The
Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is happy to announce
the launch of the Access
Clean Energy Savings (ACES) initiative. ACES provides technical
assistance to help rural electric cooperatives and public power
utilities apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural
Electric Savings Program (RESP), which provides zero-interest
20-year loans for improving energy efficiency.
RESP loans can finance cost-effective energy upgrades like on- and
off-grid renewable energy systems, building efficiency improvements,
permanently installed energy storage devices, and beneficial
electrification projects. This will help families and businesses reduce
their energy use, and enable utilities to better manage their loads or
even increase their sales, while reaching a broader range of customers
with their programs. There is $100 million available in zero-percent
interest loans through RESP by USDA. The ACES program, offered in
partnership with the National
Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA), builds off EESI’s
decade of experience providing no-cost technical assistance to rural
electric co-ops for on-bill financing programs.
"EESI is delighted to launch the Access Clean Energy Savings initiative
to spread the word about the funding available to rural utilities," said
EESI Executive Director Carol Werner. "The Rural Electric Savings
Program offers utilities the opportunity to improve energy
efficiency—it's a no brainer! We can help cooperatives apply for those
funds with our Access Clean Energy Savings program.”
The current application window is open through September 2019. Applications
are reviewed on a rolling basis, but the process needs to be initiated
by September 2019 in order for cooperatives to take advantage of the
current round.
ACES is supported by The JPB Foundation, the New York Community Trust,
the McKnight Foundation, and the Merck Family Fund.
For more information, please contact John-Michael Cross at jmcross@eesi.org
or (202) 662-1883.
About EESI
Founded in 1984 by a bipartisan group of members of Congress to inform
the debate and decision-making on energy and environmental policies, the
Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable societies.
Our primary goal is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy
based on energy efficiency and renewable energy. EESI serves as
a trusted national source of credible, non-partisan information on
energy and environmental issues and solutions.
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Copyright Business Wire 2019
Source: Business Wire
(May 13, 2019 - 12:00 PM EDT)
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