New York Gov. Cuomo announces 11 companies have been awarded total of US$1.9M in funding to explore new technologies to increase energy efficiency in buildings; state building program to provide total of US$25M through 2015 in six rounds of funding

Allison Oesterle

Allison Oesterle

ALBANY, New York , May 8, 2014 (press release) – 11 Companies Receive Funding to Encourage New Ways to Save Energy

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that 11 companies have been awarded a total of $1.9 million in funding to explore new technologies to increase energy efficiency in New York State buildings while helping to grow business in the building construction sector.

"Our state's position as a leader in clean energy depends on coming up with new innovative programs that make New Yorker greener," Governor Cuomo said. "Projects like these help reduce energy usage across the state in both commercial and residential buildings, pushing for increased efficiency and resiliency in our infrastructure. The partnerships announced today will address all stages of the product development process, helping to grow business while reducing fossil fuel use."

This is the third of six rounds of funding under the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Advanced Buildings Program, which will provide a total of $25 million through 2015. Through the program, NYSERDA is partnering with manufacturers, research scientists, building owners and property managers interested in developing and applying new and emerging energy-efficient technologies.

This competitive program seeks to accelerate the commercialization of new technologies that offer improved energy and environmental performance. Funding will be available through all stages of the product development process, from concept to commercialization, field installation and evaluation.

President and CEO of NYSERDA John B. Rhodes said, "These building research and development projects will spur energy savings in new and existing buildings. These innovative projects support Governor Cuomo’s agenda for growing business and creating new jobs while reducing energy consumption in New York State."

Proposals awarded funding ranged from studies and proof-of-concept work to product development and demonstration projects. Specific areas of interest included construction materials and strategies, heating and cooling systems, solid-state lighting, demand response and smart buildings.

Award winners are:

New York City

Urban Electric Power, New York ($300,000) – UEP is developing an integrated zinc-anode battery to work alongside Siemens’ building energy management platform, with the goal of improving building energy management and demand reduction. This new battery technology will optimize discharge rates and match dynamic building loads for greater energy efficiencies throughout the building.

ThinkEco Inc., New York ($100,000) – ThinkEco plans to demonstrate a WiFi-based smart thermostat for room air conditioning units. The wireless communication provides a more user-friendly method for using A/C temperatures as a method of providing energy efficiency and demand-response.

Bluestone RRSI LLC, Fresh Meadows ($300,000) – Bluestone will design, build and examine the benefits of homes constructed of autoclaved aerated concrete built to the passive house standard. The buildings will exceed new FEMA and local regulations incorporating sustainable energy efficient and resilient designs.

Capital Region

Thermal Solution Resources LLC (TSR), East Greenbush ($223,000) – TSR is working on new methods for printing highly conductive circuitry directly on plastic modules. TSR is collaborating with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Rochester Institute of Technology to bring this advanced design to commercial production. The new design will incorporate driver components and wireless controls to provide a lower-cost smart light-emitting diode (LED) module for building and commercial lighting fixtures. The TSR LED modules will offer increased energy efficiency, flexible operation and easy installation at reduced cost and for different commercial settings.

United Semiconductors LLC, Rensselaer ($100,000) – United Semiconductor plans to develop optical technology to be used with commercial LEDs to reduce flicker and remove the need for a driver, while providing energy and operational savings that will lead to a higher market adoption of LED lights.

Vital Vio Inc., Troy ($300,000) – Vital Vio will install, demonstrate and evaluate its visible light disinfection and general illumination LED lighting systems at the Albany-Stratton VA Hospital and Mt. Sinai Medical Center. Vital Vio's lighting and disinfection systems are expected to reduce hospital-acquired infection rates along with improving hospital energy efficiency.

Hudson Valley

Vertex Companies Inc., Kingston ($100,000) – Vertex Companies is investigating the commercial potential of a chemical tracer tool used to assess air distribution in buildings. This new tracer is capable of taking rapid measurements of airflow and could lead to improved efficiencies in new and existing buildings.

Integral Building and Design Inc. (IBD), New Paltz ($188,000) – IBD is demonstrating a multi-faceted approach to reducing moisture-related concerns in deep-retrofit houses. This project will use innovative technologies, materials and construction strategies to maximize the energy efficiency while increasing the resiliency of the houses under severe weather. IBD will develop a standardized approach to enable repeatability of its construction processes to help reduce market barriers to implementing deep energy retrofits in New York State.

North Country

Clarkson University, Potsdam ($100,000) – Clarkson University seeks to integrate a sensor and control network with a modeling system to create a system that can be used to model occupancy behavior and help reduce energy use.

Central New York

Syracuse University, Syracuse ($100,000) – Syracuse University is working on a single-stage air filtration technology, with the goal of removing the need for a two-filter system for gaseous and particulate pollutants in heating and cooling applications.

Statewide

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has received $100,000 to research a cost-effective, low-emission burner for natural gas on-demand water heaters. The simplified burner could lower manufacturing costs, increase market adoption of high-efficiency heaters and lead to energy savings in New York State buildings.

With this latest initiative, New York’s role as a leader and first mover in shaping the future of energy remains firmly in place. By developing innovative market solutions, the State is delivering on Governor Cuomo’s commitment to transform the energy industry into a more resilient, clean, cost-effective and dynamic system. Working with State, citizen and industry-stakeholders, the way of doing business in New York is moving to a more market-based, decentralized approach. This means preserving the environment, decreasing energy costs, and creating opportunities for economic growth for current and future generations of New Yorkers. In advancing these new energy systems and solutions, New Yorkers will have improved energy affordability and efficiency without sacrificing the ability to live in a cleaner, resilient and more sustainable environment.

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