WHO
Building researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have released Building Energy Model AI (BEM-AI), an open-source bot that could help energy modelers save time and money.
WHAT
The AI-driven, autonomous bot could help speed up the energy modeling process for commercial building construction. Long before construction begins, building teams use building energy modeling software, which simulates how a proposed building will use energy under different design options. A range of modeling tools exist for the building industry, including software developed or supported by DOE. But developing and interpreting these models requires specialized expertise, including training in energy modeling and building systems. To simplify the process and save resources for designers, BEM-AI can quickly produce a complete building energy model for users in every stage of the modeling process. BEM-AI uses agentic AI, an autonomous system that can work independently with any number of separate agents. The bot essentially breaks down a larger task, such as “estimate the energy use for a building with these parameters,” and independently assigns tasks to multiple agents that themselves can complete those tasks independently. In tests, the bot successfully modeled reductions in energy use for typical commercial buildings in Florida.
WHERE
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA
WHY
Access to a well-developed autonomous energy modeling bot helps all stakeholders in the lifecycle of building construction, including designers, architects, and engineers.
WHEN
BEM-AI is open source and available to use now, and the research team wants to encourage users to experiment with the platform and expand on it.
For more information, visit here or contact JoAnna Wendel at
