SENSOR SBIR/STTR | DE FOA 0001738

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001738

The SENSOR SBIR/STTR opportunity (Saving Energy Nationwide in Structures with Occupancy Recognition) is an ARPA-E funding call from the U.S. Department of Energy focused on cutting building energy waste by making HVAC systems respond to actual human presence and real occupancy levels, rather than relying on crude proxies like motion detection or fixed schedules. ARPA-E is targeting technologies that are still too early and too risky for typical private investment but could become market-disruptive if proven, meaning they could realistically be manufactured at competitive cost, deployed at scale, and widely adopted. The work is framed as applied research and development: building and improving prototypes, demonstrating performance, and validating solutions in realistic settings, not basic research.

At the core of the program is a specific performance goal: reduce energy used for heating and cooling in residential buildings by about 30 percent using sensor systems that can accurately determine whether a home is occupied (a true presence signal, not just motion). In commercial buildings, the program aims for a similar 30 percent reduction by enabling smarter ventilation and temperature control based on reliable people counting within predefined HVAC zones. The idea is that if a building knows how many people are actually present, it can reduce outside air intake and conditioning loads when spaces are lightly used, while still maintaining comfort and indoor air quality when spaces are busy. ARPA-E emphasizes that meaningful savings depend on sensors being accurate, dependable over time, inexpensive enough for broad deployment, and low in failure rate; otherwise, building owners and integrators will not adopt them.

The FOA lays out four main technical focus areas. First are residential human presence sensors that output a simple occupied/unoccupied signal so thermostats or home controls can automatically apply temperature setbacks when nobody is home, without requiring users to constantly adjust settings. Second are commercial people-counting sensors that provide an actual occupant count for a defined zone, enabling both temperature setbacks and ventilation setbacks in a way that aligns with real demand. Third is the development of low-cost, stable, and easily deployable CO2 sensors, which can be important for demand-controlled ventilation strategies and for broader adoption of ventilation setbacks in commercial environments. Fourth is real-world testing and validation across the above technologies, including controlled laboratory or quasi-real environments and actual field deployments throughout the project period, to prove performance under messy, real conditions and to identify adoption barriers early.

A key point in the program rationale is that the needed accuracy, reliability, and cost targets are beyond what typical building sensor systems offer today. ARPA-E is betting that advances in low-power consumer electronics and wireless communications can be leveraged to create a new class of occupancy and indoor sensing that is both better and cheaper. The program also notes that much of the downstream building infrastructure already exists, such as thermostats, building automation controls, and variable air volume systems, and could take advantage of improved sensor inputs with only modest modifications. That reduces the burden on applicants to reinvent building controls from scratch and pushes them to focus on the sensing breakthroughs, integration pathways, and proof of value.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is an SBIR/STTR opportunity aimed at small businesses, issued as a discretionary cooperative agreement under ARPA-E authorities. The FOA number is DE-FOA-0001738, listed under CFDA 81.135. The opportunity anticipated around five awards, with a stated award ceiling of $3,225,000. The posting date in the provided listing is January 18, 2017, with an original closing date of March 17, 2017, and ARPA-E encouraged concept paper submissions at least 48 hours before the deadline. Submissions were required through ARPA-E eXCHANGE (and not accepted through other channels), with the full FOA and submission guidance available on ARPA-E’s funding portal.

In practical terms, a competitive project under SENSOR would typically propose a sensor approach that can distinguish true human presence (or count people) robustly across real building conditions (different room layouts, occlusions, temperature gradients, pets, changing lighting, and other confounders), demonstrate low-power operation suitable for widespread deployment, and show a credible path to low unit cost and reliability over time. Just as importantly, applicants would be expected to address adoption barriers head-on: installation complexity, maintenance needs, calibration drift, privacy and acceptability concerns (especially in occupancy detection and counting), interoperability with existing building systems, and evidence that the sensing outputs translate into measurable HVAC energy savings without sacrificing occupant comfort.

• The Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SENSOR SBIR/STTR" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 18, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 17, 2017 Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their Concept Papers at least 48 hours in advance of the submission due date.. (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 $3,225,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for DE FOA 0001738

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