Illinois EPA Announces $1 million Grant Opportunity Through Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program

 

[December 07, 2024]  SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Energy is announcing a fourth Notice of Funding Opportunity available to municipalities and counties through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program for the completion of energy efficiency building audits and/or building upgrades identified in a published energy or climate action plan. Awards for projects will range from $50,000 to $250,000 with a total award distribution over $1,000,000. Examples of eligible projects include installation of insulation, energy efficiency lighting, HVAC upgrades, weather sealing, and retrofit and/or replacement of windows and doors in publicly owned buildings.

Grant applications will be competitively scored based on funding justification, projects located in environmental justice areas of concern, energy burden, areas of co-op or municipally owned electric, and partnerships between local units of governments and organizations, or where planning benefits multiple communities. Application materials are available at the Illinois EPA Office of Energy webpage. The application period closes at 5:00 pm (CST) on February 3, 2025. Municipalities and counties eligible for direct formula funding through the U.S. DOE are not eligible for funding through this state program.

Illinois’ EECBG Program invests U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds in energy planning, building energy audits, and energy efficiency projects. To date, the Program has awarded $1,837,082.55 to fourteen (14) municipalities and counties statewide to develop or update comprehensive energy plans and complete building inventory audits and energy efficiency projects.

For more information about Office of Energy programming, including the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, please visit https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/energy.html or call 217-785-8841. More information on the U.S. DOE EECBG is available at https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/articles/doe-iija-congressional-report.

[Text received from Kim Biggs]