The Washington State Department of Commerce is awarding 10 grants to public organizations with buildings over 20,000 square feet. The awards total $888,000, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program. These are the second and final round of awards designed to help organizations plan future energy-saving projects, with the first round having been awarded in 2024.
The grants provide funding for analysis of current energy use to help building owners create plans to improve energy efficiency. The investment will help local organizations toward compliance with Washington’s Clean Building Compliance Standard.
“These investments help local governments and other public organizations prepare for the future, cut energy costs, and reduce climate pollution,” said Commerce Director Joe Nguyễn. “By funding projects that were already vetted and ready to go, we’re making sure every available federal dollar goes directly toward helping communities meet our state’s clean energy goals.”
Some of the awardees include:
- Clark County PUD (Vancouver): $73,471 to conduct an energy audit of a Tier 1 building and development of an Operations and Maintenance plan.
- City of Tumwater (Tumwater): $17,321 to conduct benchmarking, calculate energy use and develop energy management and operations maintenance documentation.
- Lake Stevens School District (Lake Stevens): $184,961 for an energy audit and benchmarking for three Tier 1 schools with determination of strategy to improve energy efficiency.
- Spokane School District (Spokane County): $75,000 to develop operations and maintenance plans for multiple schools.
View the full list of awardees and read more from the Dept. of Commerce: Commerce funds 10 projects to advance energy planning in large public buildings – Washington State Department of Commerce