Federal Grants

Most energy efficiency grants are issued by individual state governments; a database of these can be found at www.dsireusa.org. However, grants for the largest amount of money are typically issued by the Federal Government; a full directory of available energy efficiency grants can be found at www.grants.gov. These grants are split between competitive grants, in which applicants compete with a number of other applicants for a limited pool of money, and formula grants, in which money is allocated according to a particular set of requirements that applicants must meet.

Energy efficiency grants have become more common in recent years along with increased concerns about climate change and energy independence. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program recently provided over $3.2 billion for a variety of energy efficiency programs, such as auditing and retrofitting residences and businesses to make them more energy efficient; the implementation of various energy conservation campaigns; and the deployment of energy efficient street lights and traffic signals.

Nationwide, energy efficiency programs are still in their early stage of development. Although government grants are becoming more common which should lead to greater levels of adoption of energy efficiency measures.

For information on Federal Government energy efficiency initiatives in Connecticut, check the Federal Government website, here.

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