|  Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Loans and Grants for Businesses: Businesses and non-profit organizations of all sizes throughout the state will have access to borrow low-interest funds, or in some cases receive funds as grants, to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and/or processes, as well as add renewable energy systems to their facilities. Recovery Act funding in the amount of $3.5 million has been contracted with the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) to implement and oversee this program. CDFA will work with businesses to create a revolving loan fund that will continue funding similar projects long after the Recovery Act ends. Collaborating with partners—the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority, the Retail Merchants Association and The Jordan Institute—CDFA will launch the program in early 2010. Please contact Laura Richardson at OEP, (603) 271-6092, laura.richardson@nh.gov, Sarah DiSano at CDFA, (603) 717-9127, sdisano@nhcdfa.org and for information: http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/sep_programs/loan_grant_program.htm and http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/sep_programs/small_business_loan_program.htm. □  Building Code Compliance: GDS Associates Inc. (GDS) is the contracted recipient of a $600,000 grant with the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning to create a plan to significantly improve compliance and enforcement of building codes across the state, with specific attention to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. For the next two–and-a-half years, GDS will reach out to and train building professionals, the general public, and many others connected to the building profession This program will add depth to existing training and outreach, which will lead to significant improvements to the energy performance and safety of buildings across the state. For more information, please contact Laura Richardson at OEP, (603) 271-6092, laura.richardson@nh.gov, Ryan Capers at GDS, (603) 656-0336 ryan.capers@gdsassociates.com, or go to: http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/sep_programs/building_code_compliance.htm. □  University System of New Hampshire: The University System of New Hampshire (USNH) will receive $1.3 million to make energy efficiency improvements to its facilities in Keene, Plymouth, and Durham, including energy-saving lighting and occupancy sensors, insulation of pipes, variable-frequency drive motors to HVAC systems, temperature controls, and heater replacements. Please contact Laura Richardson at OEP, (603) 271-6092, laura.richardson@nh.gov, Bill Haverly at USNH, (603) 862-0962, william.haverly@usnh.edu and on the web at: http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/sep_programs/usnh_eerebp.htm. □  OEP’s Appliance Rebate Plan Approved by DOE: On December 4, 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy approved the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning’s (OEP) Appliance Rebate Program proposal. The plan is a progressive one aimed at offering rebates to residents for the replacement of their inefficient home heating systems. This will include boilers, furnaces and hot water heaters. The program will focus on solar hot water systems and more conventional energy efficient fossil fuel based systems. In the coming months OEP will enter into contract agreements with the Public Utilities Commission and the electric utilities who will administer the program. OEP expects the program to begin sometime in early spring 2010. The rebate will be available to New Hampshire residents who are replacing an existing heating system listed under the program. Savings for residents, in some instances, would be as high as 50 percent for replacing a wasteful and inefficient hot-water heater, boiler or furnace. The program will be available to all New Hampshire residents, including municipal utility ratepayers. For more information please check out our Web site: http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/seearp.htm or contact Eric Steltzer of OEP at eric.steltzer@nh.gov or (603) 271-1759. □  Beacon Community Project: The Office of Energy and Planning, in conjunction with its state partners, is working diligently to develop a proposal to advance the Beacon Community Project. Funding under the Retrofit Ramp-Up program is aimed at providing deep energy efficiency improvements across multiple building sectors within a given community. In a competitive process, Berlin, Nashua and Plymouth were selected as the three communities to proceed with the state on its application. The application is due to DOE on Dec. 14, 2009, and OEP anticipates receiving notification about the status of the application by early spring. For more information on the Beacon Community Project and New Hampshire’s application for the Retrofit Ramp-Up Program, please contact Eric Steltzer at eric.steltzer@nh.gov or (603) 271-1759. □ Kate Vattes NH Office of Energy and Planning 4 Chenell Drive, 2nd Floor Concord, NH 03301-8519 Phone: (603) 271-0598 Fax: (603) 271-2615 Email: kathleen.vattes@nh.gov OEP: www.nh.gov/oep NH Recovery.gov: http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/index.htm Recovery.gov: http://www.recovery.gov/ This email is being sent to those interested in information about the federal Recovery Act, and programs being administered specifically by the NH Office of Energy and Planning. If you do not wish to receive periodic updates from our office, please e-mail Kate Vattes and put "remove from ARRA listserv" in the subject line. All information provided by the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) is made available for the convenience of interested persons. While OEP makes every effort to provide information that is reliable, human or mechanical error remain a possibility. Therefore, OEP makes no guarantee as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the information. Neither OEP nor any of the sources of the information shall be responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the use or result obtained from the use of this information. P Before printing please think about your environmental responsibility |