The American-Made Equitable and Affordable Solutions to Electrification Prize (EAS-E Prize) is offering $2.4 million in cash prizes and technical assistance vouchers to innovators who can help simplify the electrification processes for contractors and implementers. The prize aims to make the process faster and more affordable for homeowners across diverse communities and all housing types.
“Electrification is essential to eliminate carbon emissions from buildings, and we want to support an ecosystem of products and approaches that work for every homeowner who’s ready to make the switch,” said Alejandro Moreno, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Whole-home electrification upgrades need to be easy and affordable solutions that make sense for any housing type, and the EAS-E Prize will help us identify, support, and accelerate comprehensive technology solutions like these that make sense for the grid and your wallet.”
The two-phase EAS-E Prize was developed by the U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office (BTO) to further the development and deployment of “easy electrification” approaches. Home electrification is a decarbonization strategy that replaces fuel-burning home appliances with electric products such as heat pump technologies, solar photovoltaics, electric vehicle charging, and energy storage technologies. Electrification is one of several strategies BTO is pursuing to reduce the carbon footprint of the U.S. building stock while maintaining or improving affordability, comfort, and performance.
In Phase 1 of the prize, teams will submit a concept paper that summarizes how their solution will address affordable electrification. Up to five finalists will be awarded $5,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in technical assistance vouchers to advance their solution. In Phase 2, teams will evaluate the market and commercial viability of the solution and demonstrate functional prototype solutions. The grand prize winner will receive a cash prize of $1 million.
The EAS-E Prize is part of the American-Made program, which fast-tracks innovation through prizes, training, teaming, and mentoring. Teams competing in the EAS-E Prize will have access to the American-Made Network, connecting the nation’s entrepreneurs and innovators to America’s national labs and the private sector. Mentoring, tools, resources, and support through the American-Made Network help accelerate the transition of ideas into real-world solutions to achieve clean energy goals.
Follow the EAS-E Prize on HeroX.com for all prize-related updates. Phase 1 submissions are due by March 8, 2023.
The EAS-E Prize is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is part of BTO’s broader goal of an equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system by 2050.
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