March 21, 2012: DOE Announces Funding for Advanced HVAC Systems, Building Envelope Improvements
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the availability of up to $5.2 million in fiscal year 2012 to develop improved building efficiency technologies, including advanced heating and cooling systems and improved building envelope solutions. DOE said this funding will advance the research, development, demonstration, and manufacture of innovative building technologies to speed the commercialization of high-performance products.
According to DOE, homes and commercial buildings consume approximately 40 percent of the energy used in the United States, costing American consumers more than $400 billion, and nearly a third of that energy is used for HVAC. Advancing HVAC building technologies and improving the design and materials that make up a building’s envelope can significantly reduce the cost of heating and cooling residential and commercial buildings, said DOE, while also cutting carbon emissions and reducing the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.