RFI Occupancy Sensors and Controls

The summary for the RFI Occupancy Sensors and Controls grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

RFI Occupancy Sensors and Controls: This is a Request for Information only. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance. The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future programs.

ARPA-E seeks input from the sensor systems and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) communities regarding the development of next-generation occupancy sensors for use in building control systems that facilitate reduced HVAC energy use nationwide. ARPA-E’s interest also extends to the integration practices of these sensors into current building control systems, and the employment of real-world validation techniques to prove the functionality and cost of such new technologies. Consistent with the agency’s mission, ARPA-E is seeking clearly disruptive, novel technologies, early in the R&D cycle, and not integration strategies for existing technologies.
With enhanced occupancy sensors, building control systems can more effectivity optimize heating and cooling strategies to satisfy individual occupant comfort and reduce energy use and emissions. In order to have a significant impact, these sensors need to be extremely low cost, easily retrofitted into current buildings, and compatible with existing equipment. ARPA-E desires input from a broad range of disciplines and fields, including, but not limited to: sensor development; distributed sensing systems; automated buildings; HVAC control systems; control algorithm development; human factors; and others. This includes input from the end-users of such technologies in the HVAC space, such as HVAC system fabricators, building managers, energy utilities, and the like. ARPA-E is particularly interested in how next-generation occupancy sensing technologies will help to realize the promise of minimizing the energy used to heat and cool buildings – especially existing buildings - through more effective automation technologies informed by occupancy detection.

Please carefully review the REQUEST FOR INFORMATION GUIDELINES below, and note in particular: the information you provide will be used by ARPA-E solely for program planning, without attribution. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). NO FOA EXISTS AT THIS TIME.