Efficiency First

Last week the Department of Energy announced a competitive funding opportunity for “new projects that will deliver measureable improvements in the cost, scope, and energy savings of low-income weatherization programs across the country.” The DOE’s new Weatherization Innovation Pilot Program will provide up to $30 million to fund collaborative partnerships that involve private businesses, colleges or universities, utility companies, existing weatherization providers or nonprofit organizations. Criteria for selecting funding recipients are outlined on the DOE Web site as follows:

DOE plans to select applications that can leverage federal funding with other private or public financial resources to grow and sustain the total funding available for low-income home weatherization. In addition, projects under the program should develop new delivery models, materials, technologies, or processes that can lead to long-term improvements in the efficiency of the weatherization market and in DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program. These projects will be funded with fiscal year 2010 annual appropriations.

The pilot projects will be evaluated based on the improvements they can deliver in the number of homes weatherized, annual energy savings per home, average costs to weatherize homes, jobs created, and average annual emissions reduced. Each pilot project will operate independently of established local providers in the Weatherization Assistance Program and should be designed to be replicated in other communities.

DOE anticipates making between 10 and 15 awards under this announcement and anticipates grants to be between $2 million to $3 million each. Projects are tentatively expected to begin in October 2010 and will run for up to two years.

More information: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=320