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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to commercialbuildings@ee.doe.gov "]
[2,"All questions pertaining to EERE Exchange should be emailed to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FOA name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange within this spreadsheet."]
[4,"DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted in this spreadsheet. "]
[5,"All questions should be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. Questions submitted after this date will not be answered."]
[6,"Questions are assigned a number in accordance with when they are reviewed by DOE.  "]
[7,"Questions are assigned a topic area by DOE when reviewed."]
[]
["TIPS"]
[1,"Applicants may sort questions and answers in the question tabs of this spreadhseet by selecting the drop-down box arrow on the column headers and selecting any of the listed attributes."]
[2,"Applicants may search for questions and/or keywords by holding CTRL+F on the keyboard and typing in a phrase or keyword."]

{"sheet":"FOA CONTENT QUESTIONS","index":1,"n_rows":41,"n_cols":6,"rows_kept":41,"cut":false,"hidden":false,"merged":[[1,0,1,4],[0,0,0,4]]}
["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA-0001630 Building America Industry Partnerships for High Performance Housing Innovation - 2017"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2016-11-03","Application Content/Format","I would like to know If I as a house flipper can apply for this grant? ","See FOA Sections I.B. and I.C for Topic Areas/Technical Areas of Interest and Applications Specifically Not of Interest.  EERE is not interested in \"applications for federal funding of construction or renovation costs.\"","Link"]
[2,"2016-11-04","Application Content/Format","Does the November 7 2pm webinar address heating, cooling and or ventilation systems?\n\nHas a FOA for heating, cooling and or ventilation systems been issued?\n","Please see the uploaded Webinar and Webinar slides with notes for additional information pertaining to this Funding Opportunity Announcement. "]
[3,"2016-11-07","Technical Topics","• The FOA specifically list the materials - OSB, drywall, housewraps and adhesives as being the problem. Does the DOE have an appetite for a new building envelope design, using a set of materials different from those listed. Specifically focusing on the combination of a continuously insulated, and reinforced concrete mass. This set of building science using an insulated thermal mass has not been studied in depth, but results in low moisture building envelopes - effectively managing air, water, vapor and heat flow.- ","This type of design would be appropriate for the FOA. The FOA does not specifically list those materials."]
[4,"2016-11-07","Eligibility","• Can proposals address more than one objective? ","Yes, proposals can address more than one objective. For example, a project could address two Topic 1 IAQ roadmap objectives, Smart ventilation technology solutions and Targeted pollutant solutions. Or, a project could address Topic 1 objectives from different roadmaps, e.g., Smart ventilation technology solutions from the IAQ solutions Roadmap and Innovative Equipment and Systems from the comfort Roadmap.\n However, a proposal cannot address both Topic 1 (Selected Roadmap Objectives) and Topic 2 (Baseline IAQ Field Study).\n"]
[5,"2016-11-07","Technical Topics","• I see that topic 1B of this FOA asks for optimized comfort systems for low-load homes. What do you mean by low-load homes? Could you please provide some examples? ","The FOA states, “Low load homes can be either high performance new homes or existing homes with reduced loads (compared to the original design) due to improvements in the envelope, distribution system, or other energy upgrades. Furthermore, when home improvements are accomplished incrementally, energy efficient HVAC upgrade strategies are needed that effectively accommodate future improvements to the building envelope (i.e., “low-load ready”).” An example of a low-load home could be a Zero Energy Ready Home, or other high performance home which, due to its tighter, more insulated envelope, does not require the HVAC to provide as much heating or cooling as a conventional, code-built home. Another example would be an existing home which has undergone envelope improvements, and as a result the existing or replacement HVAC does not need to provide as much heating or cooling as was required before the improvements.   "]
[6,"2016-11-07","Webinar","• Will this presentation be sent? ","The slide deck from the FOA Webinar will be uploaded to EERE-Exchange.energy.gov. "]
[7,"2016-11-07","Eligibility","• Are Canadian companies eligible for this funding? ","See FOA Section III.A.iii. for eligibility information pertaining to Foreign Entities. "]
[8,"2016-11-07","Application Content/Format","• Is it possible to only submit concept for one of the topics?  For example, only for the IAQ but no the enclosure? ","Yes."]
