The U.S. Dept. of Energy will spend $9 million to encourage investments in energy-saving technologies that can be tested and deployed in offices, shops, restaurants, hospitals, hotels and other types of commercial buildings.
The funding will facilitate the implementation of market-ready solutions across the U.S. to improve commercial building energy efficiency, with a goal of demonstrating 20% savings or more across a variety of approaches, the department says. Examples include:
• Green leases that help building owners and lessees save money.
• Better information for better decisions: Use Department-developed energy modeling software to better identify and predict a building’s energy performance.
• Assist lenders in obtaining better access to data and information resources that demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of investing in energy efficiency projects.
This funding opportunity seeks to support 5-10 projects. Organizations are encouraged to partner on applications to enhance the overall deployment impact through channels, market orientation, and strategic relationships.
The department is interested in proposals that will impact a significant geographic area and commercial buildings market sector, affect a minimum of 100 buildings, achieve at least 20% energy savings over 10 years, train workers, create jobs, and result in programs that will be self-sustaining after the funding period expires.
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