Six States and Puerto Rico Get SEP Funds

Energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico will share $162 million in Recovery Act funds. 

Under DOE’s State Energy Program, states and territories have proposed statewide plans that prioritize energy savings, create or retain jobs, increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“This funding will provide an important boost for state economies, help to put Americans back to work, and move us toward energy independence," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in announcing the state awards. "It reflects our commitment to support innovative state and local strategies to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy while insisting that taxpayer dollars be spent responsibly."

Here's a brief synopsis of the seven awards and how some of the money will be used:

• Colorado - $19,688,800: The Colorado Governor’s Energy Office will provide a suite of products aimed at removing financial barriers to rapid deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives, including offering access to short-term and intermediate low-cost capital to projects in the commercial, residential and industrial sectors.
• Delaware - $9,692,400:  Delaware will use the funds to establish a Home Performance Program that will help defray costs of home energy audits and installing energy efficient equipment for families above the low-income eligibility threshold for the Weatherization Assistance Program. The state will also provide additional rebates for solar photovoltaic and solar hot water systems, small wind applications, and geothermal systems for homes, businesses, and institutional buildings.
• Indiana - $27,448,400:  Indiana plans to put money toward a competitive loan program to promote energy efficiency in the commercial, industrial, and manufacturing sectors in the state that will provide financial assistance for the implementation of energy efficient technologies such as lighting, controls and sensors, insulation, and appliances.
• Louisiana - $28,677,600:  The state will encourage business owners to reduce energy consumption by providing rebates for energy efficiency retrofits in commercial buildings.  In the residential sector, the program will provide incentives to home builders to encourage the construction of new high energy efficiency homes and will also provide support for homeowners to improve the efficiency of existing homes.
• Massachusetts - $21,964,400: The Massachusetts Governor's Energy Task Force identified a number of energy efficiency retrofit projects at public facilities with potential for energy and cost savings.  The state intends to leverage SEP funds for these projects by using performance contracts wherever possible.
• Pennsylvania - $39,873,600: Pennsylvania Green Energy Works! will offer grants to businesses, non-profit organizations, universities, local governments, and utilities to deploy shovel-ready efficient, environmentally sustainable and economically worthwhile energy projects across the state. Pennsylvania will also establish a revolving loan fund that will provide clean-energy and energy-efficiency financing for facilities projects, resource efficiency measures, and advanced and renewable clean-energy technologies.
• Puerto Rico - $14,834,400:  Puerto Rico's Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program will provide rebates for energy efficient retrofit projects for business and government facilities and will require a 50 percent match by business recipients. Puerto Rico will also implement a revolving loan program for private entities to finance applicable energy projects.