Green Heat Challenge: $5M for Low-Carbon Building Heating is Now Open

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are looking for Canadian innovators to develop, install, and operate a low-cost, low-carbon, energy generation/transfer system. The intention of this system is to heat over ten thousand existing DND buildings at sufficient temperatures and meet the Occupational Health and Safety codes standards for federal buildings.

Receive up to $5,000,000 in government funding towards designing and building a low-carbon heating solution for the 10,000+ Department of National Defence federal buildings.

The Green Heat Challenge is currently accepting applications until 2:00pm on September 7, 2021. Your ideas and innovative solutions could pave the way for a better heating solution for more buildings in the Canadian government and help us reduce our overall carbon footprint.

Six new challenges under Competitive Projects will also be released in the coming weeks. Here’s a sneak peek:

1. Worth a thousand sources: A fused picture for continental surveillance
2. We Sea You: Digital tracking and accounting on navy vessels
3. Erosion from Motion: Reducing wear and tear on rotary blades
4. Wireless is Where it’s at: Secure and Seamless Wireless Network Onboard Ships
5. High Bandwidth, Low Profile: Next generation point-to-point communication solutions for the field
6. Less GHGs on the Seas: Practical solutions to measure and record energy consumption

Funding Snapshot: Green Heat Challenge

Funding Amount

The Design-Build contract component of the project has been scoped out to fund up to $5,000,000. More information on funding for later stages of the project has yet to be released.

Project Requirements

Applicants will be required to meet all of the criteria below in order to be eligible for funding through this project. Companies that can only offer a portion of these requirements can partner with another company to submit a single complete bid.

All companies applying must have:

1. An M1 industrial security
2. An M2 consent of surety letter

The technical pass/fail criteria is as follows:

1. PF1 Alignment to the intent of the Green Heat Project
2. PF2 Solution Readiness Level (SRL)
3. PF3 Human Factors
4. PF4 Site Constraints
5. PF5 Thermal Demand
6. PF6 Performance Monitoring

The pass/fail criteria for the design-build team is as follows:

1. DB1 Organization of the Design Build Team
2. DB2 Comparable Design Project
3. DB3 Comparable Construction Project
4. DB4 Key Personnel
5. DB5 Schedule

Technical rated criteria is as follows:

1. TR1 Environmental Impact
2. TR2 Thermal Recovery After Cold Soak
3. TR3 Scalability
4. TR4 Functionality in Different Climate Zones
5. TR5 25 Year Life Cycle Cost
6. TR6 Potential Technological Improvements
7. TR7 Added-Value Features
8. TR8 Change Impact to DND/CAF

Additional details on these requirements can be found on merx.com.

Outcomes the Government is Looking For

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are committed to reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% in 2030 compared to their GHG emissions in 2005. They have further committed to a 90% reduction in GHG levels by 2050.

Currently, DND facilities use 60% of their energy requirements for space heating, of which 90% is generated from the burning of fossil fuels. Given that DND has more than 10,000 buildings in its portfolio, the need to address the GHG emissions of these buildings is essential.

Apply for the Green Heat Challenge

The Green Heat Challenge is a two-part application process, with Step 1 involving your business proving they meet the criteria listed above, then providing your proposal in part 2. Applications will only be accepted through the online MERX bid submission system, processed by Defence Construction Canada.

If you found this program relevant, consider reading the latest updates on related funding from the Canadian government by viewing our Sustainability and Environmental Funding page or Green Business Funding news.

Subscribe to the Mentor Works newsletter to stay up to date on any changes or announcements related to the Green Heat Challenge. You’ll also be notified each week about the latest government grants and loan programs.