by Shane Henson — November 29, 2013—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced that it has awarded nearly $4 million to 13 states through its State Energy Program to advance their respective energy efficiency initiatives. The funds given to the states align with the Obama Administration’s goal of doubling energy productivity by 2030 and helping communities save on energy bills, with states’ public institutions, local governments, and industrial sectors playing a key role in these efforts.
The competitively awarded State Energy Program projects cover three areas:
- Advancing Industrial Energy Efficiency: The DOE will invest approximately $751,000 to help Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin address specific policy, regulatory or market barriers to greater investment in energy efficiency and combined heat and power (CHP) technologies. CHP technology captures and reuses heat created during electricity production and other industrial processes—boosting overall building efficiency.
- Supporting Energy Efficiency Action in States: The DOE will invest $1 million to assist Arkansas and Mississippi in generating the necessary policy and program frameworks to encourage cost-effective energy efficiency investments and establish or increase statewide energy-savings goals.
- Retrofitting Public Buildings: The DOE will invest about $2 million to help Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin to retrofit public housing as well as local government and state facilities. These state-led projects will use performance contracting and other financing tools to improve the energy efficiency of public buildings, including installing low-wattage light-emitting diode (LED) lighting and upgrading heating and cooling systems.
The DOE’s State Energy Program provides financial and technical assistance to states and territories through formula and competitive grants. As the administrators for energy-saving programs, states use the grants to address energy priorities, advance technology deployment, access partnerships and resources, and coordinate energy-related emergency preparedness across the nation.
