Tony Bouza, HVAC, Water Heating, and Appliances Technology R&D Manager within DOE’s Building Technologies Office (BTO), was recently recognized by the Small Business Technology Council (SBTC) as a “Champion of Small Business.” Bouza works closely with the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program by offering competitively selected awards to small businesses that help them develop and commercialize energy-saving technologies. Bouza’s active participation and engagement with small businesses through the SBIR program led to his recognition and receiving of the Small Business Technology Council’s (SBTC) “Champion of Small Business” Award. Bouza is the first DOE employee to receive this award.
Bouza was nominated by Mainstream Engineering Corporation, who described him as “instrumental” in managing two SBIR projects and follow-on commercialization efforts that resulted in five commercialized products in the HVAC&R industry. The awards are given to those who go “above and beyond in helping small businesses through the process of pursuing commercialization and follow-on awards.” Mainstream Engineering’s BTO-supported commercialized products include a low-cost energy-saving device for air cooling systems, called QwikSEER + Wattsaver, which not only increases energy efficiency by 8-14%, but also improves humidity and mold control, and QwikSwap, a replacement to blower motors that saves energy and also removes humidity.
“Small businesses are innovation engines,” Bouza said. “I’m proud to accept this award as recognition of the tremendous partnerships between DOE and small businesses, which have led to transformational technologies that are on the market today and saving Americans money on their utility bills.”
Bouza manages a vast portfolio of HVAC, water heating, and R&D projects—end uses which account for nearly 50 percent of U.S. national building energy consumption—which are led by businesses both large and small. Two current SBIR projects in that portfolio are advanced water heaters that don’t use vapor compression—a revolutionary shift away from existing technologies. One is being developed by Xergy of Seaford, Delaware, and uses an electrochemical compressor and water as the working fluid, resulting in significant energy savings and environmental benefits. The other is being developed by Sheetak of Austin, Texas, and uses thin film, thermoelectric technology to dramatically change the way we heat water. In addition, BTO recently announced $3 million in new SBIR projects—including 13 Phase 1 projects to (1) improve indoor air quality in buildings via innovative sensors and fans, and (2) advance LED and OLED technologies, as well as a Phase 2B project, to further develop Xergy’s electrochemical water heater.
Bouza is also the U.S. National Executive Committee (ExCo) delegate to the International Energy Administration’s Heat Pump Program and was previously a project manager for several rulemakings with respect to energy efficiency standards. Bouza is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
View BTO’s complete small business portfolio.