DOE Announces $4M for PA

from the inbox:

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced $4,176,920 for three Department of Energy-funded projects in Pennsylvania. This is part of more than $76 million in funding announced nationwide from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support advanced energy-efficient building technology projects and the development of training programs for commercial building equipment technicians, building operators, and energy auditors.

The projects selected today will help make the nation’s buildings more energy efficient and cost-effective. They will also support training programs for specialists to service and operate new and existing buildings, to develop and deploy best practices resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and to establish a green workforce with technical expertise to reduce energy costs for consumers.

“These projects will help the United States lead the world in advancing energy-efficient technologies,” Secretary Chu said. “Energy-efficient commercial buildings will help our country cut its carbon emissions and energy costs while the training programs will upgrade the skills of the current workforce and attract the next generation to careers in the emerging clean-energy economy.”

The Department of Energy also released today a new video that showcases the story of Greensburg, Kan., a town devastated by a tornado in 2007, which came back to be one of the Nation’s most energy-efficient, sustainable communities. Many of the town’s government buildings use cutting-edge energy-saving technologies, such as high-efficiency windows, lighting, and heating and ventilation systems, saving local taxpayer money. Greensburg has shown that any city can reach its energy efficiency and renewable energy goals today using widely available technologies. View the video HERE to see how Greensburg was able to “build green.”

The nation’s 114 million households and more than 74 million square feet of commercial floor space account for approximately 40 percent of U.S. primary energy consumption, as well as 39 percent of carbon dioxide, 18 percent of nitrogen oxides, and 55 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions. These projects will help lower the energy demands and emissions of commercial buildings and promote a specialized, energy-efficient buildings workforce.

The projects selected today for Energy-Efficient Building Technology Projects include:

· Industrial Science & Technology Network, Inc. (York, Pennsylvania) – $2,005,139

This project proposes to develop a new generation of thermal insulation with substantially higher insulating power (higher R/inch) at an affordable cost. The technology development of this project will lead to manufacturing a 3rd generation of insulation with insulating power 50% - 100% higher than current products (R-7~10/inch versus current R-3.2 ~5/inch), yet with cost comparable to present market demands.

· Traco Delaware, Inc. (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania) – $1,317,819

This project proposes to engineer the production of commercial grade R5 windows, in a cost effective manner. The project has identified improvements in labor time for the manufacture and assembly of glazing, sashes/vents and frames since it represents a major portion of the overall cost to manufacture the window.

· Quanta Technologies, Inc. (Malvern, Pennsylvania) – $853,962

Quanta Technologies will demonstrate the applicability of low‐emissivity storm windows and retrofit glazing systems to significantly improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial building stock. The team will track installation of low‐e storm windows on homes weatherized in one state weatherization assistance program and conduct a residential case study on the use of low‐e storm windows in a warm / mixed southern climate to expand upon a previous case study for cold climates. The team will also conduct a case study to determine year‐round heating and cooling energy savings.

For detailed project descriptions of award winners, visit HERE.

To learn more about advanced energy-efficient building technologies efforts at DOE, please visit the Building Technologies Program website.