Greenwire: Twenty-five states, local governments and nonprofits will split $452 million to retrofit energy-inefficient homes and office buildings, Vice President Joe Biden will announce this afternoon.The money comes as part of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed into law 16 months ago. The stimulus package earmarked roughly $80 billion for clean-energy and energy-efficiency projects.
The so-called “Retrofit Ramp-Up” funding commitments to be announced today at the White House will help the 25 states, local governments and nonprofits swap out building insulation, windows and lights, among other things. Grantees will offer building owners low- or no-interest loans for retrofits that may be repaid through property tax or utility bills.
The Energy Department will use the program’s financing and retrofit models to develop best-practice guides that other cities could adopt. Replicating such efforts nationally could save homes and businesses about $100 million in utility bills annually, as well as leverage about $2.8 billion in from the private sector and create about 30,000 jobs during the next three years, administration officials claim.
“This investment in some of the most innovative energy-efficiency projects across the country will not only help homeowners and businesses make cost-cutting retrofit improvements but create jobs right here in America,” Biden notes in prepared remarks.
The 25 grantees and their grant amounts: Austin, Texas ($10 million); Boulder County, Colo. ($25 million); Camden, N.J. ($5 million); Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning ($25 million); Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance ($17 million); Greensboro, N.C. ($5 million); Indianapolis ($10 million); Kansas City, Mo. ($20 million); Los Angeles County, Calif. ($30 million); Lowell, Mass. ($5 million); state of Maine ($30 million); state of Maryland ($20 million); state of Michigan ($30 million); state of Missouri ($5 million); Omaha, Neb. ($10 million); state of New Hampshire ($10 million); New York State Research and Development Authority ($40 million); Philadelphia ($25 million); Phoenix ($25 million); Portland, Ore. ($20 million); San Antonio ($10 million); Seattle ($20 million); Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance ($20 million); Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority ($15 million); and Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp. ($20 million).