The objective of this Topic Area is to solicit demonstrations of innovative technologies and solutions to increase energy efficiency and improve performance of DoW buildings.
Building performance objectives of particular interest to the DoW include reduced energy use intensity, reduced maintenance burden, improved occupant health, improved moisture control, increased system and component reliability and durability, and reduced life-cycle cost.
Technologies of interest include, but are not limited to heating, ventilation and air conditioning; building envelope technologies; water heating; lighting; waste heat recovery (especially lower grade heat); and utility-integrated solutions for improved efficiency and reliability. Technologies should be appropriate for building retrofit applications.
Proposals of integrated combinations of technologies are also of interest, provided there is technical performance and/or cost benefit to the integrated solution. DoW has buildings in all climate zones, ranging in size from 1,000 to 1,000,000 square feet with most of the building stock falling within 10,000 – 100,000 square feet.
Demonstrations with the following characteristics are preferred:
- Verifiably at Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) between 5 and 7; or Adoption Readiness Levels (ARLs) between 5 and 7 (energy.gov/ARL).
- High calculable energy savings, in addition to cost savings, as a direct result of the technology.
- Clear method for measuring the technology’s impact on building performance.
- Solve challenges unique to installations in regions of particular interest to DoW such as remote locations (e.g., islands), humid climates, arid/water-scarce regions (e.g., southwest US), and cold regions (e.g., arctic).
- Technologies that maintain performance with reduced operational inputs or challenges (maintenance, parts, cyber, and labor).
- Technologies that work with existing infrastructure.
- Offer innovative business models for financing integrated, holistic building improvements at installations.
- A clear pathway to technology adoption by Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and utility providers for inclusion in Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC) or Utility Energy Services Contracts (UESC).
- Recognize and address the cybersecurity aspects of the proposed solution.
- Solutions that utilize building control systems to save energy while improving occupant comfort and health.
- Projects collaborating with partners in industry, government, and academia that enable shared learning and facilitate technology transfer.
- Clearly articulate a DoW end-user interested in adopting the technology upon completion of a successful demonstration.
Proposed technologies and methods should have completed all proof-of-principle work. ESTCP supports demonstration at a scale sufficient to determine the life-cycle operational cost and performance of the technology.
Proposals that will not be considered responsive are solutions that:
- Are already broadly deployed across the DoW enterprise.
- Require development of new software tools, either standalone or as part of hardware technology.
- Require access to large volumes of high-quality accurate DoW data.
- Solve a need for a particular installation but are not broadly applicable across the DoW enterprise.
Successful technologies and solutions create more energy efficient and flexible buildings systems, reduce annual operating costs, and improve building and users mission readiness.
The DoW has more than 500 installations worldwide, with 300,000 buildings, that account for about 30 percent of the DoW’s total energy use. In FY 2023, the DoW consumed 204,883 BBtus of energy and spent approximately $4.7 billion on installation energy, which included $4.5 billion to power, heat, and cool buildings 1. Many of the DoW buildings have legacy units that operate at poor operating efficiency levels due to lack of robust and consistent preventative and regular maintenance over the years. Many units are simply run to failure.
Recently constructed DoW buildings generally adhere to current building codes and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards. However, over 50% of the existing building stock was built before 1980 (25% was built before 1950) prior to the implementation of the first building codes established to improve building energy efficiency (~1975). With this large inventory of old, inefficient buildings and building systems, there is great opportunity to retrofit these buildings with current and emerging technologies to improve building performance and reduce building operating costs.
Proposers should be aware of the relevant UFCs, like 4-010-06 Cybersecurity of Facility-Related Control Systems (ufc-4-010-06). The proposed demonstrations are not required to comply with these UFCs.
Keith Welch
Program Manager for Installation Energy & Water (EW)
Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP)
E-mail: keith.a.welch3.civ@mail.mil
