DOE Gives $60 Million To Expand Local Energy Efficiency Efforts

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The U.S. Department of Energy announced that 20 communities have been selected for more than $60 million in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to implement local energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Local governments, nonprofit organizations and quasi-governmental organizations are among the recipients for the competitive grants, administered under the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that 20 communities have been selected for more than $60 million in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to implement local energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.

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Local governments, nonprofit organizations and quasi-governmental organizations are among the recipients for the competitive grants, administered under the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program.

These awards were open to local communities that were not eligible to receive the initial, population-based formula grants under the EECBG program. The funding supports projects that deliver energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings and establish financing programs for energy efficiency improvements.

Other activities will include transportation programs that conserve energy through trip reduction strategies and alternative transportation options, projects to increase recycling and reduce the energy demands of delivering and supplying clean water through water efficiency and conservation measures, the installation of energy efficient street lights, and the integrated deployment of renewable energy systems in conjunction with energy efficiency retrofits to existing buildings.

The award recipients were selected through a competitive review process that took into account the expected energy savings and reduced emissions impacts of the projects, leveraged investments from other non-federal sources, and whether the project could be replicated and expanded to contribute to a sustainable market for energy efficiency nationally. Projects that proposed innovative approaches and identified and addressed ways to overcome institutional, regulatory, or market barriers were also favored.

All grant recipients are required to submit quarterly reports on the number of sustainable jobs created or saved under the project, the energy saved, the renewable energy capacity installed, the greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and the funds leveraged.

Link to List of Award Recipients