Thomas Kenney, P.E.
Vice President of Engineering & Research

As vice president of Engineering and Research, Thomas Kenney is the NAHB Research Center’s most senior research engineer. With over 20 years of service at the Research Center, his broad range of managerial and technical experience has allowed him to touch and influence virtually every technical capability within the company. His extensive experience with a wide range of engineering disciplines and housing product and system issues give him a depth of knowledge and a practical perspective that is unmatched in the home building research industry. He has lead research projects ranging from the integration of high-tech materials such as electrochromic window glazing and photovoltaic panels into housing, to research on more traditional housing systems and issues such as indoor air quality, renewable energy and energy conservation, wastewater treatment, low impact development, and a variety of structural engineering projects.

Prior to his current position, Kenney served as the Research Center’s Director of Laboratory Services for six years where he managed certification programs for building products and quality systems for trade contractors. Kenney also heads up work that the Research Center conducts in the consensus standards development arena, and is active in several professional societies on standards, including:

  • ASHRAE – American Society for Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers – Standard 62.2 on indoor air quality for residential buildings
  • ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers – Standard A112.19.2 on hydraulic performance of plumbing fixtures
  • ASTM – American Society for Testing and Materials – E06 building performance and C16 thermal insulation materials
  • ANSI – American National Standards Institute – ANSI Z765 square footage standard for residential buildings – NAHB Research Center manager of standards and member of Executive Standards Committee

Kenney holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Pratt Institute, and is a registered professional engineer in Maryland and Florida.