Since 2015, Florida has received $21.1 million from the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and $13.9 million from the State Energy Program (SEP), resulting in the following benefits:

FL reduced energy costs and improved health and safety in 1,898 homes
1,115 jobs created or retained - The State Energy Program creates or retains one job for every $12,500 invested
114,914 square feet of building space retrofitted - since 2015 FL has installed energy efficiency upgrades in 338 buildings
653 people impacted by energy efficiency installations - FL held 33 workshops, webinars trainings, or outreach events since 2015.

* Findings from a National Evaluation of the State Energy Program and a National Evaluation of the Weatherization Assistance Program.  

States report outcomes of State Energy Program and Weatherization Assistance Program formula (annual) fund activities to DOE on a quarterly basis. The metrics above are outcomes of formula-funded activities since 2015.

The SCEP Project Map highlights the annual formula and competitive funding for WAP and SEP.

Florida's State Energy Program at Work

Florida Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Program

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Energy (FDACS OOE) is using $2 million SEP funds to impact energy projects at publicly-owned wastewater treatment plants. The performance of 15 competitively awarded participants throughout the state is measured for each project according to net annual energy saved at the facility, energy saved per dollar funded, and the amount of energy used to process one million gallons of wastewater. This project represents a tremendous opportunity for Florida wastewater treatment plants to reduce energy use and reduce greenhouse gases by installing energy-efficient equipment and implementing conservation strategies.

Florida Counties Low-Income Residential Energy Efficient Grant Program 

FDACS OOE is using $1 million from SEP to fund the Florida Counties Low-Income Residential Energy Efficient Grant Program. Recognizing that housing, health, and energy efficiency are closely intertwined, the program seeks to reduce the burden of residential high energy cost expenditures through the improvement of ventilation, insulation, and inefficient equipment. This grant program is providing funding in Broward, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Sarasota Counties to assist low-income single-family and multifamily households with energy efficiency measures. The project's target date for completion was Nov. 30, 2021, and energy savings are being tracked for at least one year prior to the upgrade and one year following completion of the project. 

SunSmart Schools Emergency Shelter Batteries

The SunSmart Schools Emergency Shelter (E-Shelter) Program is an energy education program contributing to a more sustainable and energy-independent Florida. This SEP-funded program, originally launched in 2010 in partnership with the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), has equipped 118 schools that were designated as emergency shelters with photovoltaic (PV) systems with battery storage for backup power. 

The SunSmart E-Shelter Schools have weathered numerous tropical storms and hurricanes over the past decade, but all PV systems with battery storage have survived the severe weather events unscathed, proving their quality and resiliency. 

Each E-Shelter PV system is currently being inspected to determine the need for replacement or updating equipment. Based on the results of the inspections, FDACS OOE will implement phase two of the program to replace certain equipment, particularly batteries that are no longer performing at capacity. 

Florida EV Roadmap

Beginning in 2019, the FDACS OOE began working on the Electric Vehicle (EV) Roadmap for the state of Florida. FDACS OOE utilized $135,000 in SEP funds to develop the roadmap. FDACS OOE released the Florida EV Roadmap on Dec. 31, 2020, based on stakeholder involvement and five interim and supplemental reports.

The EV Roadmap identifies EV charging infrastructure impacts on the electric grid, solutions for any negative impacts, locations that lack EV charging infrastructure, best practices for siting EV charging stations, and technical or regulatory barriers to the expansion of EV charging infrastructure. 

Through this project, the FDACS OOE sought to elevate the visibility of EV infrastructure within the state and enhance discussion on how to prepare for increased EV use. This was achieved through stakeholder and end-user engagement. Gathering information from end users is crucial to understanding the performance of the existing infrastructure, and the planning needed for future infrastructure. 

Learn more about SEP competitively awarded projects.

Florida's Weatherization Assistance Program at Work

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is the managing agency for Florida's Weatherization Assistance Program. The Florida WAP contracts with local community action agencies and nonprofits to install weatherization improvements in low-income households throughout the state.

Between 2010 and 2021, Florida weatherized an average of 252 homes per year with formula funds.

Success Stories

Florida Takes Initiative

Better Buildings Initiative

More than 900 organizations are involved in the Better Buildings Initiative working to reduce energy and water waste and modernize the nation's buildings and industrial facilities. Download the 2022 Better Buildings Progress Report for more information on the Initiative as a whole.

Better Buildings Challenge

The cities of Fort Lauderdale, Margate, Orlando, and West Palm Beach, Orange County, and the Alachua County Public Schools have taken on the Better Buildings Challenge, a commitment to reduce the energy use of their entire building portfolios by 20% within 10 years, and are making progress toward their energy reduction goals. As of 2021, public-sector Challenge partners have cumulatively saved 133 trillion Btus of energy, $1.27 billion, and 1.5 billion gallons of water since the Challenge was launched in 2011.

Better Climate Challenge

The city of Orlando has joined the Better Climate Challenge, a commitment to reduce their portfolio-wide scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by at least 50% within 10 years. Orlando will pursue an energy efficiency target as part of this commitment, recognizing efficiency as a key driver of decarbonization.

Better Buildings Accelerators

In the past five years, SCEP has engaged nearly 100 partners in Better Buildings Accelerators. These Accelerators are designed to demonstrate specific innovative policies and approaches, which will accelerate investment in energy efficiency upon successful demonstration. Each Accelerator is a targeted, short-term, partner-focused activity designed to address persistent barriers that stand in the way of greater efficiency.

To learn more about other Better Buildings partners and solutions in Florida and other states involved in the Better Buildings Initiative, check out the Better Buildings Partner map.

ESPC Accelerator Partners

The city of Fort Lauderdale helped catalyze public-sector energy efficiency investments of over $2.1 billion in Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) from 2014 to 2016 as one of 25 state and local agency partners in the ESPC Accelerator. See demonstrated best practices in the ESPC Toolkit.


Outdoor Lighting Accelerator Partners

The cities of Deerfield Beach, St. Petersburg, and West Palm Beach, partners of the Outdoor Lighting Accelerator from 2014 to 2016, pledged to upgrade their street lights as a part of a nationwide commitment to retrofit 1.3 million light poles with high performance lighting. These commitments are expected to result in annual savings of $48 million. See the Outdoor Lighting Toolkit for more information and demonstrated best practices.

Sustainable Wastewater of the Future (SWIFt) Initiative

Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department and the city of Tallahassee committed to improving the energy efficiency of their participating water resource recovery facilities as part of the Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure of the Future (SWIFt) Initiative Phase 1 from 2016 to 2019. SWIFt Phase 1 hosted 25 state, regional, and local agencies that engaged with more than 70 water resource recovery facilities in their jurisdictions and successfully reduced their total energy consumption by almost 7%, adopted best-practice energy management approaches showcased in the Wastewater Energy Management Toolkit, and created plans to achieve 30% energy savings.

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