DOE Announces $33.5 Million in Funding for Energy-Efficient Building Construction

摘要

The Department of Energy is looking to fund early-stage research and development for advanced building construction techniques and practices focused on energy efficiency. In total, the DOE has $33.5 million up for grabs. The May 3 press release notes that America's 118 million homes and 5.6 million commercial buildings account for roughly 40 percent of the nation's total energy demand and 75 percent of its electricity. About half of these buildings were built before 1980 when today's energy-efficient products and building construction practices did not yet exist. To address these older buildings and their energy inefficiencies, this funding opportunity "aims to develop deep energy retrofit and new construction technologies that tackle a combination of envelope, heating, cooling, water heating, and ventilation issues." The funding opportunity announcement addresses three topic areas: integrated building retrofits, new construction technologies and advanced technology integration.