[9,"2016-11-07","Technical Topics","• I am interested in the possible extension of protocols under Topic 2 as referenced in the FOA.  What is the extent of these possible extensions (i.e. alternative protocols for already identified pollutants vs. additional pollutants of interest)? To what extent will DOE fund these proposed extensions? "]
[10,"2016-11-07","Registration Requirements","Does the concept paper have to be written and submitted by the Prime?","The Concept Paper should be submitted by the Prime Applicant.  "]
[11,"2016-11-07","Eligibility","• Is ORNL Eligible for this Funding Opportunity Announcement?","The FOA states, “Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) is not eligible as a Prime recipient or Subrecipient for Topic 1 projects that address objectives of the High Performance Moisture Managed Envelope Solutions Roadmap due to their significant role in developing this roadmap.” ORNL may propose Topic 1 projects that address the selected objectives of the Optimal Comfort Systems Roadmap and/or the selected objectives of the Optimal Ventilation and IAQ Solutions Roadmap."]
[12,"2016-11-07","Application Content/Format","Does the team have to be completely formed during the concept phase? ","No, the team can be changed between the submission of the Concept Paper and the submission of the Full Application."]
[13,"2016-11-07","Webinar","Will this slide deck/recording be made availed to webinar participants? ","The slide deck from the FOA Webinar will be uploaded to EERE-Exchange.energy.gov. "]
[14,"2016-11-07","Intellectual Property","If a proprietary technology were developed with the program’s funding from the DOE, who would own and commercialize the technology?","See FOA Section VIII, paragraphs L and M regarding treatment of inventions under awards that arise from this FOA.  "]
[15,"2016-11-07","Funding","Is it possible to increase the proposed federal and applicant funding after the concept paper has been reviewed and the applicant receives a notice of encouragement to submit a full application?","Yes, the Applicant may revise the proposed Federal and Applicant Cost Share after the submission of a Concept Paper. "]
[16,"2016-11-09","Concept Paper Content/Format","Should concept papers include a cover page, and if they do, will it count towards the page limit?","See FOA Section IV.C.i. Concept Paper Requirements.  Concept Paper requirements do not call out the need for a Cover Page. Should the Applicant choose to include a Cover Page, it will count towards the 3 page limit. "]
[17,"2016-11-09","Concept Paper Content/Format","Can the concept paper addendum include text, or are only graphs, charts, and data allowed?  Can the concept paper addendum be used to include additional details on the project team?","See FOA Section IV.C.i. Concept Paper Requirements.  Concept Paper requirements for both Topic 1 and Topic 2 requests a succinct description of the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the proposed Project Team.  The Addendum is intended for graphs, charts, and data to further support the content provided in the Concept Paper. "]
[18,"2016-11-09","Funding","Can Federal Funds be used, either as cash or cash equivalent (e.g., gift card), to incentivize homeowners to participate in the Topic 2 field study?","Incentive payments may be allowed if they are reasonable, adequately justified, necessary for the performance of the award and if they are otherwise allowable according to the applicable Cost Principles.  However, DOE cannot predetermine the allowability of particular costs or budget items prior to award selection."]
[19,"2016-11-09","Technical Topics","For Topic 2, on Page 6 on the FOA, it says that “This topic involves a national baseline study of occupied homes built to current energy codes (e.g., IECC 2012/2015)”.  If homes were built to the energy code in adoption in their state at the time of permitting and meet the requirements in the Home Selection section, is that sufficient?","Yes, homes that were permitted by Jan 1 2013, were built to meet or exceed code in effect at the time of permitting, and meet the requirements in the Home Selection section are appropriate for this study."]
[20,"2016-11-11","Application Content/Format","Can EERE personnel contact interested parties by phone? ","See FOA Section VII. Questions/Agency Contacts.  Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process as described in the FOA."]
