The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the ENERGY Savings Hub to help American consumers in the market for clean energy or energy-efficient products and upgrades keep track of the tax credits and upcoming rebate programs available to them through President Biden’s Investing in America plan.

Teams are encouraged to share www.energy.gov/save as a one-stop shop for Americans to see what benefits they can access to help drive a clean energy future. DOE is also introducing the Clean Energy 101 video series to help Americans further learn how to save energy and save money. The series is launching with a video on induction stoves and ovens.

The DOE Office of Digital Strategy has also released a new video testimonial from a Philadelphia resident to demonstrate to audiences how these incentives can help improve efficiency, bring down energy costs, and cut emissions all at once.

To submit a consumer testimonial, visit /share-your-story.

On April 5, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), for the EECBG Competitive Program. This program will award $8.8 million in funding to cities, counties, towns, state-recognized tribes, or teams of these communities that were ineligible for the EECBG Program formula grant.  

The EECBG Competitive Program is an exciting opportunity for smaller communities to access funds for clean energy. Priority will be given to applicants from states with populations of fewer than two million people, to team-based applications, and to proposed projects that will result in significant energy efficiency improvements and fossil fuel reduction in disadvantaged communities.

For communities interested in applying, DOE is now accepting concept papers for potential projects through June 5, 2023. To learn more visit the EECBG Competitive Program Application Hub.

The Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) recently published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Renew America’s Nonprofits grant program, a $50 million competitive program promoting energy efficiency in nonprofits across America.

Grant funds from this program will support the installation of materials to reduce energy or fuel use in buildings owned and operated by 501(c)(3) nonprofits, decreasing utility costs, reducing carbon emissions, and redirecting savings toward mission-critical services. The FOA is anticipated to be released in May 2023.

How to participate in the NOI process:

1. Join or refer the Teaming List.
2. Visit the Nonprofit Website for a program overview, news, announcements, resources, and more. The website will help interested parties explore avenues for participation and join the Teaming List to connect with potential partners.
3. Read the NOI from DOE on Infrastructure eXCHANGE (Please note: SCEP has recently transitioned from EERE to Infrastructure eXCHANGE, a new DOE funding opportunity announcement platform).
4. Sign up on the Nonprofits webpage to receive updates about the Renew America’s Nonprofits Program.

The EECBG Program is excited to share a variety of technical assistance opportunities available to formula grant recipients, including the newly published project blueprints and information about receiving support in developing the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy Document (which is required to apply). 

To help streamline information about EECBG Program technical assistance offerings, DOE has launched the new EECBG Program Technical Assistance website where communities can find various opportunities for direct support, collaboration, and more. More technical assistance opportunities will be added to this page in the coming months.  

Join us for an upcoming webinar! 

• Formula Grant Technical Assistance Webinar: May 4 at 3 p.m. ET. Hear about the range of technical assistance available from DOE to manage EECBG Program awards and enhance their impacts. Join the webinar on May 4.
• Justice40 Webinar: May 11 at 3 p.m. ET. Learn how to incorporate energy justice into your EECBG program goals. Join the webinar on May 11.

DOE announced its intent to invest up to $72 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to expand the Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) Program. This will establish up to five regional Centers of Excellence and create new IACs at trade schools, community colleges, and union training programs.

Investments will also go toward new Building Training Assessment Centers for workforce development to support energy efficiency and emissions reductions in commercial and institutional buildings.  

Learn more about this funding opportunity!

On March 31, 2023, the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains announced $50 million in BIL funding for states to accelerate the use of smart manufacturing technologies through providing access to tools and assistance. 

The State Manufacturing Leadership Program supports new or expanded state programs that enable small- and medium-sized manufacturers to increase their use of smart manufacturing and high-performance computing technologies and tools. The program will provide up to $2 million to states on a competitive basis over a three-year term and will require at least a 30% cost match. 

Additional information about the program and instructions for joining the program’s teaming partner list can be found on the Clean Energy Infrastructure eXCHANGE. 

DOE launched the second round of the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship, a unique workforce development program that matches recent graduates and new energy professionals to key energy organizations to support efforts to advance clean energy solutions.

Through this program, hosts receive support to help them accelerate the transition to clean electricity and better take advantage of federal grid resilience and modernization funding opportunities, while also increasing access to clean-energy career opportunities across the United States.

DOE is accepting applications for host institutions which are due on April 27, 2023.

Have questions? Please submit them to ceif@ee.doe.gov and check FAQs for the answers.

On behalf of the DOE Building America Program, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory opened a request for proposals (RFP) for multi-disciplinary expert teams to address hard-to-solve technical challenges of decarbonizing the existing U.S. residential housing stock.

The Building America Retrofit Solutions Teams will leverage technical expertise and grassroots community knowledge to create collaborative research and demonstration projects in real-world homes that will accelerate local deployments of highly energy-efficient, durable, and healthy home upgrades.

To see if you’re a good fit, take a look at the list of applicant criteria. The RFP is open through May 9, 2023, and responses should be submitted online. Apply today!

DOE announced an expansion of its SolSmart program to support and recognize local governments across the country who are taking steps to reduce barriers to solar energy access.

The expanded program adds a new platinum-level designation for the most forward-looking communities, establishes new priorities around support for disadvantaged communities, and sets a goal of designating a total of 1,000 communities by 2027. The program has also extended its designation criteria to include solar plus battery storage, codes and standards, innovative financing, and data collection and metrics.

What role can marine, hydropower, solar, geothermal, wind, and other renewable energy technologies play in improving your community’s energy resilience? Remote and island communities can find answers when they apply to the DOE Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP).

Communities will achieve self-defined energy resilience goals using technical assistance from energy analysts at national labs and regional organizations. Visit the ETIPP application page to learn more and apply by May 19, 2023.

The DOE Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program is now accepting applications for its next set of peer-learning cohorts. Applicants may apply to one (or more) of three cohort topic areas:

• Electric vehicle infrastructure planning and funding.
• Implementing a municipal clean energy procurement strategy.
• Community inclusion in clean energy planning.

Eligible communities may include tribal governments; city, town, or county governments; metropolitan or regional planning organizations; community-based organizations; electric utilities; or other public entities (transit agencies, school districts, housing authorities, etc.).

Applications are due May 8, 2023, and selected participants will begin their engagement in July 2023. Find additional cohort descriptions, eligibility details, and the online application on the C2C peer-learning cohorts website.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) State and Local Climate and Energy Program is excited to announce the first annual update to the Energy Savings and Impacts Scenario Tool (ESIST).

ESIST is a customizable and transparent Excel-based planning tool for analyzing the energy savings and costs from energy efficiency programs and their multiple impacts through 2040. Users can develop scenarios for electric customer-funded energy efficiency investments or savings targets and estimate the multiple benefits in terms of avoided emissions, public health benefits, and energy burden impacts.   

EPA is hosting online, drop-in office hours for ESIST on May 3 from 2–3 p.m. ET. Staff will be available to show users how to access the latest data; walk through outputs focused on energy savings, costs, and multiple benefits; and answer questions. Register for office hours.