience of residential building stock. This project advances DecarbCityTwin, a digital twin platform designed to integrate physics-based simulation, machine learning, sensing technologies, and immersive visualization to support health-centered building retrofits. For this project, the lab has led the development of energy efficiency measures and building archetype modeling for multi-objective analysis for health- and energy-optimized retrofits.
• The UW IDL is working with UW and its institutional partners at South Seattle College and Northwest Indian College to develop a Certificate Program and multi-institution curriculum under the newly formed Pacific Northwest Building Training Assessment Center (PNW BTAC). This curriculum will be integrated into programs and coursework at the participating institutions and will build regional capacity for building performance improvements, including by cultivating a trained workforce and providing access to benchmarking and strategic roadmaps for energy efficiency.
• The UW IDL is working with the UW’s Life Cycle Lab on a four-year, ARPA-E-funded project to develop a comprehensive lifecycle analysis (LCA) framework and package of tools that can be used in whole-building LCA analysis. The lab is developing frameworks for projecting operating carbon impacts in buildings using a range of decarbonization and future weather scenarios. Key future deliverables include:
  • Quality control and documentation of a computational tool that calculates operational environmental impacts of electricity consumption over a building’s lifecycle, accounting for grid-mix projections.
  • Energy modeling parameters to build template buildings with calculated embodied and operational environmental impacts.
• UW IDL co-director Chris Meek and research engineer Teresa Moroseos co-authored a paper in Energy & Buildings titled Impact of a Dynamic Grid Mix and Climate on Operational Carbon Emissions Modeling for Different Building Typologies and Climate Zones. The paper presents a new method for modeling operational carbon emission in buildings that incorporates dynamic variables such as future climate conditions and projected changes in electricity grid emissions.

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• In partnership with Matt’s Place Foundation, a nonprofit committed to assisting people living with ALS, the WSU IDL has completed reporting and is working on publishing study results that highlight residential living conditions, accessibility, and real-life stories from families affected by ALS. Speaking with individuals, families, and caregivers, the study highlighted the dramatic impacts of having a neurodegenerative disease and emphasized the need for inclusive accessibility in homes and public spaces. Ultimately, this collaboration and project uncovered extensive accessibility needs in residential design, and inspired young architects to be more accessibility conscious and inclusive. The design recommendations and stories shared will inform the third, multifamily iteration of Matt’s Place Foundation housing in Spokane, with project publication forthcoming.
• The WSU IDL is working with WSU’s Composite Materials and Engineering Center on a National Science Foundation Engines Development Award to advance mass timber technologies and economies across Oregon and Washington. In partnership with the UO, Oregon State University, and the engineering college at WSU, the lab is assisting with virtual interviews with timber industry stakeholders, labor organizations, and local industries. The purpose of this research is to create a strategic plan for developing the mass timber ecosystem in the Northwest that will drive research and education innovations in mass timber architecture, engineering, and construction, along with manufacturing and forest management. This research is intended to promote environmental resilience and U.S. global competitiveness through increased use of sustainable mass timber products, while addressing the social and environmental challenges in housing, workforce development, and natural resource stewardship.
• The WSU IDL is celebrating the fourth year of the WSU Energy and Comfort tenant engagement campaign. Since the fall of 2020, the program has developed and employed strategies to enable occupants in more than a dozen buildings on campus to conserve their personal energy use and improve individual comfort, including by educating building occupants on the systems that control their built environments. In the last year, the team prioritized a rebrand and renewal of the online training course for WSU employees, inventoried and replaced non-policy-compliant space heaters, and continued to install smart surge protectors in offices across campus, surpassing the 500-strip goal for the fiscal year. With compounding savings and an average 42% energy reduction per surge protector, it is estimated that the plug load efforts alone amount to $530,000 and over four million kilowatt-hours saved.

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