The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office announced up to $33.5 million in funding in May of 2019 for early-stage research and development of advanced building construction techniques to reduce energy costs. The Advanced Building Construction with Energy-Efficient Technologies & Practices (ABC) initiative aims to develop deep energy retrofit and new construction technologies that holistically tackle a combination of envelope, heating, cooling, water heating, and ventilation issues.
The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) addresses three areas:
•Integrated Building Retrofits: Focuses on creating a more holistic approach that integrates several technologies and achieves cost-effective deep energy savings in existing buildings, such as light and durable highly insulated panels, combined heating and cooling, and hot water systems. Up to 75 percent energy reduction is sought for major building loads such as heating and cooling, water heating, and ventilation.
•New Construction Technologies: Focuses on building design, construction, and installation operations, such as on-site manufacturing, robotics, digitization, automation, and improved modeling in order to increase affordability, scalability, and performance of energy efficient building systems and methods. This topic seeks solutions that lead to the construction of homes and buildings that are 50 percent more efficient compared to current code.
•Advanced Technology Integration: Focuses on field validation of new innovative technologies and building practices, workforce training, and service delivery methods suited to regional needs, including those related to building stock, regional climates, and grid characteristics.
For more information on how to apply, visit the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
