DOE Announces winners of the home electrification prize
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the winners in the Equitable and Affordable Solutions to Electrification (EAS-E) Prize, which accelerated the development and deployment of technology innovations that make building electrification retrofits easier and more affordable. The prize offered a total of $2.4 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to address the cost and complexities of home electrification, particularly the challenges faced in low-income communities, multifamily homes, mobile homes, older homes, and homes located in colder-climate regions.
Buildings account for 35% of total greenhouse gas emissions, and the path to a nationwide net zero-emissions economy requires many building technologies in the future to be powered by electricity from sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar. The building electrification process aims to upgrade fuel-burning appliances to more efficient, electric alternatives. Such upgrades, however, can trigger many additional building and grid infrastructure needs, and in some cases, they are not feasible with existing technologies. That is where the EAS-E Prize comes in: the prize calls for innovators to address residential building-electrification challenges head-on with new technologies and approaches.
"Each home faces unique needs that can create barriers to upgrades. The winners of the EAS-E Prize designed and demonstrated innovative electrification solutions that make sense for the wide variety of housing types and climates we have across the country," said Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "These winning solutions make major strides toward advancing an ecosystem of products and approaches that are fast, easy, and scalable for the broader retrofit market, supporting both the grid and homeowners on the path to net-zero emissions."
In Phase 1 of the prize, teams submitted a concept paper summarizing how their solution addressed affordable electrification. Six finalist teams were chosen to move to Phase 2, where their concepts were evaluated in real buildings and validated with state-of-the-art test beds and simulations. Teams were judged based on their demonstration results, as well as the commercial viability of the solution and letters of support from community members engaged with the demonstration and ready to use the team's approach in real buildings at scale.
From the finalist pool, one grand prize winner was chosen to receive $1 million in cash prizes and three runners-up were chosen to each receive $325,000. The technologies developed by the winning teams support DOE's Affordable Home Energy Shot goals to reduce the cost of upgrading homes by at least 50% while lowering energy bills by 20% within a decade. They will also aid implementation of DOE's recently released Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector, which lays out a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. buildings 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050 vs. 2005 while centering equity and benefits to communities.
Grand Prize
ARIS Hydronics, Inc. (Milwaukie, Oregon)—"Modular Systems for Affordable Electrification." ARIS Hydronics demonstrated a modular, multifunction air-to-water heat-pump system with design and function specifically targeting multifamily housing retrofits. ARIS' hydronic system incorporates high-efficiency heat pumps using natural refrigerants with thermal storage and provides heating, cooling, and domestic hot water without triggering in-unit electrical service upgrades or running refrigerant lines throughout the building. In addition to the ease-of-installation and modularity benefits, ARIS' heat-pump design principles and tech-to-market plan represent a viable path to further reductions in Scope 1 emissions through the safe adoption of natural refrigerants with ultra-low global warming potential.
Runners Up
B&B Technology Solutions and SimpleSwitch (Henderson, Nevada)—"Residential Energy Management Systems – REMS." B&B Technology Solutions and SimpleSwitch developed a solution that employs smart circuit-switching between 240-volt electric end-uses while monitoring whole-home current draw to provide control logic and eliminate coincident peak loads. An integrated battery and inverter can provide surge power as needed to ensure appliances are all functional without exceeding building electrical service capacity. It provides benefits associated with smart panel-operation without the need for a panel upgrade.
Hydronic Shell Technologies (Long Island City, New York)—"Reinventing Retrofits for Electrification at Scale." Hydronic Shell Technologies prototyped an HVAC-integrated façade panel system that installs onto the building exterior for noninvasive building electrification and envelope weathering of multifamily housing. The modular exterior application allows building tenants to remain in their units during electrification retrofits and improves the thermal performance of the building envelope. Together, these façade improvements and heat pump retrofit should significantly lower energy bills for tenants while eliminating on-site emissions.
Redwood Energy and NeoCharge (Arcata, California)—"Panel-Conscious Home Electrification Solution." Redwood Energy and NeoCharge demonstrated whole-home electrification of two homes on a single 100-amp electrical service. The team used low-power, 120-volt appliances and smart circuit-splitters to avoid the need for costly electrical panel or service upgrades, proving that many homes in the U.S. can electrify with their existing electrical service without sacrificing the performance of any end use.
"Innovations like these play a critical role in the equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system by 2050," said Wyatt Merrill, technology manager with DOE's Building Technologies Office. "We were pleased not only with the prize's winning solutions but also the interest from our entire competitor pool in making electrification accessible, affordable, and applicable to all homeowners who are ready to make the switch."
Author: Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
