The Building Technologies Office 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. 

News, Blogs, and Success Stories

DOE Launches Prototype Phase of L-Prize Lighting Competition

The second phase of the L-Prize spurs innovation for the next generation of lighting in commercial buildings

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Biden-Harris Administration Launches $225 Million Program to Lower Utility Bills Through More Efficient Building Codes
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a Notice of Intent (NOI) to provide $225 million for states and local governments to expand the implementation of the latest building energy codes and support the development of buildings that use less energy.
July 21, 2022
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DOE’s Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program Selects New Group of Innovators to Deliver Next-Generation Technologies for a Clean Energy Economy
Selected innovators will work with network of mentors and experts at U.S. National Laboratories
July 21, 2022
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Build Your Team! Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge Opens Registration
DOE will accept applications for the Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge through October 26, 2022
July 13, 2022
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Building Technologies Office Announces $7.9 Million for Small Business Research and Development Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced awards totaling $137 million for small businesses in 30 states. The 120 projects include projects addressing multiple priorities across the Department.
July 12, 2022
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Health and Wellness with a Zero Energy Ready Home
The ZERH program offers best-in-class protections for a healthy home.
July 5, 2022
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DOE Launches Prototype Phase of L-Prize Lighting Competition
DOE launches the second phase of its three-phase Lighting Prize Competition, a DOE American-Made Challenge
June 30, 2022
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BTO Seeks to Increase Adoption of Energy-Saving Triple-Pane Windows
Windows are essential elements of most buildings, but can be among the most energy-wasting parts of a home. Although they constitute only 10% of the surface area of a typical home, they can account for 30-40% of the heat loss in winter.
June 23, 2022
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DOE Announces Breakthrough in Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology
Lennox’s Cold Climate Heat Pump Unlocks Potential for Domestic Manufacturing of Clean Energy Heating Products that Slash Energy Bills for Americans
June 17, 2022
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Carrier Global Partners with DOE to Rush Local COVID Vaccine Solution
In the early months of 2020, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) were eager to address a range of technical challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 14, 2022
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Biden Administration Proposes New Cost-Saving Energy Efficiency Standards for Home Furnaces
The Biden Administration through the U.S. Department of Energy proposed new energy-efficiency standards for residential gas furnaces that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save consumers billions annually on their energy bills.
June 13, 2022
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BTO's Program Areas

Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships

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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Technology-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.

Map of Solar Projects

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.