This grant funding opportunity aims to develop, test, and demonstrate zero-carbon or near-zero-carbon, cost-effective, modular and manufactured homes that can be readily deployed, particularly in under-resourced communities including California Native American Tribes. The prefabricated housing industry has minimal research and product innovation beyond code requirements. By involving key prefabricated and manufactured home industry stakeholders in the development process, the solicitation seeks to increase market acceptance and economic viability of these solutions.
The project focuses on economically integrating energy efficiency solutions at the factory with advancements in manufacturing processes to reduce production costs and make homes affordable. Funding under this solicitation will support research activities that increase the cost-effectiveness of energy efficient prefabricated homes in under-resourced communities, including in fire-prone areas. The results are expected to demonstrate how advanced manufacturing and energy efficiency integration can improve housing accessibility and affordability while meeting zero-carbon or near-zero-carbon performance standards.
Key dates include a Pre-Application Workshop scheduled for January 31, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (remote access only), a Questions Deadline of February 3, 2023 at 5:00 pm, and a Submission Deadline of April 17, 2023 at 11:59 pm. The solicitation was released on January 10, 2023 and has been awarded as of April 3, 2024.