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On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building America Program, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) issued a request for proposal (RFP) for multi-disciplinary expert teams to address the technical challenges of decarbonizing the U.S. residential housing stock.
Applicant teams will consist of community organizations, research institutions, utility and industry trades, and appropriate experts, according to DOE. The teams will develop projects focused on reducing carbon emissions through home energy efficiency retrofits and will collaborate with DOE, the National Labs, and other industry experts to support community-focused retrofit projects.
Teams Will Aid in Reducing Technical Challenges
The project will address technical challenges related to field validation and demonstration, measurement and verification, and workforce training. The goal is to demonstrate equitable and scalable retrofit solutions that will produce guidance for broader implementation for communities nationwide.
“This new generation of Building America industry teams will put building science experts on the ground in communities that are tackling the hardest challenges of decarbonizing homes in their region,” said Eric Werling, Building America National Director. “The Building America retrofit Solutions Teams will leverage technical expertise and grassroots community knowledge to create collaborative research and demonstration projects in real-world homes that will accelerate local deployments of highly efficient, durable, and healthy home upgrades. Building America has done it before with new homes. This program is now focused on scalable retrofit solutions needed to meet President Biden’s goal of cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.”
Composition of the Technical Teams
DOE specifies that the teams shall be comprised of:
Team lead — Who works to engage multiple communities to identify needs and appropriate solutions to challenges. The lead will coordinate retrofit demonstration and validation projects.
Research member – This contact will apply energy and building science expertise, modeling, design, analysis, and best practices expertise, as well as conduct data collection.
Implementation member – The implementation member will provide extensive knowledge of programmatic levers, models, and limitations; demonstrate capabilities in retrofit deployment; and navigate finance mechanisms and incentive structures.
Industry member – The industry member provides perspective informed by market conditions on integration and installation challenges and opportunities, as well as align technical solutions with business models.
A full list of the technical criteria is available on the DOE Building America website. The deadline to respond to the RFP is May 9, 2023. Click here for more details.