Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory Unveils New Crowdsourcing Website for Building Technologies

As part of the Energy Department's efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the nation's homes and buildings, lower energy costs, and enhance U.S. competitiveness in manufacturing, the Energy Department today launched the new Buildings Crowdsourcing Community website. Administered by the Department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the new site, buildings.ideascale.com, will help technology innovators collect, share and evaluate input from customers and other stakeholders about next-generation building technologies.

Innovators including start-ups, designers, buildings scientists, and students can use the website to share ideas that could develop into new energy efficient technologies for homes and buildings.  Those interested in participating can register through the ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community or they can vote on their favorite entries. The best ideas will be recognized during the Energy Department's Building Technologies Office Industry Day hosted at ORNL in September.

Starting today, the ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community will begin accepting new idea submissions, comments, and votes and submissions. The website will stay open until May 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Site members and users can still view the submissions, comments, and votes after May 31, but participation on the site will end after the submission timeframe expires.

The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accelerates development and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality. Learn more about the ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community by visiting the crowdsourcing webpage.