[21,"2016-11-15","Application Content/Format","• Are we required to include an estimated project cost in both Topic Area 1 and Topic Area 2?\n• For both Topic Area 1 and Topic Area 2, is the page limit for concept paper three pages and appendix three pages?\n• Is it accurate to describe the Applicant as the lead applicant/organization and the Principal Investigator as specific employee/, member of the team?\n","Estimated Project Costs should be provided for both Topic Areas if the Applicant is applying to both Topic Areas.  If the Applicant is applying to only one Topic Area, only Estimated Project Costs for that Topic Area should be submitted. \n\nSee FOA Section IV.C.i. for Concept Paper Requirements.\n\nThe Prime Applicant will be the Lead Applicant/Organization and the PI or other specified employee will be a member of the team. "]
[22,"2016-11-15","Non-FOA Related","I’d like to know if this opportunity will come available again: \n\nDE-FOA-00001395: Building America Industry Partnerships for High Performance Housing Innovation\n","DE-FOA-0001630 Building America Industry Partnerships for High Performance Housing Innovation - 2017 is this year's iteration of the RBI Funding Opportunity Announcement.  DE-FOA-0001395 was the 2016 iteration of RBI. "]
[23,"2016-11-15","Technical Topics","The webinar states that Topic 2 can apply to both single family or multifamily homes. Is the DOE interested in investigations that focus exclusively on multifamily homes? Or would the DOE prefer investigations where the findings would apply to both single family and multifamily homes? \n\nDoes the exclusion of CA field data collection extend to multifamily homes in CA? If the exclusion is due to the HENGH study, because the HENGH study focuses on single family homes, we believe that field data collection in CA would not duplicate efforts between this DOE study and the HENGH study.\n","1. Homes included in the field study should be representative of the region studied. Proposals should make the case that their method for house selection will yield an appropriately diverse and representative sample in terms of housing type, characteristics, size, and design. Applicants may partner with others as appropriate to effectively execute the study in a representative sample of homes.\n2. Yes, the CA exclusion applies to all homes in California, including multifamily. While a study of multifamily homes in California would not duplicate efforts in terms of housing type, it would duplicate efforts in terms of geographical region and climate.\n"]
[24,"2016-11-17","Technical Topics","For Topic 2, should proposers budget for laboratory analysis of passive samplers for NO2/NOx and Aldehydes, or will LBL bear those costs?","Yes, Applicants should budget for Laboratory analysis of passive samplers. "]
[25,"2016-11-17","Funding","1) Although it may not be desirable, Is DOE funding allowed to be used to purchase equipment for Topic 2?\n2) Is there a maximum vendor (sub-contractors to the Prime Recipient) dollar amount allowed for Cooperative Agreements?  If so, what is that maximum?\n","1. Federal funding is allowed for purchase of equipment necessary to complete the project objectives.\n2. There are no maximum allowable costs for vendors or subrecipients. All project costs must be allowable, allocable and reasonable for the completion of the project, except related to cost share restrictions (see section X).\n"]
[26,"2016-11-17","Non-FOA Related","Is there a list of past winning projects that can be shared?","Please visit the BTO Program webpage for news, press releases, and other information about current BTO projects. http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/building-technologies-office"]
[27,"2016-11-18","Webinar","If Applicants are having difficulty downloading the Webinar presentation, how should they access the presentation? ","Please visit eere-exchange.energy.gov to attempt to download the document again.  The file is a PPTX. "]
[28,"2016-11-22","Technical Topics","For Topic 2, is DOE interested a team recruiting 60 homes in a single climate zone, or is it preferred to spread those 60 homes across a region that could encompass multiple climate zones?","Building America would be interested in either scenario, as both have their advantages. As the FOA states, “applicants should state why their approach is suitable for the climate zone(s) they plan to work in and why their climate zone(s) should be prioritized.”"]
