California Energy Commission Selects Willdan for $6.3 Million Joint-Funded Grant to Research Bundle-Based Energy Efficiency

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WLDN) announced that the California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded Willdan a grant to demonstrate emerging energy efficiency technologies through the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC). These technologies will be demonstrated at the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) headquarters facility in Diamond Bar, California for the purposes of testing for scalability in the larger California commercial market. The grant project, titled Bundle-Based Energy Efficiency Technology Solutions for California (BEETS), has a duration of three and a half years and once completed will improve efficiency at the SCAQMD facility by over 20%. The project has $4 million in CEC EPIC funding and $2.3 million in match funding, for a total project budget of $6.3 million, along with several subcontractor donations of time and equipment.

"This project is an opportunity for Willdan to demonstrate the value and impact of clean energy projects, and to overcome the challenges of implementing new technologies in existing buildings," said Tom Brisbin, Willdan's CEO.

As part of the BEETS project, Willdan developed three bundles of pre-commercial technologies for the following spaces: laboratory and critical environments, office and exterior spaces, and chilled water plants. Technologies will include chillers using a new refrigerant that does not deplete the ozone layer; LED fixtures with integrated, advanced controls; an advanced building management system; direct current lighting systems; advanced ventilation and laboratory fume hood exhaust systems; wirelessly integrated plug load controls; and a platform capable of demand response.

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