Department of Energy Invests $74 Million in Building and Construction Innovations

It is a bright day for the construction industry: The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it has budgeted $74 million for 63 selected projects related to building innovations in areas such as energy-efficiency and cybersecurity. Energy efficiency is a hot topic in residential and commercial construction due to the considerable amount of energy buildings use—nearly 75 percent of the nation’s electricity. If builders can find a way to reduce homes’ energy consumption, that can translate to huge savings for both homeowners and the country.

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $74 million for 63 selected projects to research, develop, and test energy-efficient and flexible building technologies, systems, and construction practices to improve the energy performance of our Nation’s buildings and electric grid. Awardees include National Laboratories, universities, small businesses, and industry partners.

America’s 125 million residential and commercial buildings use more energy than any other sector in the United States, accounting for 40% of the Nation’s energy use and nearly 75% of its electricity consumption. The research partnerships announced today will pursue new technologies to enhance the energy productivity of buildings and improve the capacity of buildings to operate more flexibly.

“DOE is accelerating its quest to improve the energy productivity and flexibility of America’s residential and commercial buildings,” said Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel R Simmons. “We’re renewing our commitment to develop state-of-the-art building technologies that will empower Americans with more options to enhance buildings performance quickly without disruption to their lives.” 

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