The Home Improvement Catalyst (HI-Cat) is a new DOE initiative focused on high impact opportunities to achieve energy savings in home improvements already planned or being undertaken by homeowners. The home improvement market represents $150 billion in annual investment, with over 14 million projects that involve replacement or upgrades of heating and cooling systems, windows, siding and roofs, insulation and other measures.
ENERGY STAR and Energy Savers offer homeowners many easy ways save energy, HI-Cat will focus on new solutions to help homeowners take informed steps to save energy and achieve additional benefits (e.g., comfort, health, durability, and value) as they improve their homes.
Through HI-Cat, DOE will work in partnership with leaders in the home improvement industry, manufacturers, and energy efficiency programs to demonstrate and catalyze high impact technologies and solutions that will:
- Help home improvement trades and homeowners achieve greater energy savings from work they are already planning through adoption of advanced technologies and decision support resources
- Identify complementary measures to save money and achieve additional benefits
- Guide homeowners to achieve greater energy savings over time.
Through HI-Cat, DOE will partner with organizations and engage industry stakeholders to identify and demonstrate tactics with scalable potential to overcome technical or market barriers to adoption of recommended home improvement technologies and solutions.
Interested industry, utility or residential energy efficiency organizations can contact the DOE Project Manager, Steve Dunn steve.dunn@ee.doe.gov, for more information about how to participate in HI-Cat development and demonstration opportunities.