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7/2/09
EECBG Funding Application to DOE: New Hampshire's State EECBG application was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday, June 25, 2009. The DOE approval will likely come within a few months. We anticipate grant applications will be made available to municipalities and counties in late fall of 2009. In the application, OEP proposes to use:
- $6.6 million in grant awards
- $2 million for a Statewide Inventory and Energy Planning Assistance Program
- $500,000 for a grant manager to administer the grant
A more detailed summary of the proposed EECBG program is available on our Web site.
Given the competitive nature of this funding and the significant needs within our communities, the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) advises communities interested in the program to consider taking some preliminary steps that will prove beneficial regardless of whether they ultimately decide to apply for funding. These are NOT required in order for your community to apply for funding, but may help you prepare for submitting an application.
- Consider the long-term impacts of possible proposals, and how they fit into the community's overall strategy for energy conservation and sustainability.
- Prioritize municipal energy conservation needs.
- Conduct an energy inventory of community energy use for the past 2-3 years.
Inventories can assess vehicles, facilities, streetlights, water and sewer infrastructure, etc. Inventory metrics can include fuel use, BTUs, dollars spent, etc. Please contact Dari Sassan at 271-1765 for more information.
EECBG County Appeal Process Update: New Hampshire counties now have a shot at an additional $4 million in federal stimulus funds for energy efficiency and conservation projects. When Congress passed the stimulus bill, the Department of Energy ruled that New Hampshire counties were not eligible for the formula grants portion of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program because they have relatively few responsibilities. After U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen asked that the ruling be reversed, the DOE said counties can now appeal their exclusion from the program and apply for funding. Shaheen says she also worked with federal officials and county leaders to show that New Hampshire counties do have significant responsibilities and should not have been left out. For more information on the appeals process for counties, please contact Dari Sassan at 271-1765.
State Energy Program: OEP is pleased to announce that New Hampshire has received ARRA funding for its State Energy Program (SEP). The state of NH now has 50 percent of its $25.8 million award in hand as of Thursday, June 25, 2009, from the Department of Energy (full story); OEP will begin to implement several energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives with this Recovery Act funding. Programs will include those which will increase building efficiency for businesses, commercial enterprises, institutions and non-profits through building codes and competitive loan and grant programs. The state will provide technical and financial assistance to these businesses and institutions as they seek to reduce their energy use and costs through a variety of measures, including more energy efficient processes. The New Hampshire SEP will also support energy efficiency upgrades to 75 state-owned buildings and 13 college and university campuses, saving taxpayers money and reducing energy use across the state. For more information, please contact Laura Richardson at 271-2705.
OEP has scheduled meetings to seek information and guidance on structuring loan and grant programs and RFPs for the private sector that meet federal Recovery Act goals of job creation and energy conservation, as well as on developing a statewide plan for energy code compliance. If you would like to learn more about the informational meetings, please contact Kate Vattes at 271-0598.
Summaries of the 16 proposed SEP programs: can be found on the OEP Web site. Over the coming weeks, we will be developing Memoranda of Understanding with state agencies as well as Requests for Proposals for entities to partner with us to administer various programs. OEP will inform the public about these opportunities by
Weatherization: A comprehensive application for $23.2 million in Weatherization Recovery Act funding was submitted to DOE on May 12th. Details of this plan can be found on our Web site. Those interested in working with the Community Action Agencies to deliver weatherization services should contact their local Community Action Agency, or Andy Gray, OEP's Weatherization Program Manager, at 271-6359 or Nancy Gamble at 271-0639.
OEP Energy Staff: Please review the list below of the OEP energy staff members. Should you have any questions or comments you may contact them directly.
Eric Steltzer, Energy Policy Analyst - for questions on energy policy, please contact Eric at 271-1759.
Dari Sassan, Assistant Planner - will be working on EECBG funding and can be reached at 271-1765.
Mary Downes, Energy Efficiency Specialist - will manage SEP programs administered by state agencies as well as first-time home buyer programs. Mary can be reached at 271-1715.
Laura Richardson, ARRA Coordinator of SEP - will administer all remaining SEP programs. Laura can be reached at 271-6092.
Joe Broyles, Energy Program Manager - can help you with questions regarding data collection and reporting and he can be reached at 271-8341.
Meghan McPherson, Grants Manager - should be contacted for regarding grant management questions at 271-1098.
Andy Gray, Weatherization Program Manager - administers weatherization services for the state of NH. For more information, please contact Andy at 271-6359.
Nancy Gamble, Weatherization Program Manager - will be working closely with Andy Gray, Weatherization Program Manager, and the state's six independent Community Action Agencies to administer ARRA weatherization services for the state of NH. For more information, please contact Nancy at 271-0639.
Kate Vattes, Administrative Assistant - is our ARRA AA and will be supporting the OEP Energy team administratively and will help to ensure full grant compliance and accountability. Kate can be reached at 271-0598.
Our Web site: There is a tremendous amount of information on our Web site, so please check it often for updates!
Please feel free to contact OEP with any questions. Thank you in advance for your interest. |
