Max Tech and Beyond Design Competition Now Accepting Applications

The Max Tech and Beyond Design Competition for Ultra-Low-Energy-Use Appliances and Equipment supports faculty-lead student design teams at U.S. universities to design, build, and test ultra efficient product prototypes and/or prototypes that greatly reduce the cost of ultra-efficient products. The dual objectives of the Competition are to support the development of next-generation prototypes and the next generation of scientists and engineers who will design them.

The application process for team funding for the 2013/2014 Academic Year Max Tech and Beyond Design Competition  was opened in May, 2013. Proposals will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will close on July 8, 2013.  Final selections will be announced to the public in August, 2013. Application materials are available at http://maxtechandbeyond.lbl.gov/apply.

 

Funding opp: Healthy Schools: Environmental Factors, Children’s Health and Performance, and Sustainable Building Practices

URL: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2013/2013_star_healthy_schools.html
Applications due Oct 8. 2013

Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing research that will inform school (K-12 educational facilities) building design, construction and operation practices in order to foster safe and healthy school environments and maximize student achievement and teacher and staff effectiveness. Specifically, the goal is to understand the relationship between environmental factors defined broadly and the health, safety and performance of students, teachers and staff. In addition to health-related concerns, the school environment may similarly impact the performance of students, teachers and staff, including lowering student achievement outcomes, and reducing teacher effectiveness. Accordingly, research is needed to better understand the negative impacts of the school environment on students’ health, safety, and achievement, and to measure the positive potential benefits of effectively managing environmental factors and applying sustainable building practices. The results of this research will help ensure that the risks of environmentally-induced illness and injury to America’s students, teachers and other school staff are diminished or avoided and that students, teachers and staff are provided with optimal learning environments in their schools.

More information at http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2013/2013_star_healthy_schools.html

 

Guidelines and Application Forms for Illinois DCEO’s 2013-2014 Public Sector Standard and Custom Incentives are now available

Access Guidelines and Forms by clicking here.  The new, improved application forms have been re-designed in a fillable PDF document.

Important Tips:

• Some standard measures are no longer listed. However, these may now qualify under the Custom Incentive Program.
• DCEO will continue to improve the new form. Please continue to check the DCEO website for the most current version.

 

Speak Up to Keep Your Sustainability Program Funding!

Via an e-mail from the NWF’s Campus Ecology program.

We are writing to ask for your help in reauthorizing the University Sustainability Program (USP) at the Department of Education.  It is part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, which is set to expire this coming August. This is the only federal sustainability education funding program in existence, and it is imperative that we keep it alive.

How you can help:
Endorsement is rather quick and easy to manage (no need to adapt letters or secure e-signatures).  If you are willing to support this initiative, simply e-mail Jim Elder (Elder@FundEE.org), letting him know that he may add your president or CEO’s name, title and campus/organization name to the letter by May 30, or as soon as possible thereafter.  Background on the USP:Part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, which is set to expire in August 2013, the USP is the only federal sustainability education funding program.  It has already generated over $4 million in grants for sustainability projects as part of the FY2010 Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education appropriation.

Why there is hope:
USP’s original House sponsor, Representative Earl Blumenauer, has agreed to make a push for funding the USP as part of the FY14 federal budget.  Hearings are currently being held in Congress on the bill, according to Jim Elder, and Blumenauer says it is important get our position on record. Although the USP is vulnerable to being dropped out of the new reauthorization bill, there is reason for hope, if we act now and persist in the coming years.

Tools for action:
Jim Elder has drafted two letters of support– one for a FY14 appropriation and one for reauthorization– and will kindly organize the outreach to appropriate lawmaker through the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, collecting and forwarding the sign-on letter to Senators Harkin and Moran and Representatives Kingston and Rosa DeLauro on Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Committee of the House and Senate as well as to Senators Alexander and Harkin and Representatives Kline and Miller on, respectively, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committees.

We all worked hard to pass the USP five years ago. A time will come when we have a good shot at getting it more fully funded, Jim reminds us, and reauthorization is certainly easier than authorizing a new bill from scratch.

 

New crowdfunding site for carbon offsets forges unique path

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Based on the belief that storytelling is the most effective way to capture hearts and minds, a new crowdfunding site for carbon offsets aims to use its platform to go beyond engaging concerned individuals.

CarbonStory wants to get companies on board to launch employee engagement programs — and perhaps even the customers of company brands — through offsetting projects of their choice within a gamification framework.

 

Energy Efficiency Tax Credits Available

ENERGY STAR products meet strict guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and are independently certified to save energy without sacrificing features or functionality. Saving energy helps prevent climate change, but it will also help you save money, especially around tax time. Upgrade your equipment to ENERGY STAR models anytime this year and get credit on next year’s tax return.

The ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 65 different product categories, including appliances, electronics, lighting and heating and cooling equipment. Although some may cost more to purchase than standard models, they pay you back in lower energy bills, even without a tax credit. Federal tax credits available for some products make these savings even more significant.

What is Eligible?

ENERGY STAR products in the following categories are eligible for 10% of the product’s cost up to $500, or a specific amount from $50–$300. Products must be purchased for an existing home that is your primary residence. These tax credits expire December 31, 2013.

• Air source heat pumps
• Central air conditioners
• Boilers
• Furnaces
• Insulation
• Roofs
• Non-solar water heaters
• Windows and doors

ENERGY STAR certified geothermal heat pumps are eligible for 30% of the product’s cost with no upper limit. Products can be purchased for new or existing homes, and both primary residences and second homes may apply. This tax credit expires December 31, 2016.

