DOE’s Building Technologies Office Awards 15 Small Business Grants to Develop Promising Building Decarbonization Technologies

On July 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced awards totaling $52 million for a broad range of small businesses in 39 states through the DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards. The SBIR and STTR awards strive to transform DOE-supported science and technology breakthroughs into viable products and services that accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. This year, the Building Technologies Office (BTO) is investing just over $3 million into 15 of those projects with SBIR/STTR Phase 1 Release 2 funding.

BTO’s projects will pursue innovations to accelerate building decarbonization across several research areas, including windows, affordable thermal energy storage systems, advanced air leakage detection and air sealing, insulation, solid-state lighting, heat pumps, and heat pump water heaters. These SBIR and STTR award selections are primarily for Phase I research and development. Small businesses that demonstrate technical feasibility for innovations during their Phase I grants will compete for funding for prototype or processes development during Phase II. The median Phase I award is $200,000 for a period of 6 to 12 months.

This year’s Phase I selections in BTO’s portfolio include:

Topic C58-14a: Windows

• AeroShield Materials (Hyde Park, Massachusetts) – “Improved U-Factor of Aerogel Insulated Glass Units.” AeroShield will develop a super-insulating, porous material called aerogel, which will be an insulative fill for double-pane windows. Using this added insulation, the project targets an increase in window performance of 50%, surpassing the market’s most common energy-efficient alternative, triple-pane windows.
• GuRu Wireless Inc. (San Jose, California) – “Development of Wireless Power Technology for Use in Electrochromic Window Retrofit Applications.” GuRu Wireless Inc. intends to power electrochromic windows and their control systems wirelessly, using radio frequency wireless power transfer. This proof-of-concept project aims to validate wireless power transfer as an option to avoid the expense of hardwiring.
• The Mackinac Technology Company (Grand Rapids, Michigan) – “Rubber Attachments for Zero-Energy Windows.” The Mackinac Technology Company will develop a secondary glazing solution for retrofitting windows, which involves the addition of a windowpane made from optically clear silicone rubber – not glass – to an existing conventional window. This secondary glazing approach, which leverages the benefits of rubber – a material never-before produced in large, optically clear films – aims to insulate buildings better and be less expensive to manufacture than conventional secondary glazing methods. If successful, this approach would give the market a more affordable and effective way to retrofit windows for improved building efficiency.
• V-Glass Inc. (Pewaukee, Wisconsin) – “Eliminating Commercialization Barriers of Affordable Vacuum Windows.” V-Glass seeks to validate the feasibility, durability, and economics of a new, oven-free process for manufacturing vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) with ultrasonic welding. This manufacturing technique aims to make these high-performance windows less expensive and more energy efficient, in line with today’s more affordable advanced windows.

Topic C58-14b: Affordable Thermal Energy Storage Systems

• IBACOS Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) – “Plug-and-Play Thermal Energy Storage Duct.” IBACOS Inc. will develop an air distribution duct with integrated materials that will store and release thermal energy. These modular ducts are designed to allow building owners or operators to scale use up or down to meet the thermal loads of a particular building, at a lower cost than many existing thermal storage systems. Advantages of the technology include easy integration into existing HVAC systems, load flexibility without compromising occupant comfort, and reduced need for storage.

Topic C58-14c: Advanced Air Leakage Detection and Air Sealing Technologies

• Signetron Inc. (Berkeley, California) – “Automating Robot Navigation and Manipulation for Cleaning and Air Sealing Attics.” Signetron Inc. will develop an automated robot that aims to affordably air seal and insulate attics and basements while reducing risks to personnel working in hot and dangerous conditions. The solution could accelerate and expand building retrofits, leading to energy use reductions and utility bill savings. 

Topic C58-14d: Insulation Innovations

• CleanFiber Inc. (Blasdell, New York) – “Manufacturing Technology for Biogenic, Cost-Effective, Super-Insulating Rigid Boards.” CleanFiber Inc. seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of a new manufacturing process to produce rigid exterior insulating boards with an R5 per inch insulating value using low-carbon content materials. Today, most exterior rigid board insulation is made from energy-intensive, petrochemical-based foam board. This project targets a low-carbon, high-performance alternative to reduce energy consumption and lower the embodied carbon content of these high-volume building materials. 

