[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12743-12745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5799]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Request for 
Information; Weatherization Assistance Program; Sustainable Energy 
Resources for Consumers Grants

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Request for Information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking information from 
stakeholders on a potential competitive Funding Opportunity 
Announcement (FOA) in support of the Sustainable Energy Resources for 
Consumers Grants. The authority for these Grants was created by the 
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (``EISA'') Section 411(b).

DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before 5 
p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, March 22, 2010. The RFI was posted 
publicly on FedConnect on Monday, March 8, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons may submit information by the following 
method:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Please include 
``Response to Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumer Grants RFI'' in 
the subject line of the message.
     Instructions: Responses must be provided as a Microsoft 
Word (.doc) attachment to the e-mail, of no more than 3 pages in 
length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will 
be accepted.
     The Request for Information can be viewed at:
    1. Go to the FedConnect Web site: https://www.fedconnect.net/.
    2. Click on ``Search Public Opportunities.''
    3. Search by title: ``Weatherization.''
    4. Select the listing with issue date of 3/8/10.
    5. In the Documentation section at the right side of the screen, 
click on ``Weatherization Assistance Program Sustainable Energy 
Resources for Consumers Grants.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Direct requests for additional 
information to Mr. Tyler Huebner, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of 
Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs, E-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  The Request for Information text as shown 
below was posted on FedConnect on Monday, March 8, 2010.

DOE Request for Information (RFI)
DE-FOA-0000283

Weatherization Assistance Program
Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers Grants

    Date: March 8, 2010.
    Subject: Request for Information (RFI).
    Description: The Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking information 
from stakeholders on a potential competitive Funding Opportunity 
Announcement (FOA) in support of the Sustainable Energy Resources for 
Consumers Grants (``Sustainable Energy Grants''). The authority for 
these Grants was created by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 
2007 (``EISA'') Section 411(b). (42 U.S.C. 6827 note). Program Manager/
Area: Claire Broido Johnson/Weatherization and Intergovernmental 
Programs, Robert Adams/Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

Background

    The traditional Weatherization Assistance Program (``WAP'' or ``the 
Program'') provides funds to States, the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and other U.S territories to weatherize the 
homes of low income Americans. EISA Section 411(b) authorizes the 
Secretary to make funding available to local weatherization agencies to 
expand the Weatherization Assistance Program for residential buildings 
to include materials, benefits, and renewable and domestic energy 
technologies not currently covered by the Program. Section 411(b) 
states that for a local agency applicant to receive funding under this 
provision, the State weatherization agency (the grantee under the 
traditional WAP) must certify that the applicant has the capacity to 
carry out the proposed activities and that the State weatherization 
agency will include the project in their financial oversight of the 
traditional WAP.
    The amount of funds used for Sustainable Energy Grants may equal up 
to two (2) percent of the amount of funds made available for any fiscal 
year under section 422 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act 
(42 U.S.C. 6872; the WAP authority) if those funds exceed $275 million. 
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (``ARRA'' or ``Recovery 
Act'') provided $5 billion for WAP, and FY 2009 provided $450 million 
($250 million in supplemental and $200 million in base FY 2009 
funding). Thus, the Department has up to $109 million available for 
Sustainable Energy Grants.

Purposes of the Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers Grants

    The purposes of the Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers 
Grants are to:
     Expand WAP for residential buildings to include materials, 
benefits, and renewable and domestic energy technologies not covered by 
the Program;
     Work with existing partners to expand and enhance the 
Program.
    Section 411(b)(2) states that in selecting grant recipients under 
this subsection, DOE shall give priority to:
    (A) The expected effectiveness and benefits of the proposed project 
to low- and moderate-income energy consumers;
    (B) The potential for replication of successful results;
    (C) The impact on the health and safety and energy costs of 
consumers served; and
    (D) The extent of partnerships with other public and private 
entities that contribute to the resources and implementation of the 
program, including financial partnerships.
    The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is primarily to 
determine the interest and capacity of local weatherization agencies to 
apply for and implement the Sustainable Energy Grants, and the types of 
activities that applicants would propose; and secondarily to solicit 
feedback on the proposed topic area and evaluation criteria for these 
competitive Sustainable Energy Grants.
    This is a Request for Information (RFI) and not a Funding 
Opportunity Announcement (FOA). DOE is not accepting applications, and 
is instead seeking information from local weatherization agencies, 
State Weatherization agencies, and other stakeholders under the 
potential FOA.

[[Page 12744]]

Request for Information (RFI) Guidelines

    Responses to this RFI must be submitted by e-mail to 
[email protected] no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on 
March 22, 2010. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.doc) 
attachment to the e-mail, of no more than 3 pages in length, 12 point 
font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.
    Parties interested in submitting a response to this RFI should 
first review these RFI Guidelines and the Questions below. Any 
information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by 
the Government on a non-attribution basis for program planning and 
funding opportunity strategy development. DOE will review and consider 
all responses in its formulation of program strategies in the pursuant 
FOA. Information or data that is restricted in any way or limited for 
use by the Government is not solicited and will not be considered. 
Responses will not be considered confidential. Do not provide 
confidential or proprietary information in your response. DOE will not 
respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of 
responses. This RFI serves as a one-way process for DOE to obtain 
feedback on its plans for Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers 
Competitive Grants FOA. DOE reserves the right to not issue a FOA at 
the conclusion of this process.
    Respondents are requested to provide the following information at 
the start of their response to this RFI:
     Local Weatherization Provider/State WAP Agency/Government/
Company/institutional name;
     Name of Point of Contact;
     Address, phone number, and e-mail address.
    A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment 
to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed. DOE may also 
decide at a later date to issue a FOA based on consideration of the 
feedback received from this RFI.
    DOE will not pay for information provided under this RFI, and there 
is no guarantee that a project will be supported as a result of this 
RFI. Respondents under this RFI will not receive any additional 
consideration for any forthcoming solicitation. This RFI is not 
accepting applications for financial assistance or financial 
incentives. DOE has no obligation to respond to those who submit 
comments, and/or give any feedback on any decision made based on the 
comments received.

    Note: There are two funding sources covered under this 
authority: up to $100 million from the Recovery Act, and up to $9 
million from FY 2009 regular and supplemental funding. DOE is 
requesting information for both of these funding sources in this 
single RFI. For projects selected under the planned FOA that would 
be funded from the Recovery Act, all Federal funds would need to be 
expensed within three (3) years, and Recovery Act reporting 
requirements will be used.

Funds Restrictions

    Except as identified by section 411(b) (i.e., materials, benefits, 
and renewable and domestic energy technologies) DOE intends for the 
restrictions under the WAP authorities to apply. Additionally, awards 
funded under the Recovery Act will be subject to the applicable ARRA 
provisions (e.g., application of the Davis-Bacon Act).
    DOE thanks you for your assistance and comments in helping to 
achieve the goals of the Recovery Act and the Weatherization Program.

Request for Information Feedback Questions

    Respondents need not reply to all Questions in their response. We 
especially request local weatherization service providers to respond to 
Questions 1 and 2.

Question 1: Potential Applicants, Please Comment Regarding Your 
Interest and Current Capacity To Successfully Implement a Sustainable 
Energy for Consumers Grant

    Under the Recovery Act each local weatherization service provider 
has been asked to increase the scale of its weatherization activities 
with increased administrative efforts and public scrutiny. As a local 
weatherization service provider, do you have the capacity to administer 
additional DOE grant money (in the range of $5-$10 million) to 
weatherize additional homes under this provision?

Question 2: Potential Applicants, Please Describe What Materials, 
Benefits, and Renewable and Domestic Energy Technologies You Propose To 
Fund With a Sustainable Energy Grant

    The list below is not meant to be prescriptive or comprehensive but 
rather to illustrate the nature and range of ideas DOE is considering.
     Durable high-R building envelope retrofits, such as high-
performance walls, foundations, windows, attic ventilation, attic and 
basement air sealing, cool roofs, and ceiling or cathedral roof 
insulation;
     High-performance space conditioning system retrofits, such 
as air handler upgrades, ducts in conditioned space, ventilation, 
heating, solar ventilation pre-heat, cooling, or direct supply of 
combustion air;
     High-performance hot water systems, such as condensing, 
heat pump and solar hot water systems;
     Small-scale renewable energy systems, including
    [cir] Solar photovoltaics.
    [cir] Solar hot water.
    [cir] Small-scale wind.
    [cir] Or others as appropriate.
     Integration with utility smart-grid pilots or 
implementations;
     Energy usage benchmarking with feedback, either in-home or 
online, to the users;
     Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) and other 
behavioral approaches;
     Developing innovative buying cooperatives and bulk buying 
strategies to lower costs of materials;
     Engaging volunteer groups (applicants proposing an 
approach with volunteers must be prepared to have proper liability 
insurance for volunteers and dwellings).

Question 3: Please Comment on the Proposed Number and Size of Awards

    DOE proposes specifically targeting these funds for a small number 
of high-profile, high-impact awards. DOE proposes to make 10 to 20 
awards at funding levels of $5 to $10 million each.
    Reminder: Only local weatherization agencies that are eligible to 
receive WAP funding are eligible to receive grants under this proposed 
FOA. A local agency applicant for the grant must be certified by its 
State Weatherization Program as having the capacity to conduct the 
proposed project and the State must exercise financial oversight over 
the grants to any of their agencies.

Question 4: Potential Applicants, How Do You Intend To Leverage Federal 
Funding With This Grant?

    DOE will strongly encourage applications that plan to leverage the 
participation and support of multiple partners, including utilities, 
regional planning agencies, businesses, financial institutions, non-
governmental organizations, and State energy offices.

Question 5: Potential Applicants, Do You Intend To Develop or Enhance a 
Revenue Model To Provide Future Sustainable Funding? If So, Please 
Briefly Explain

    DOE believes there are multiple viable approaches to developing 
revenue streams from residential efficiency improvements that may be 
used to improve program sustainability after

[[Page 12745]]

grant monies are exhausted. These may include revolving loan funds, 
utility on-bill payment and/or financing, the sale of carbon and other 
offsets, the sale of white tags to meet efficiency mandates, and the 
sale of efficiencies into forward capacity markets. DOE intends to 
allow maximum flexibility to applicants to demonstrate innovative 
models of sustainability. DOE is interested in learning whether 
applicants will consider using a Sustainable Energy Grant to develop or 
enhance a revenue model similar to these listed.

Question 6: Please Comment on the Proposed Application Structure

    Proposed Application structure. Applications for the proposed FOA 
shall include at least the following key elements:
    1. A description of how many and what kinds of units will be 
targeted by the program, and their geographic location. This may be a 
map of zones/neighborhoods that will be targeted, or a detailed text 
description.
    2. A description of how the program will conduct outreach/marketing 
to customers of the program and convince them to agree to participate.
    3. A description of how the weatherization will be delivered, 
including who will do the audits and contract work.
    4. A description of how savings from weatherization will be 
monitored and verified.
    5. A description of how the program will be financed, including 
both leveraged funds and alternate revenue streams as discussed above. 
This section of the application should also include a discussion of the 
sustainability of the program after the grant monies are exhausted.
    6. An implementation plan describing the overall execution of the 
program, including a detailed timeline and milestones at each stage.
    7. Letters of commitment from all partners contributing project 
funds, and project support letters from an executive officer from all 
key partners.
    Applicants will be encouraged to add further discussion as 
necessary, including an analysis of key market barriers to retrofits in 
their local jurisdiction, local resources other than funding, a 
description of the applicant's historical work in WAP and other energy 
efficiency programs, and any other relevant information.
    DOE will be conducting a formal independent evaluation of the 
projects funded with Sustainable Energy Grants, and recipients under 
this proposed FOA would need to cooperate with the collection of 
information for assessment. Recipients will be expected to complete a 
Project Final Report which will document the project's achievements, 
the steps that were undertaken through the project's processes, and 
lessons learned that can help DOE support replication of success.

Question 7: Please Comment on the Proposed Merit Review Criteria

Proposed Merit Review Criteria

    Criterion 1: Project Impact.
    Weight: [50%]
     The expected quantitative impact of the proposed project 
to low and moderate income energy consumers in terms of homes 
weatherized, cost per weatherized home, energy saved per home, 
emissions avoided, and jobs created.
     The potential for replication of successful results, both 
within the local jurisdiction in future years as well as by other local 
agencies and communities around the country.
     The impact on the health and safety and energy costs of 
consumers served.
     The extent to which the proposed project will create 
meaningful and sustainable market transformation, particularly after 
grant monies are exhausted.

    Criterion 2: Project Approach.
    Weight: [25%]
     The soundness of the project's management strategy, 
including the extent to which the proposal contains clear goals, well-
defined tasks and methods, objective deliverables, and realistic 
schedule and milestones.
     The specifics of the outreach/marketing strategy, the 
funding structure, the implementation/delivery plan, and the 
monitoring/verification plan, and the strategy for feedback and 
continuous improvement of the program during its operation.
     The extent to which institutional, regulatory, or market 
barriers have been identified and the project includes reasonable 
approaches to overcoming those barriers.
     The extent to which the application demonstrates the 
ability to fulfill requirements of the Recovery Act, including Davis-
Bacon, Buy American, and reporting capabilities (if Recovery Act 
funding is used).
     Soundness of Evaluation Strategy, including proper record 
keeping for DOE evaluation, and utility bill proof or actual 
measurements of energy savings where possible.

    Criterion 3: Partnership Structure and Capabilities.
    Weight: [25%]
     The extent to which roles and responsibilities of each 
partner/team member have been identified and are reasonably matched to 
their ability to successfully manage and implement the proposed 
project.
     The ability of the project team to complete the work 
successfully, including qualifications, credentials, capabilities and 
experience of key personnel/team members.

Question 8: Please Comment on the Proposed Program Policy Factors

Proposed Program Policy Factors

     Diversity of awards, including geographic locations, 
climates, and program structures.
     Benefits to low- and moderate-income families and 
economically distressed areas.
     The extent of partnerships with other public and private 
entities that contribute to the resources and implementation of the 
program, including financial partnerships.
     Selection of applications that promote and enhance the 
objectives of the Recovery Act, especially job creation and 
preservation, and economic recovery (if funded by the Recovery Act).

Question 9: ``Moderate Income''

    The WAP Program has traditionally served low-income energy users 
and ``low-income'' is defined under the WAP authorities as 200% of 
poverty level. DOE requests information on the income range that could 
be characterized as ``moderate income.''

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2010.
Kathleen Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2010-5799 Filed 3-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P