CEEE secures $5 Million in DOE BENEFIT funding for revolutionary energy efficiency projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $46 million for 29 projects across 15 states to develop advanced building technologies and retrofit practices that enable healthier households and communities and reduce energy waste. The Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers and Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) funding opportunity will help advance cost-effective solutions to successfully electrify buildings across the nation while also improving their energy efficiency and demand flexibility.

CEEE comprises three of 29 projects across 15 states that will advance state-of-the-art building technologies and retrofit practices to cut utility and operating costs, reduce energy waste, and support healthier communities.

“We are excited about this opportunity and are committed to pushing the boundaries of thermal energy storage technology. “ Shooshtari said. “We would like to extend our gratitude to the U.S. Department of Energy for recognizing our potential and investing in our vision.”

Project Overviews:

University of Maryland: College Park, Maryland – Next-Generation Liquid-to-Refrigerant Heat Exchangers for Heat Pumps, Water Heaters, and Refrigeration Systems (NG-LRHX) – The University of Maryland will improve the thermal performance of small heat exchanger packages using liquid-to-refrigerant heat exchangers to address operational issues, reducing energy consumption by 10-15%. (Award amount: $1.4 million)
University of Maryland: College Park, Maryland – Smart Cold Climate Rooftop Heat Pump with Low-GWP Refrigerant – The University of Maryland will design a cold climate heat pump rooftop unit that uses low-GWP refrigerants and advanced compression techniques to enable low temperature heating capacity, furthering CCHPRTU availability. (Award amount: $2.3 million)
University of Maryland: College Park, Maryland – Low Cost and High Performance Modular Thermal Energy Storage for Building Equipment – The University of Maryland will design a heat pump-integrated cross-media thermal energy storage system that uses an innovative 3D-printed polymer heat exchanger to overcome low thermal conductivity, allowing for load shifting during peak demand periods and reducing heating and cooling demand. (Award amount: $1.3 million)

Published October 20, 2023