Topic C58-14e: Solid-State Lighting Technologies

• SVV Technology Innovations Inc. (Sacramento, California) – “High-Performance Volumetric LED Troffer with Reduced Material Intensity and Enhanced Aesthetics.” SVV Technology Innovations Inc. will demonstrate the capabilities of a newly developed light fixture with enhanced optical distribution by using its flexible waveguide technology. The new troffer will be curved to optimize illuminance in the lit space while maintaining high efficacy, seeking to deliver more light where needed and increasing adoption of high-performance lighting in commercial buildings.
• SVV Technology Innovations Inc. (Sacramento, California) – “Ultra-High Performance LED Lighting Sheets Employing Photoluminescent Light Guides.” SVV Technology Innovations Inc. will build on its existing optical technology, which can guide light, enhance efficiency, allow greater flexibility in fixture size and shape, and improve performance of luminaires for commercial buildings. Their approach would embed luminescent material within the waveguide rather than at the LED source, creating a broader choice of materials.
• Uviquity (Raleigh, North Carolina) – “Breakthrough Energy Reduction for Superior Indoor Air Quality Using a Novel Solid-State Far-UVC Light Source.” Uviquity will develop a germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) light source optimized for safety and efficacy for air treatment in occupied rooms. The semiconductor-based light source is extremely compact and could significantly improve efficiency and cost for ultraviolet-C light emitted in a wavelength that is crucial for disinfection. The proposed light source would address the limitations of today’s best commercial option, mercury tubes, which are limited to applications where room occupants are not exposed to radiation.

Topic C58-14f: Heat Pumps/Heat Pump Water Heaters

• Aris Hydronics Inc. (Portland, Oregon) – “Modular Thermal Plant Pod Heat Pump System Innovations for Lower-Cost Multifamily and Commercial Building Retrofits.” Aris Hydronics Inc. will combine several existing heat pump technologies into one integrated package, or “pod,” that includes both air-to-water heat pumps and thermal energy storage, each of which could provide space and water conditioning for three to nine apartments instead of just one. Today, heat pump systems designed for larger commercial buildings aren’t always suitable for smaller multifamily housing buildings, and systems that service individual apartment units are often costlier and less energy efficient. Aris’s system could offer an alternative path in an often overlooked and underserved segment of the U.S. buildings sector.
• EcoSnap LLC – (Centennial, Colorado) – “Ductless Heat Pump with Simplified Install and Serviceability.” EcoSnap LLC will design a modular outdoor unit for a wall-mounted—also known as ductless or minisplit—heat pump using off-the-shelf components. The modular outdoor unit will also incorporate a redesigned version of EcoSnap’s ductless quick-connect installation technology so the system can be manufactured off-site and installed, serviced, upgraded, or replaced by a single technician. Incorporating off-the-shelf components and easing installation and service is part of a plan to lower life cycle costs for homeowners, especially in manufactured housing, for which this design is ideally suited.
• EcoSnap LLC – (Centennial, Colorado) – “Easy-Install Heat Pump Integrated with Fuel Oil Heating Appliance.” EcoSnap LLC will design and build a prototype of its quick-connect installation technology, modified to fit a commercially available cold-climate heat pump. The company will also create a system to integrate this technology with oil stoves, targeting easier installation and coordinated use in cold climates. 
• RookStack LLC (Indianapolis, Indiana) – “Development of an Artificial Intelligence Solution for Residential Heating and Cooling Equipment Sizing to Reduce Equipment Oversizing.” RookStack LLC will continue developing its heating and cooling load calculation software application that allows homeowners to identify and potentially purchase the right HVAC systems without contractor assessments, reducing costs and improving performance of chosen systems. RookStack plans to calibrate its algorithms with additional building data to improve its accuracy and expand geographic coverage to include the entire United States.
• Zero Home Corporation (Denver, Colorado) – “A Platform-Based Whole-Home, Integrated, Accessible Sizing Tool to Accelerate Heat Pump Adoption.” Zero Home Corporation will add an electrical load-sizing tool to its ZERO software application for assessing heat pump options. This app replaces costly and time-consuming contractor home visits with an all-digital home energy audit that supplies installation quotes, financing and contractor options, and contractor-ready installation specifications. The upgrade is expected to allow the app to fold low-power appliances into its assessments, allowing the app to eventually offer whole-home electrification assessments and services at a faster rate than today’s competitors.

Read more about DOE’s SBIR and STTR programs and the full list of projects announced on July 18, 2024.