[29,"2016-11-29","Technical Topics","1) Item C of the Funding Opportunity Description section defines “Applications for federal funding on construction or renovation costs” as a nonresponsive application.  Does this mean construction or renovation costs related to building a physical prototype for technology verification and data collection are also considered nonresponsive?\n2) This question pertains to the Topic 1 Roadmaps.  Recognizing that different thermal envelope and HVAC technologies are more suitable to different Climate Zones.  Is the EERE interested in a mix of technologies that have acceptable performance but spanning the widest range of Climate Zones?  Or would the EERE be receptive toward a mix of technologies that have higher performance when applied to a narrower range of Climate Zones, e.g.  Climate Zones 1, 2, and  which encapsulates  the US Southeast, Southwest, and Western regions.\n3) Please provide a numerical example to explain the 20% cost share assuming that the applicant is requesting $200,000 of EERE funding.  \n","1) The intent of this restriction is to clarify that Building America is not interested in applying federal funds to construction costs that are not related to the goals of the proposed project/FOA and would otherwise be borne by the private sector.\n2) Building America would be interested in technologies and approaches that are suitable for any/all US Climate Zones. DOE’s Building Technologies Office has identified three Climate Regions which have the greatest need for improved building performance, and therefore have a high priority in Building America’s research strategy. These high priority Climate Regions are Hot-Humid, Mixed-Humid, and Cold. (See http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/building_america/4_3a_ba_innov_buildingscienceclimatemaps_011713.pdf for how Climate Regions relate to IECC Climate Zones 1-8.)\n3) See Appendix A - Cost Share Information for how to calculate cost share. "]
[30,"2016-11-30","Eligibility","Is the funding opportunity only open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents? ","See FOA Section III.A.i. for eligibility information pertaining to Individuals. "]
[31,"2016-12-01","Technical Topics","Is EERE interested in homes constructed with Hempcrete? ","See FOA Section I.B. for Topic Areas/Technical Areas of Interest. "]
[32,"2016-12-01","Due Dates","On your website, it states:\n\n\"Submission deadline for concept papers: December 7, 2016\nSubmission deadline for full applications: February 1, 2016\"\nIs the full application due on February 1, 2016 or is it February 1, 2017?\n","The application submission deadline is February 1, 2017. "]
[33,"2016-12-01","Cost Sharing","If an applicant meets both of the requirements for a reduction to 10% cost share, how do they deal with the cost share error message when assembling our Concept Paper submission?\n","EERE-Exchange has a requirement of 20% cost share for the Concept Paper Submission and Full Application Submission.  Not all applicants will be eligible for a reduction in Cost Share.  If an Applicant meets the reduction in cost share requirements, please state that the cost share is 20% in Exchange and then call out the reduction in Cost Share within the Concept Paper."]
[34,"2016-12-02","Funding","What financial information is required for the Concept paper?\nDo we have to submit a budget justification form with the Concept paper?\n","See FOA Section IV.C.i. for Concept Paper Content Requirements.  Potential funding sources and anticipated cost share for the proposed project is included in the Project Description and Team Qualifications. "]
[35,"2016-12-13","Funding","This past summer [2016], The American Society for Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) approved a research topic to investigate and measure combustion emissions from unvented heating appliances as it relates to accumulations and potential exposures in the indoor environment. ASHRAE is seeking co-sponsorship funding from other sources, e.g., industry, government, etc., to help co-fund this research. Is there any opportunity here to solicit funding through this DOE program to help co-fund the ASHRAE research. Would the request be too small and the research too focused to be a valuable use of our time to solicit any funding under the program?","See FOA Section I.B. for Topic Areas/Technical Areas of Interest.  The Applicant is responsible for determining if their project aligns with the Topic Areas/Technical Areas of Interest.  Please see section III.B.iii. Cost Share Types and Allowability for information regarding cost share eligibility.  "]
[36,"2017-01-10","Funding","If we have multiple universities (3) working on this that each do less than 50% of the work for the proposed project but still a significant portion, are we required to provide 10% or 20% cost share for our proposal?","See FOA Section III.B. for Cost Sharing Information.  Within your example the Prime Applicant would have to commit 20% cost share because the second criterion of \"the Prime Recipient performs more that 50% of the project work, was measured by Total Project Cost\" is not met.  "]
[37,"2017-01-12","Concept Paper Content/Format","We intended to submit a Building America 2017 proposal, however we did not submit a Concept paper in December 2016, as stated in the proposal guidelines.","See FOA Section III.C.i.2. In order for you Full Application to be deemed compliant, the applicant must have submitted a compliant Concept Paper.  "]
[38,"2017-01-18","Application Content/Format","Are letters of support required and/or allowable with this application from Subawardees and collaborators?  If so, is there is particular format required for these Letters of Support?","See FOA Section IV.D.ii Technical Volume - Letters of Support are not required, but encouraged. These letters should contain the Prime Applicants application number and the title of the project at a minimum. Letters of support don't count towards the page limit in the Technical Volume. "]

{"sheet":"Admin Pick List","index":2,"n_rows":18,"n_cols":1,"rows_kept":18,"cut":false,"hidden":true,"merged":[]}
["Pick List"]
[]
["Registration Requirements"]
["Webinar"]
["Eligibility"]
["Labs/FFRDCs"]
["Funding"]
["Foreign Entities/Work"]
["Cost Sharing"]
["Due Dates"]
["Application Content/Format"]
["Intellectual Property"]
["Data Management"]
["Non-FOA Related"]
["U.S. Manufacturing Plan"]
["Application Reviews"]
["Technical Topics"]
["Concept Paper Content/Format"]