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    1. Energy Efficiency

    DOE issues RFI for $500 million Energy Efficiency grant program for public schools

    April 12, 2022
    For schools, energy consumption is the second-highest operational expense. A significant portion of energy is lost because of leaky school walls and the use of inefficient equipment and systems.
    Image credit Cambridge Mass. schools & AKF
    Cambridge Public School Akf 6255810f9dcf2

    The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a $500 million grant program from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for K-12 public school energy upgrades as part of the Biden-Harris Action Plan for Building Better School Infrastructure.

    The program intends to deliver cleaner, healthier school infrastructure and include energy upgrades, like the installation of renewable energy technologies, alternative-fueled vehicle infrastructure and transition to electric school buses.

    The changes will contribute towards achieving President Biden’s net-zero economy goals by 2050.

    U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm explained, “Children should be able to learn and grow in environments that are not plagued with poor insulation and ventilation, leaky roofs, or poor heating and cooling. President Biden fought for these funds to give schools and their communities the resources they need to improve student and teacher health and cut energy costs, allowing districts to focus more resources on student learning.”

    Many public schools require energy improvements. For schools, energy consumption is the second-highest operational expense. A significant portion of energy is lost because of leaky school walls and the use of inefficient equipment and systems.

    Public school facilities that undergo energy improvements will see a direct reduction in energy costs, including heating and air conditioning. Funding will support improvement, repairs, renovations and installation.

    The deadline to submit the RFI is May 18.

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.