EERE Grant: Enhancing Commercial Buildings’ Energy Code Compliance

The first and largest topic area for this FOA is to develop and test a methodology for identifying the commercial energy code requirements that can provide the maximum cost-effective energy and cost savings through increased compliance. The methodology will be tested in selected building types and climate zones. Quantifying those savings will create the foundations of a business case for private investors, particularly utilities, to fund programs aimed at increasing compliance. The empirical data to support such an investment does not currently exist.

In general, a project will be successful if the methodology (a) provides accurate results at a cost that is affordable to states wishing to benchmark their energy code achievements and (b) it can be extrapolated to all commercial building types in all climate zones. Given state and local government limitations on funding and resources, the methodology is likely to be multi-tiered: the minimum effort required to produce valid results will be defined but a framework allowing for increasing levels of accuracy and comprehensiveness will also be developed.

Providing state and local governments and utilities with an analytical framework for assessing the impact of codes and code compliance on energy performance will allow them to make quantitatively-based funding and action decisions. This will lead to increased investment in energy code support programs which will reduce homeowner and building owner’s energy bills.
Two other topic areas included in this FOA are (1) The expansion of DOE’s residential single family energy code field methodology to low-rise multifamily buildings; and, (2) Exploration of energy code life-cycle impacts in municipal building portfolios.

The full FOA is posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. Applications must be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE website to be considered for award. The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE eXCHANGE website. A User Guide for the EERE eXCHANGE can be found on the EERE website https://eere- exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system.

Information on where to submit questions regarding the content of the announcement and where to submit questions regarding submission of applications is found in the full FOA posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website.