GREATER
CINCINNATI ENERGY ALLIANCE RECEIVES $17 MILLION COMPETITIVE GRANT FROM U.S.
DEPT. OF ENERGY FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY BUILDING RETROFITS
Cincinnati – The
Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance, a non-profit providing program management
and financing services for area residential and commercial buildings, has been
awarded a $17 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help
reduce energy bills for Greater Cincinnati building owners. The grant is part
of the “Retrofit Ramp-Up” initiative, the competitive portion of DOE's Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, which will
"ramp-up" energy efficiency building retrofits and spur economic
growth in the energy efficiency industry.
The Greater
Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) is one of just 25 award recipients nationwide
to receive the highly competitive grant, which received $3.5 billion in
applications for the just over $450 million in funds available. The funding
allows GCEA to further their mission of making energy saving measures more
affordable to building owners in Hamilton County in Ohio and Boone, Kenton, and
Campbell counties in Kentucky.
The award
funding will be used to increase energy efficiency across the residential,
commercial, and multi-family sectors, including a focus on non-profit
organizations. This will create or retain up to 700 direct and indirect jobs
over the three year program. In addition, the program will achieve as much as
250 million Kwh in electricity savings, 2.5 million therms of gas savings, and
as much as a 250,000 ton Greenhouse Gas reduction in the Greater Cincinnati
area.
Says Greater
Cincinnati Energy Alliance Executive Director Andy Holzhauser, “This federal
funding allows us to leverage private capital to potentially create a local
energy efficiency market of up to $50 million per year. And that means
residents and business owners are saving money on their utility bills, moving
our country toward energy independence, and creating or retaining a broad range
of jobs from auditors, to skilled trades people, to engineers, and project
managers needed to serve this market.”
GCEA’s
Retrofit Ramp-Up application received support from seven local governments
(Hamilton County, the City of Cincinnati, the City of Florence, the City of
Covington, Boone County, Kenton County, and Campbell County), as well as
collaborative partners including local foundations, workforce development
agencies, institutes of higher education, and local utilities.
The Greater
Cincinnati Energy Alliance plans on bringing energy efficiency to the area
block by block, starting with a volunteer-powered neighborhood energy
efficiency blitz on May 1 in the neighborhood of Mt. Washington in conjunction
with the City of Cincinnati’s Neighborhood Enhancement Program. During this one
day event, GCEA volunteers will knock on nearly 1,000 doors, offering resources
to make their buildings more energy efficient.
The Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, which was funded for
the first time under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, helps
state, local, and tribal communities make strategic investments in improving
energy efficiency, reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions.
To learn more about the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance, please visit www.greatercea.org.
