The recipients of the competitive grants, administered under the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, include local governments, non-profit organizations and quasi-governmental organizations among others.
The communities received the grants through a competitive review process that evaluated the expected energy savings and reduced emissions impacts of the projects, leveraged investments from other non-federal sources, and the prospect of the project to be replicated or expanded to contribute to energy efficiency market nationally.
Projects with new approaches to identify and address ways to overcome institutional, regulatory, or market barriers were also favored.
The local communities will use these grants to address their clean energy priorities through projects such as residential, commercial and municipal energy efficiency retrofits, efficiency improvements to transportation systems through trip reduction strategies, and installations of renewable energy systems to reduce fossil fuel consumption.
DOE said that it is mandatory for all grant recipients to submit quarterly reports on the progress of the project including the number of jobs created or saved under the project, the energy saved, the renewable energy capacity installed, the greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and the funds leveraged.
Kristina Johnson, under secretary of energy, said: “These projects will stimulate the economy and create jobs on the main streets of local communities across the nation through innovative investments in energy conservation, efficiency and renewable power generation.
“We already have proven technologies to reduce energy use at home and at work. These projects will provide access to those tools for more Americans, saving money for thousands of families and businesses.”
