2024-2025 Decarbonization Challenge: Workforce Develpment

What is Decarb?

Building decarbonization describes methods that reduce human made GHG emissions related to buildings.

For more information and technical resources visit the Center of Excellence for Building Decarbonization (CEBD) website and knowledge hub.

The Challenge

ASHRAE President Dennis Knight has announced his presidential theme, workforce development and DEI. His plan includes continuing the Decarbonization Challenge Fund, a year-long competitive fund ($1,000-$10,000) program to implement decarbonization projects within local chapters that are tied to this year’s presidential theme. This program is implemented through the YEA committee with grassroots outreach through the YEA chairs/ committees at each chapter.

Challenge Timeline

November 15^th, 2024: Applications due
December 13th, 2024: Intimation to selected chapter / team
January 2025: Awards made with funds going to local chapter for use on the project
February 2025: Winning applicants in attendance at the 2025 Winter Conference in Orlando to be recognized by ASHRAE President at President’s Lunch
February 2025 and June 2025: Projects will be completed
Spring of 2025: Project Teams will be requested to submit a mid-project update with a short narrative and photos
June 2025: Project Teams will be invited to participate in a panel at the 2025 Annual Conference in Phoenix to discuss the implementation of their Project

Challenge Requirements

Application submissions must meet the following criteria:

1. The primary applicant must be a Full, Associate, or Affiliate member of ASHRAE.

2. All mandatory questions within the application must be completed.

NOTE: Please complete all required and any relevant optional fields. All mandatory fields are required to be accurately completed to be considered for an award.

Submission Contact Email: *

Please include a name for your challenge proposal. This will be how it is referred to in making the award notification, and any follow-on social media or conference proceedings. Project Title: *

Please submit the lead point of contact’s name for the application. This will be the individual responsible for responding to follow on interactions with the award committee and submitting supplemental documentation over the course of the project. Note: Individuals may only be associated with ne application in any capacity (i.e. you cannot be a lead on multiple applications, or a lead on one application and a participant on others, or a participant on multiple applications). Lead Applicant Name: *

Lead Applicant Email: *

Lead Applicant Phone Number (please include area code) *

Lead Applicant’s ASHRAE Member ID#: *

Please provide the name of the local chapter that the lead applicant is affiliated with. This is the chapter that the funds will be issued to for the project. Lead Applicant’s Local ASHRAE Local Chapter: *

Project Team Member Names and Member ID Numbers (First Name / Last Name/ Member ID Number (New line for each team member)): *

Project City (This should be the physical city/ region where the project will be implemented in): *

Project Country (This should be the country that the project will be implemented in): *

Project Currency (Please note the currency the project budget is submitted in. Please remember that the award range is $1,000 - $10,000 USD when assessing exchange rates.): *

Total Requested Funds (Please submit the total dollars (in USD) which are being requested as part of this grant application. This value should be between $1,000 and $10,000.): *

Project Cost Breakdown: Please submit the breakdown in USD of funds in the following categories: • Materials (materials purchased by team) • Contracted Work (all work and materials purchased or completed by paid entities) • Other (any indirect costs which are not materials or contracted work) Selected or finalist applicants may be requested to submit additional information on expected costs. The total project cost should be greater than or equal to the requested funds, plus any matching funds. Example: • Materials: $1,500 • Contracted Work: $2,000 • Other: $150 *

Total Matching Funds: Please submit the total dollars (in USD) which are being offered as matching funds by partner organizations. If no matching funds are submitted, please enter “0”. Note, while matching funds are not required, applications which multiply the financial impact of ASHRAE funding will be more competitive in scoring. *

Project Partners: (Optional, Encouraged) Please share the names of the organizations, their nonprofit status, and if they are providing matching funds, with the value in the same currency as the rest of the project. Any individual or organization that is not acting in their capacity as an ASHRAE member or is a member of a different organization supporting the project in some way is considered a project partner. For partners providing in-kind support (materials, time, etc.) please provide the monetary value equivalent of that support (e.g. equipment distributor donates $1,000 of equipment). Please submit any partners with the same formatting as below: Partner Organization Name, Y/N Non-profit status, $XXXX Matching Funds Provided, $YYYY in kind contribution value, In-kind Description. Use N/A for any category that is not applicable. Examples: Community Decarbonization Fund, Y, $1,500, N/A, N/A Mega Manufacturer Inc, N, N/A, $1,000, equipment donation Consulting Engineers LLC, N, $500, $1,500, matching donation & design consulting services

