DOE Releases $76 Million

 WASHINGTON — U.S. Dept. of Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently awarded more than $76 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to energy-efficient building technology projects and training programs for commercial building equipment technicians, building operators, and energy auditors.

 

The 58 projects selected will create greater energy-efficient and cost-effective buildings and support programs that train workers to service and operate new and existing facilities, develop best practices for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and establish a larger green workforce.

 

“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,” Secretary Chu said.

 

Some 45 projects will receive over $68.4 million from federal sources and $31.4 million from private industry funding for energy-efficient building technologies.

 

Of those projects, 12 will focus on designing and building net-zero energy structures on both new and existing facilities. Fourteen projects will encompass design and construction of efficient envelopes and windows in buildings; 10 projects will investigate increasing efficiency through HVAC systems and similar technologies.

 

The remaining nine projects will examine sustainable water heating and electricity methods and improving structural capabilities aimed at simulating interactions between building elements, including climate, envelope heat and moisture transfer.

 

Funded projects range from $1.98 million for the University of California, Berkeley; $1.57 million for Verified Energy of Rochester, N.Y.; $2 million for the Eaton Corporation of Milwaukee, Wis.; and $1.2 million for the University of Washington in Seattle.

 

The remaining $7.6 million, coupled with $1.5 million from the private industry, will support 13 training programs, including four programs for building equipment technicians, four for building operators, and five programs for energy commissioning agents and auditors.

 

The training programs run the gamut from courses organized by the International Union of Operation Engineers, Texas A&M University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Portland Energy Conservation, and other academic and nonprofit institutions.

 

Read more about the award winners at www.energy.gov.