Research Interests:

Eric Martin is a Senior Research Engineer in the Buildings Research Division at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC). He currently is a member of the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership, sponsored by the US Department of Energy, where he conducts research and provides technical assistance to the home building industry to improve the environmental performance of homes. This work primarily focuses on investigating various cost and performance trade-offs that enable builders to implement a systems approach to construct high-performance housing. Techniques used to accomplish success include builder/subcontractor training on advanced equipment and construction methods, energy simulation and analysis, collection and analysis of monitored data, and development of consumer oriented publications. Mr. Martin has been active in the state as well as national green building movement through his work at FSEC, and through previous service on the Board of Directors for the Florida Green Building Coalition, Inc., and the LEEDTM Homes Committee of the US Green Building Council. Mr. Martin chaired a committee to develop a statewide green residential building standard, and is active in maintaining the effort through oversight and training. Mr. Martin has also been involved with development of a green standard for Florida City and County governments, sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the Florida Energy Office, and has authored a document containing green guidelines for maintaining existing commercial buildings in Florida, which was funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Mr. Martin's other areas of research have included involvement with building energy simulation software development, through testing and validation. Before joining the FSEC Buildings Research Division, Mr. Martin conducted research at FSEC in the areas of photocatalytic pollutant detoxification. This work, sponsored by the US Navy, resulted in seven US patents. Mr. Martin has also been involved with hydrogen energy research, including design, simulation, and optimization of a renewable hydrogen energy system for remote applications.