The Building Technologies Office (BTO) develops, demonstrates, and accelerates the adoption of cost-effective technologies, techniques, tools and services that enable high-performing, energy-efficient and demand-flexible residential and commercial buildings in both the new & existing buildings markets, in support of an equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system by 2050, starting with a decarbonized power sector by 2035. Learn more about BTO.
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News, Blogs, and Success Stories
Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector
DOE led the development of a Blueprint for decarbonizing U.S. buildings by 2050 to lay out a national strategy for aggressively reducing building greenhouse gas emissions while delivering equity, affordability, and resilience benefits to communities.
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DOE Welcomes New Round of Innovative Leaders to Peer-Learning Cohorts on Emerging Clean Energy Strategies
45 participants will convene to learn from each other and experts about agrivoltaics, residential energy efficiency, and electrifying municipal fleets.
June 12, 2024
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DOE Announces National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building
New Definition Will Help Nation Achieve President Biden’s Clean Energy and Climate Goals While Lowering Energy Costs, Cutting Air Pollution, and Creating Good-Paying Jobs
June 6, 2024
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DOE Publishes Guidance on Fair Distribution of Distributed Energy Resource Benefits to Utility Customers
The production, delivery, and consumption burdens of the energy system do not fall equally on all electricity and gas utility customers. State legislators and regulators are establishing new goals and processes to promote energy equity.
May 30, 2024
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DOE Publishes New Lighting Market Characterization for Baseline Year 2020
By publishing summary estimates of installed stock and energy use of various general illumination lighting products, these reports help DOE and others plan effective lighting research and development programs based on changing needs.
May 21, 2024
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DOE to Host Inaugural Affordable Home Energy Shot Summit
DOE’s eighth Earthshot, The Affordable Home Energy Shot™, will hold its inaugural, virtual summit on June 5, 2024.
May 7, 2024
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DOE Recognizes Leaders Preparing a Workforce for Home Energy-Efficiency Upgrades
DOE’s Energy Skilled program for the first time recognized an equipment manufacturer for developing a curriculum to train workers for meaningful and in-demand job opportunities that align with national clean energy transition goals.
May 2, 2024
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DOE Finalizes Efficiency Standards for Water Heaters to Save Americans Over $7 Billion on Household Utility Bills Annually
Finalized Residential Water Heater Standards Have Strong Industry and Stakeholder Support, Will Accelerate the Deployment of Heat Pump Water Heaters, and Represent Largest Energy Savings Action by the Appliance Standards Program in History
April 30, 2024
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DOE’s Efficient and Healthy Schools campaign recognized 13 school district honorees at the 2024 White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds: Equity, Learning, Health, and Climate, held on Feb. 26, 2024.
April 29, 2024
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U.S. Department of Energy to Invest Over $100 Million to Prepare the Grid for a Net-Zero Economy
DOE today announced its intent to issue multiple funding opportunity announcements totaling over $100 million for field demonstrations and other research to support better planning and operation of the electric grid.
April 25, 2024
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U.S. Department of Energy Announces Final Rule to Propel Federal Buildings Toward Zero Emissions
As Required by Congress, DOE Finalizes Standards That Decrease Emissions for New and Renovated Federal Buildings Across the Nation, Slashing Harmful Carbon Emissions by 2 Million Metric Tons
April 24, 2024
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BTO's Program Areas
Emerging Technologies
Residential Buildings Integration
Commercial Buildings Integration
Appliance and Equipment Standards Program
Building Energy Codes Program
About the Building Technologies Office
Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships
National Emerging Technologies Collaborative
NETC fosters stronger coordination across organizations supporting the RD&D, investment, and deployment of emerging building technologies.
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Energy, Emissions and Equity (E3) Initiative
Better Energy, Emissions, and Equity (E3) Initiative
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Advanced Building Construction Initiative
The ABC Initiative integrates energy-efficiency solutions into highly productive U.S. construction practices for new buildings and retrofits.
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Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings
We’re conducting Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings research to help bring connectedness and the related energy savings across the buildings sector.
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Tech-to-Market
T2M activities accelerate innovative R&D concepts to become commercially viable and available products.
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Better Buildings
Partners in DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative set ambitious goals and contribute real-world solutions that help accelerate our clean energy economy.
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Green Building Workforce Development Initiatives
Achieving DOE’s high-level goals of combating climate change, creating clean energy union jobs, and promoting energy justice, requires improving the energy efficiency of America’s nearly 130 million buildings.
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Resource Dashboard
Find technical reports, technology roadmaps, fact sheets, relevant and authorizing statutes, and quick links to BTO’s decision tools.
Project Map
The Building Technologies Office Projects Map is a searchable table and map of BTO’s active projects that have been competitively awarded and funded through DOE’s national labs all across the United States. Dive into any project to learn more about its funding amount, who’s leading the work, the project term, what the project is developing, and its most recent progress.
Join BTO’s Events
Jun 18
Turning Waste into Wealth: Sustainable Food Management Strategies 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
Jun 25
Financing the Future: Innovative Solutions for Decarbonization 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
Jun 25
Practical Guidance on the Distribution of DER Benefits to Utility Customers 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT
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BTO Career Opportunities
Ready to start building our clean energy future with a new career in BTO? Whether you’re looking for building energy-efficiency research or engineering jobs, or you’re interested in business support careers in the building energy-efficiency industry, BTO may have a position for you.
See the available opportunities.
BTO’s Annual Peer Review Conference
The Peer Review is BTO’s signature event for the building sector’s leading scientists, engineers, policymakers, and other energy enthusiasts to discuss the latest opportunities for improving building performance–and to evaluate the progress of select BTO-funded research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects and programs. The Peer Review is free and open to the public.
Learn more about the nextPeer Review event.