Title: Maine snags $30M stimulus grant for energy retrofits - MassHighTech

Industry sector: Energy efficiency

Maine snags $30M stimulus grant for energy retrofits

By Mass High Tech staff

The state of Maine has won a $30 million federal grant to apply to energy efficiency upgrades in the state. The award, funded by the U.S. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, was one of the highest federal awards, totaling $452 million, given to 25 communities as part of the Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative.

The award, available to residents and businesses alike, will be used to make buildings energy efficient through the new Maine Home Performance Fund, a loan program that will help finance retrofits for residents in towns operating under Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. In addition to the loans, the $30 million award will attract further investment, according to a news release issued from Maine Gov. John Baldacci, by monitoring savings in energy usage and carbon emissions.

Maine’s award, which fell just under New York’s $40 million award amount, was equivalent to the $30 million awards given to Michigan and Los Angeles County, Calif. The remaining awards, ranging between $5 million and $25 million, were given to 21 other communities.