During the next decade, the partnership aims to develop approaches, innovative housing components, designs, and production methods that will reduce by 50 percent the time needed to move quality technologies to market. These technologies will make it possible to produce housing that is affordable and attractive.

PATH's Goals and How They are Being Met

1. AFFORDABILITY
   Reduce the monthly cost of new housing by 20 percent or more.
   • Provide over $2 million in cooperative funding to leverage industry investments in technology development.

   • Transferring funds to DOE to broaden the PATH National Pilots Projects to include all participating agencies.

   • Conducting demonstrations and field evaluation projects throughout the country.

   • Developing information resources on technologies that address PATH goals.

   • Supporting the development of the Building Innovation Center to provide a basis for code evaluation of innovative technologies.

2. ENERGY-EFFICIENCY and ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
   Cut the environmental impact and energy use of new housing by 50 percent or more and reduce energy use in at least 15 million existing homes by 30 percent or more.
   • Funding a cooperative R&D to develop and evaluate innovative vacuum insulation applications.

   • Defining technical requirements for addressing the retrofit goal through Energy Star Homes Program.

   • Conducting demonstrations and field evaluation projects on both new and existing housing throughout the country.

   • Evaluating lessons learned from agency demonstrations that could benefit PATH.

   • Supporting agency initiatives in "green building" and "sustainability."

3. DURABILITY
   Improve durability and reduce maintenance costs by 50 percent.
   • Develop a National Durability Research Agenda.

   • Define and develop a durability program information exchange system.

   • Establish a joint R&D cooperative research program that will significantly improve performance of dwelling units.

   • Initiate a Durability/Service Life Prediction Protocol.

4. DISASTER RESISTANCE and SAFETY
   Reduce by at least 10 percent the risk of loss of life, injury, and property destruction from natural hazards and decrease by at least 20 percent residential construction work illnesses and injuries.
   • OSHA active in Safety Training for Builders.

   • Supporting disaster recovery from Hurricane Mitch.

   • HUD support for evaluating FEMA developed Safe Room concept.

   • PATH/FEMA/DOE disaster efficient/weatherization retrofit.

   • Cooperative research and testing on disaster resistant systems and subsystems.