Estimated Carbon Reduction (Kg): (Optional, Encouraged) Please estimate the carbon savings which will be generated by the life cycle of your project in the following form: • Estimated project life cycle (years in operation/ use) • Total Electric Savings (kWH) • Total Natural Gas/ Propane Fuel Savings (Therms) • Local electric grid Kg Carbon/ kWH factor + source for data • 5.46 Kg CO2/ Therm for Natural Gas • Total Kg CO2 saved. • Please make any other notes for other savings which are realized below the carbon calculation metrics (i.e. if biomass burning was used, please provide Kg CO2/ Therm for the fuel being reduced) Note, while submitting this calculation is optional, projects which can clearly show decarbonization impacts will be more competitive in scoring.

What will your project do? In 50-150 words, please describe what your project will involve. *

What will the final deliverable of your project be? In 50-150 words, please describe what the final product of your project will be. *

What will the durable impacts of the project be? (Optional, Encouraged) In 50-150 words, please describe what the long-term impact of the project will be.

Project Repeatability/ Scalability (Optional, Encouraged) Although this is a one-time grant, is the proposed project repeatable or scalable if shared with other chapters? If so, please describe how this will be accomplished in 50-110 words. If not, please type “N/A”.

Project Benefit: In 50-150 words, please describe who directly and indirectly benefits from the implementation of our project. *

PAOE: Please indicate which PAOE points you believe you will satisfy for your chapter if you receive the grant. Note: PAOE point totals are not considered in the application rubric, but the project team must consider how the project can score points for the chapter as part of the application process. *

Presidential Theme – Workforce Development: In 50-150 words, please describe how your project aligns with the 2024-2025 ASHRAE presidential theme of workforce development. *

Presidential Theme – DEI: In 50-150 words, please describe how your project aligns with the 2024-2025 ASHRAE presidential theme of DEI. *

Chapter Benefit: In 50-150 words, please describe how your project will benefit local ASHRAE chapter members. *

Community Benefit: In 50-150 words, please describe how your project will benefit the local general community. *

Uniqueness: In 50-150 words, please describe how your project is important and unique to your chapter and local community and provides novel responses to decarbonization. *

Project Timeline: Briefly outline what will be accomplished each month between January 2025 when funds are distributed to June 2025 when projects are required to be completed. If partners are listed, please note when partners will be engaged. *

Deliverable Confirmation a. If awarded, I understand funds will be distributed to the chapter for use on the project in early January 2025. b. If awarded, I commit to submitting a minimum of one mid-spring update to the YEA committee which includes a status update of the project, budget update, photographs, and text narratives for social media. c. If awarded, I commit to submitting a final report in early June 2025 at the completion of the project, including a short narrative and photos. The report content will be consolidated into a summer 2025 ASHRAE Journal Article. d. The project has been designed to be completed in advance of the ASHRAE Annual Conference in Phoenix from June 21-25, 2025. e. Any listed project partners have confirmed the ability to maintain the project deadline and support completing the project in coordination with the rest of the project team on time. f. The email used as the primary point of contact will remain active through the project period, and any requests submitted by the YEA committee for additional information between the award deadline (November 15th) and award notifications will be promptly responded to. g. If requested, I will submit backup information for how the funds were utilized at the completion of the project. If you agree to the above confirmation, please select agree. *

Agree

Fiduciary Confirmation: Please confirm the chapter president and treasurer have been notified of the following: a. If awarded, funds are issued to the chapter under the care of the president and treasurer. The chapter has latitude on how to release the funds to pay for the proposed grant, however the approach should have been described in the grant application. b. If the project is completed with surplus funds the chapter agrees those are permitted to be reallocated to: Travel to the annual conference for the project team (preferred), donating to other decarbonization efforts in the local community, or refunded to ASHRAE HQ. c. Final backup of how funding was used may be requested depending on he size of the final awards made. Please select agree if you understand the above confirmation. *

Agree

Chapter Contact Information: Please provide the name, email, and member ID number for the president and treasurer. (Example: President Name, president email, ID# Treasurer Name, treasurer email, ID#) *