Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) 2017 | DE FOA 0001667

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001667

Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) 2017 is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) grant opportunity designed to help federal agencies move forward with high-impact energy projects at federal facilities, especially when those projects are bundled into privately financed delivery mechanisms. The core idea is to use relatively modest grant funding to catalyze much larger investments by pairing the AFFECT funds with performance-based or third-party financing structures. The opportunity was issued by DOE’s Golden Field Office under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001667 (CFDA 81.117) as a discretionary grant program.

A central priority of the program is leveraging. Applicants are expected to show that the requested AFFECT grant funds will be multiplied by significant private capital and/or agency resources. Projects incorporated into Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs), Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESCs), or Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are explicitly highlighted as strong fits because these structures can bring in private financing and repay investment through savings or purchased energy arrangements. While the program is oriented toward privately financed performance contracts and PPAs, the announcement also notes that projects financed through appropriations may be considered. In the merit review, a key criterion is how much non-grant funding is brought to the table relative to the requested AFFECT amount, reinforcing that the grant is intended as a catalyst rather than the primary source of project capital.

Beyond the immediate project benefits, the FOA emphasizes replicability and broader federal impact. Applicants are asked to explain how the proposed project results could encourage broader adoption across other federal sites and how the effort might shift agency strategy, planning, and decision-making toward more frequent or more effective use of similar approaches. In practice, that means the strongest applications are likely to go beyond a single isolated upgrade and instead demonstrate a model that can be repeated, scaled, or standardized across an agency’s portfolio, influencing future investments in energy conservation and clean energy infrastructure.

The FOA is structured as a single-phase competition. Applicants submit a Full Application that defines the project or set of projects to be developed, without a separate concept paper phase described here. Applications must align with one of three eligible technical topic areas: (1) Combined Heat and Power (CHP), which typically involves on-site generation that captures and uses waste heat to improve overall efficiency; (2) Renewable Energy, covering eligible renewable generation or related project configurations consistent with federal facility deployment; and (3) Energy Efficiency Deep Retrofits, which generally refers to comprehensive, multi-measure building or facility upgrades that achieve substantial energy reductions compared to incremental improvements.

Administrative details in the source information specify that submissions had to be made through the EERE eXCHANGE portal (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov), and applicants were required to register and create an account to apply. The full FOA, guidance, and instructions were hosted on that platform, with a user guide available through the EERE eXCHANGE manuals page after logging in. The opportunity was created on November 22, 2016, with a full application deadline of January 30, 2017, by 5:00 PM Eastern Time. The listed award ceiling was $1,000,000, with an expectation of approximately 10 awards, indicating a competitive selection process aimed at funding a limited number of high-leverage, high-visibility federal facility projects.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) 2017" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.117.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 22, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 30, 2017 Submission Deadline for Full Applications 01/30/2017, 500pm ET All Applications must be submitted via EERE Exchange at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/, unless specifically stated otherwise.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for DE FOA 0001667

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