THE ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS HUB ISSUES RFI FOR ADVANCED ENERGY RETROFIT PROJECTS

The Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub) is soliciting building renovation projects that are planned or under consideration, to be considered for an award designed to incorporate an ‘Advanced Energy Retrofit’ (AER) into the project.  Eligible Applicants include building owners, facility managers, tenants, service providers, architects, energy and design professionals and firms, and others. Building renovation projects must be geographically located in Delaware, Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks or Chester County PA; or Mercer, Camden, Gloucester, Burlington or Salem County NJ.  The applicant should be prepared to proceed with a renovation/retrofit project independent of EEB Hub engagement.

The EEB Hub seeks:

• Projects which are suitable sites for ‘test bed’ demonstrations of EEB Hub-developed tools, techniques and ‘integrated design approach’ to AERs.
• Building renovation projects that are planned or under consideration, in buildings which are smaller than 250,000 sq. ft. and are broadly representative of the commercial building stock in the ten county Philadelphia region.

Interested parties should respond by submitting a Letter of Interest (LOI) for a project engagement with the EEB Hub.  Submission instructions are provided in the RFI. This is a competitive process which will serve the overall EEB Hub mission, while also supporting building owners and tenants in the region as they pursue strategies to make their buildings more energy efficient and economically competitive.  Potential activities that qualify for AERO project funding at no cost to the building owner include:

• Architectural, design and consulting engineering services;
• Installation of advanced building technologies slated for EEB Hub demonstration;
• Incremental reimbursement for installing AER measures recommended by the EEB Hub.

The EEB Hub will consider each project for its potential as an engagement, acting essentially in the role of “owner’s agent” and working with the project’s design professionals and contractors.  Projects which meet the EEB Hub goals and promote its mission will be selected for further exploration.  If selected, the EEB Hub will design a plan and negotiate an agreement.  AERO funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy will fund certain selected services, described in the RFI sections entitled ‘Core Elements of an EEB Hub Engagement’ and ‘Important Limitations to the Use of EEB Hub AERO Funds’.  In most cases, AERO funds will not be dispersed directly to building owners and cannot pay for (physical) building renovations (i.e. a new roof or HVAC system).

The potential benefits to building owners include improved operating cash flow, higher asset value, improved occupant comfort and indoor environmental quality, and reduced environmental impact of building operations.

Awards will be made as projects develop on a ‘first-come, first-serve’ basis.   Even if the project timeline extends past the award period or does not fit into one of the situations listed above, applicants are encouraged to submit a LOI to the EEB Hub for possible future consideration.  Target buildings and retrofit scenarios may also shift in future funding rounds.  The submission deadline is January 5, 2013.

The full RFI can be found on the EEB Hub website at www.eebhub.org.

*Article contributed by the EEB Hub