For more detailed information, see the tax credits section of the ENERGY STAR website.

 

Ameren customers: Flip the Switch on T12s

T12 fluorescent lamps will be phased out of production due to new federal energy standards. Switch out those T12 fixtures with high-performance T8 or T5 lamps and an electronic ballast – you could see savings of 33% or more on your electric bills each year!

Through May 31, 2013, completed T12 retrofit projects will receive a 5% incentive bonus.  Get started on your project today and take advantage of these great incentives, including:

• T12 to high-performance T8: $0.25/watt reduced + 5% bonus
• T12 to T5 new fixture: $0.25/watt reduced + 5% bonus

For more information, visit http://www.actonenergy.com/for-my-business/explore-incentives/lighting-incentives/t12-lighting-phase-out

 

ARRA-Funded Energy-Efficiency Program Seeds Private-Sector Financing

Read the full story in Sustainable Communities E-News.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provided billions of dollars in financing to homeowners, businesses, and local governments to invest in energy-efficiency and renewable-energy technology through the Department of Energy’s State Energy Program. The influx of available capital into the residential energy-efficiency market was intended to remove the barriers to efficiency upgrades, including the upfront costs of retrofitting a home. The intent was also to foster long-term growth in energy-efficiency and renewable-energy technology through a scaled response supported by the private sector.

With most ARRA funds for energy-efficiency improvements expended, private financing and a trained workforce are fueling greater market penetration and providing promising signs for the future of the industry. Leaders from the California Rural Home Mortgage Finance Authority Homebuyers Fund (CHF) recently announced the continuation of the CHF Residential Energy Retrofit Program (formerly known as the Moderate Income Sustainable Technology Program) through a unique partnership that engages private investment, an investor-owned utility, and the public sector. Originally funded with $29 million in ARRA funds administered through the California Energy Commission in 2010, the latest version of the program is made possible through $20 million in loans from Sacramento-based Five Star Bank.

 

Funding available for installation energy demonstrations

The Department of Defense (DoD), through the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), supports the demonstration of technologies that address priority DoD installation energy requirements.  The demonstrations are intended to generate supporting cost and performance data needed for validation of the technology.  The goal is to accelerate the deployment of innovative energy technologies and to enable promising technologies to receive end-user acceptance and be fielded and commercialized more rapidly.

ESTCP is seeking proposals for demonstrations of energy technologies on DoD installations as candidates for funding in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014.  The solicitation requests pre-proposals via Calls for Proposals to DoD organizations and Non-DoD Federal organizations and via a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Private Sector organizations.

ESTCP requests pre-proposals for the following topics:

1. Smart and Secure Military Installation Energy Management; and
2. Advanced Building Energy Management and Control.

The due date for all pre-proposals is Thursday, March 28, 2013.  More information about the solicitation, including instructions and deadlines, is available on the SERDP and ESTCP website at www.serdp-estcp.org/Funding-Opportunities/ESTCP-Solicitations/Installation-Energy-Solicitation.

WEBINAR for the ESTCP INSTALLATION ENERGY SOLICITATION – February 19: ESTCP Director Dr. Jeffrey Marqusee will conduct an online seminar “ESTCP Installation Energy Funding Opportunities” on February 19, 2013, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  This “how to play” briefing will offer valuable information for those interested in new ESTCP funding opportunities related to energy topics.  During the online seminar, participants may ask questions about the funding process, the current ESTCP solicitation, and the proposal submission process.  Pre-registration for this webinar is required.  To register, visit https://cc.readytalk.com/r/1i47t869w04a.

If you have difficulty registering, please contact Jon Bunger at jbunger@hgl.com or 571-372-6565.

 

EPA Invites Communities to Apply for Smart Growth Assistance

EPA’s Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program provides technical assistance to help communities grow in ways that improve the local economy, the environment, and people’s health. The program aims to help applicants develop solutions to local challenges, such as managing stormwater, increasing transit-oriented development, and adapting to climate change, and to share those solutions with other communities.

EPA will be accepting applications from tribal, local, regional, and state governments and nonprofit organizations that have partnered with a governmental entity for their request for assistance. Applications will be accepted until March 1, 2013. EPA will provide assistance to three to four communities selected from this round of applications.

EPA is seeking applications in the following four categories:

1. Community Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change – Projects should aim to develop planning principles and building design guidelines that ensure future development provides communities with better protection against storms, floods, and other natural disasters.
2. Redevelopment for Job Creation – Projects should aim to support growing industries that provide quality jobs for existing residents using land use policies that direct development to existing neighborhoods, are pedestrian-friendly, allow for transit connections, and are close to businesses and public services.
3. Manufactured and Modular Homes in Sustainable Neighborhood Design – Projects should help communities that are using manufactured and modular homes to address sudden population and economic growth. These communities should provide a mix of uses and maximize existing streets and other infrastructure investments, community gathering spaces, and water and energy efficiency.
4. Medical and Social Service Facilities Siting – Projects should aim to explore planning for high-quality community service facilities, including health care centers and social services centers, in ways that support neighborhood economic development and healthy communities.

Since 2005, the SGIA program has helped an array of communities from across the country on issues such as stormwater management, code revision, transit-oriented development, affordable housing, infill development, corridor planning, green building, and climate change. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) became involved with the SGIA program through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. This interagency collaboration coordinates federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently. In many cases, HUD and DOT serve on the SGIA technical assistance teams, and help identify how SGIA projects can complement and build on past and future federal investments.

• More information on the SGIA program and applications: http://epa.gov/smartgrowth/sgia.htm
• More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities: http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov