DOE funds target appliance research, development
The Department of Energy (DOE) is providing up to $47 million for energy-efficient technologies for buildings via the Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) 2019 Funding Opportunity (FOA).
“These research and development investments are necessary for continued advancement of next-generation natural gas technologies to make them widely available to consumers,” Karen Harbert, American Gas Association (AGA) president and CEO, said in praising the initiative. “Advanced natural gas technologies in homes and businesses enable customers to save money and reduce their environmental footprint.”
The DOE said residential and commercial buildings account for approximately 40 percent of the nation’s total energy demand, noting while natural gas utilities nationwide add one new customer every single minute, natural gas use per customer is declining.
Since 1970, gas utilities have added 30 million more residential customers with virtually no increases in emissions.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s yearly Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2017 released earlier this month determined greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas distribution systems have decreased even as the size of the network has grown significantly, officials said, adding methane emissions from distribution systems declined 73 percent from 1990 levels.
AGA represents more than 200 local energy companies delivering clean natural gas throughout the United States. There are currently more than 73 million residential, commercial and industrial natural gas customers in America, of which 95 percent receive their gas from AGA members.
