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American-Made Challenges

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EAS-E Prize

Supports design solutions, tools, and/or technology innovations that make electrification more affordable and accessible in U.S. homes.

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prize:
$2,400,000

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Summary
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Summary

Overview

The Equitable and Affordable Solutions to Electrification (EAS-E) Home Electrification Prize provides up to $2.4 million in prizes for innovative solutions that advance electrification retrofits of residential homes across all building types and geographies.

 

Home electrification is an essential component to reducing carbon emissions. By replacing fuel-burning appliances with electric products, often including heat pump technologies, buildings have the ability to run on clean, renewable energy. 

 

The goal of the EAS-E Prize is to support a suite of design solutions, tools, and/or technology innovations that make electrification more affordable and accessible in existing U.S. homes. Through this prize, the U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office aims to create more opportunities and successes for electrification of the U.S. housing stock with a focus on equitable solutions for all homeowners—not only through affordability, but also by enabling solutions specific to dwellings more common in low-income and under-resourced communities. In some homes, load reduction strategies (e.g., building envelope upgrades) can also improve the reliability, affordability, and performance of electrification upgrades. 

 

Design solutions/tools and technology innovations are eligible for the prize, with the goal to spur an ecosystem of products and approaches that work for every homeowner ready to make the switch. Low-power electrification solutions that limit the electricity demand of individual appliances or the whole dwelling (e.g., by avoiding electrical panel upgrades or controlling coincident loads) are strongly encouraged, because of their potential benefits to the project cost and speed of installation and their wider grid impacts. The innovations developed and launched in response to this prize will benefit the broader housing retrofit market by advancing building electrification solutions that are fast, easy, and scalable.

 

The EAS-E Home Electrification Prize consists of two phases: 


Phase 1. Concept Paper. This phase is focused on presenting the proposed solution(s), comparing them with current practice, forming a capable team, identifying market opportunities, outlining risks, and describing the intended Phase 2 demonstration. Up to five Phase 1 winners will receive a $5,000 cash prize each and will be eligible to compete in Phase 2. Additionally, Phase 1 winners will each receive a $75,000 voucher to work with DOE national laboratories and/or “Connectors” from the American-Made Network that qualify as Voucher Service Providers.

 

Phase 2. Demonstration. In this phase, winning competitors from Phase 1 will finalize their teams, complete solution design documentation, evaluate the size of the potential market and the commercial viability of the solution, and demonstrate functional prototype solutions. Pilot demonstrations should show that the technology is reliable and capable of broad application, and that it makes a substantial difference in the economic viability of electrifying the homes in question. Up to three prizes will be awarded under Phase 2, with a top prize of $1 million. The remaining prize pool will be shared equally between the other Phase 2 winners.

The competition is open to individuals; private entities (for-profits and nonprofits); nonfederal government entities such as states, counties, tribes, and municipalities; and academic institutions. More information can be found in the official rules document. 

 

The EAS-E Home Electrification Prize is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office (BTO), under the authority of the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing Pre-eminence in Technology and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2010, as amended (15 U.S.C. 3719).


Guidelines

Please review the official rules for the complete application process and instructions for competing.

If you have any questions, please subscribe by using the contact feature on the HeroX platform or message us directly at

Timeline
Updates9

Challenge Updates

Finalists Announced Equitable and Affordable Solutions to Electrification (EAS-E) Home Electrification Prize

April 24, 2023, 11:52 a.m. PDT by NREL Prize Moderator

The U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office announced six teams as finalists for the Equitable and Affordable Solutions to Electrification (EAS-E) Home Electrification Prize. The EAS-E Prize provides $2.4 million in cash prizes and technical support for innovative solutions that advance electrification retrofits of residential homes across all building types and geographies. 

The finalists, representing five states, will each receive $5,000 in cash prizes and receive a $75,000 voucher to work with U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories and/or “Connectors” from the American-Made Network that qualify as Voucher Service Providers. 

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Congratulations to our finalist teams:

  • Aris Hydronics, Milwaukie, Oregon
  • B&B Technology Solutions and SimpleSwitch, Henderson, Nevada
  • Dayton Energy Collaborative, Dayton, Ohio
  • Hydronic Shell Technologies, Long Island City, New York
  • NeoCharge and Redwood Energy, Arcata, California
  • QuitCarbon Inc., San Francisco, California

The finalist teams will move on to Phase 2 to compete for up to three prizes, with a top prize of $1 million. Grand prize winners are expected to be announced in June of 2024.

The EAS-E Prize aims to support a suite of design solutions, tools, and/or technology innovations that make electrification more affordable and accessible in existing U.S. homes. The prize aims to create more opportunities and successes for electrification of the U.S. housing stock with a focus on equitable solutions for all homeowners—not only through affordability, but also by enabling solutions specific to dwellings more common in low-income and under-resourced communities. 

Read more about the finalists and learn about the EAS-E Prize competition on energy.gov. 


Upcoming Winner Announcement and Rules Update

April 21, 2023, 4:44 p.m. PDT by NREL Prize Administrator

The EAS-E Prize is planning to announce the finalists of the Concept Phase on Monday, April 24th, at the BTO Peer Review. Keep an eye out for an update with the announcement and tune in to AMC Earth Day on April 25th for a re-announcement of the winners. Register to attend AMC Earth Day virtually here!

We have also made a Rules Update which is now reflected in the Official Rules Document that we will award up to six winners in the Concept Phase of the EAS-E Prize. 


Application Deadline TOMORROW

March 7, 2023, 6:04 a.m. PST by NREL

All EAS-E Prize Phase 1 Concept Paper submissions are due TOMORROW, March 8 by 3 p.m. ET. 

As a reminder, your submission package should include: 

  1. PowerPoint summary slide (to be made public) 
  2. Concept paper: PDF, up to 3,000 words, using a font that is at least 11 point (not public) 
  3. Team CVs (not public) 
  4. Letter(s) of commitment or support (OPTIONAL, not public).

Be sure to utilize the resources available to all applicants on HeroX, including the official rules, informational webinar recording, prize FAQs, and more. 

You are encouraged to upload your completed submission well before the deadline to avoid potential delays that may arise due to technical difficulties. Submissions will not be accepted after 3 p.m. ET.

Reach out with questions (), and we look forward to seeing your submissions.


Reminder! One week left before the Phase 1 Concept Paper Submission Deadline!

March 1, 2023, 1 p.m. PST by NREL Prize Administrator

The EAS-E Prize Phase 1 Concept Paper Submission is in one week, on March 8th! 

Phase 1 is accepting submissions until 3 pm ET on March 8th. We highly encourage submitting before the 3 pm ET deadline to avoid any technical difficulties. Anyone interested in encouraged to apply. Be sure to view the Official Rules before submitting to be sure you meet all the eligibility criteria and understand the requirements of the submission materials. 

If you have any questions about the prize requirements or regarding your specific submission, please , the Power Connector for the EAS-E Prize. They are hosting office hours for all competitors and can provide application support before the final deadline. 

Any questions? Email us at !


EAS-E Prize Rules Update: Concept Paper No Longer Public Component

Jan. 23, 2023, 9:01 a.m. PST by NREL

The official rules for the EAS-E Prize have been modified to reflect that the Phase 1 Concept Paper has been changed from a public document to a non-public component of the submission package. All other rules and requirements for the Concept Paper remain the same. You can find this update in the modified rules document on pages 18-19. 


Forum43
Teams406
Entries
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