Request for Information: Energy Savings Prediction Methods for Residential Energy Efficiency Upgrades | DE FOA 0001472

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001472

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Building Technologies Office (BTO), issued a Request for Information (RFI) under opportunity number DE-FOA-0001472 focused on improving how energy savings are predicted for residential energy efficiency upgrades. The central aim is to gather practical, experience-based input on the methods used to estimate savings from home energy retrofits and to understand where those methods fall short today. This notice is a modification that primarily updates the submission deadline; the deadline for sending responses is 5:00 PM Eastern on February 21, 2016, and the rest of the opportunity remains unchanged.

BTO is asking stakeholders to describe the current state of the art in savings prediction and to identify near-term and emerging advances that could either improve prediction accuracy or lower the cost of producing reliable estimates. Alongside technical modeling improvements, DOE is also looking for information about non-model drivers of accuracy, such as better field guidance, stronger in-field practices, technician training, and contractor certification. In other words, the RFI is not only about better algorithms or tools, but also about the real-world workflow around audits and retrofit execution that can cause predicted savings to diverge from actual results.

A major theme running through the request is cost versus accuracy. DOE explicitly wants respondents to discuss the likely costs associated with any recommended approach, including tools, data collection, labor, training, quality assurance, and ongoing maintenance. They are also interested in alternative approaches made possible by improved data collection and data processing, particularly approaches that could reduce the cost of audits and minimize disruption or inconvenience for homeowners. Examples of the kinds of considerations implied by the RFI include how to take advantage of new data streams, how to streamline home assessments, and how to balance simplified methods against more detailed simulations.

DOE is also interested in methods that tie, benchmark, or align modeling approaches to nationally accepted tools, with EnergyPlus cited as an example of a DOE prediction model. The request seeks insight into how standardized baselines, calibration practices, or benchmarking could improve trust and comparability across programs, contractors, or regions, and what practical steps would be required for broader adoption.

This opportunity is strictly an information-gathering request for strategic planning purposes and does not provide funding. It is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOE is not accepting applications, and no awards are expected. The information collected will be used to inform BTO planning for its research and development portfolio related to residential energy savings prediction and associated market impacts.

Responses are open to essentially any stakeholder (eligible applicants are unrestricted), including industry, universities, national labs, government agencies, and other interested parties. Submissions must be sent electronically by email to ResEnergySavingsRFI@ee.doe.gov, attached as a Microsoft Word document (.docx), and received by 5:00 PM EDT on February 21, 2016. Only electronic submissions are accepted. The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 81.086, lists the Golden Field Office as the agency, and is categorized under energy with a discretionary/other instrument type, reflecting that it is an RFI rather than a grant competition.

• The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information: Energy Savings Prediction Methods for Residential Energy Efficiency Upgrades" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-12-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-02-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0001472

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