Energy Program Services Available Online

DNREC’s Energy Efficiency Investment Fund Goes Paperless

Businesses looking to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs through the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Energy Efficiency Investment Fund can apply for the program online.

The online portal replaces the current practice for accepting applications in all other formats and will make applying faster and easier for customers, increase the efficiency of reviewing files and improve communication between applicants and program staff. The Energy Efficiency Investment Fund provides grants to help commercial and industrial customers replace aging, inefficient equipment and systems with energy efficient alternatives.

Users can enter project information, including materials and energy savings, into simple tables. The portal contains specialized calculators which streamline the details provided by the applicant to generate an estimated total project cost and grant award. Applicants can also share and store documents, allowing the EEIF team to communicate clearly and directly with the applicant.

“The portal will bolster a program that already saves Delawareans millions of dollars in annual energy costs and will create a more streamlined process for applicants,” said Dayna Cobb, director of the DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy.

Improving the energy efficiency of a business helps to decrease operating costs, reduce energy consumption and improve environmental performance. Visit de.gov/eeif to learn more about grant and loan programs available, or log on to eeif.smartsimple.com to apply to the program.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy uses science, education, policy development and incentives to address Delaware’s climate, energy and coastal challenges. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, Michael.globetti@delaware.gov or Jim Lee, JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov.

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Energy efficiency lighting rebate grants offered by DNREC

Available to businesses, local governments and non-profits

DOVER, Del. – Delaware organizations looking to reduce energy consumption and related costs through energy-efficient lighting now have expanded grant opportunities through Delaware’s Energy Efficiency Investment Fund (EEIF). Administered by DNREC’s Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy, the fund offers grants to offset the cost of energy efficiency improvements, and has broadened the kinds of light fixtures that will qualify for grants while adjusting incentives offered for large custom projects to reflect competitive regional market rates.

EEIF assists with energy assessments, lighting, HVAC, complex retrofits, building improvements, and thermal energy systems. Changes to the lighting incentives include 34 new categories of eligible fixtures, varying incentive rates based on wattage, and the addition of incentives for lighting control systems. All incentive levels also have been adjusted to reflect market conditions for LED lights.

Updates to comprehensive custom projects have been made to promote maximum energy efficiency efforts, including implementing a tiered system that encourages applicants to consider projects with multiple end-use benefits. The EEIF program is also creating its first incentives for reducing emissions, such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

“The EEIF program has been hugely successful supporting projects that saved over 55 million kilowatts in fiscal year 2019 alone,” said Dayna Cobb, director of the Division of Climate, Coastal, & Energy. “These additions to EEIF add even greater value to a program that is already reducing energy usage and pollution.”

EEIF is funded through the Public Utility Tax (PUT), the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and one-time funding from the Exelon-Pepco merger settlement through which Delmarva Power, a major Delaware energy provider, became an Exelon company in 2016. Grant amounts are capped at 30 percent of the project’s total cost. Any application approved after Feb. 1, 2020 will reflect the new lighting and custom incentive levels.

For details on the program, application forms, and a list of eligible lighting products and rebates for deploying them, please visit www.de.gov/eeif.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

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