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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has released a Request for Information (RFI) to provide industry and government with information to guide further innovation of cleaner and more efficient wood stoves and the best use of renewable wood feedstocks. Specifically, the Residential Wood Heater In-Situ Testing RFI seeks feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders to define the goals and objectives for a planned effort to collect wood heater performance data in the field. The deadline to respond to this RFI has been extended to September 30, 2024.
While wood is an important renewable energy source for residential heat in the U.S., with 10% of households (approximately 13 million) burning wood for heat and 2% using wood as their primary heat source, wood heaters are a substantial source of particulate matter emissions. This RFI aims to collect information to improve the design and automation of wood heaters with the potential to significantly reduce their emissions and increase their efficiency.
The planned in-situ field data collection effort will monitor wood heater performance in operation by the homeowner rather than in a laboratory environment. The goal of in-situ testing is to quantify actual performance and guide the development of wood heater technology. BETO is specifically interested in identifying the most important parameters to measure. Questions fall into the following categories:
- Category 1: Key Metrics and Direction
- Category 2: In-Situ Data Considerations
- Category 3: In-Situ Wood Heater Testing Parameters
- Category 4: In-Situ Wood Heater Test Methodology
The Residential Wood Heater In-Situ Testing RFI is posted on EERE Exchange and Grants.gov. Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to [email protected] no later than 5:00pm (ET) on September 30, 2024.
Responses must be no more than 5 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted. Please identify your answers by responding to a specific question or topic if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish. EERE will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.
Respondents are requested to provide the following information at the start of their response to this RFI: Company / institution name; Company / institution contact; Contact's address, phone number, and e-mail address.
This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will not pay for information provided under this RFI and no project will be supported as a result of this RFI. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives. EERE may or may not issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.