The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) provides grants through the Energy Efficiency Investment Fund (EEIF) to help commercial and industrial customers replace aging, inefficient equipment and systems with energy efficient alternatives.
Improving the energy efficiency of a business helps to decrease operating costs, reduce energy consumption, and improve environmental performance. Support from the Energy Efficiency Investment Fund is available to perform energy assessments, to take widely-recognized (prescriptive) improvement steps, and to implement custom, site-specific improvements.
DNREC offers both grants and low-interest loans to support energy efficiency projects throughout Delaware. To apply, please see the grant types below and sign up through our online portal. For more information on the online portal process or grant types, contact NV5, the contractor serving as our third-party implementer for the Energy Efficiency Investment Fund. If you have any questions, please call call NV5 at 802-482-5645.
Explore EEIF grants from FY2017 to the present.
Energy Assessment Grants support single purpose (targeted) energy audits and comprehensive energy audits designed to help facilities receive technical evaluations for appropriate, cost-effective energy efficiency improvements, specific to each building’s needs.
Program participants are non-residential, commercial, and industrial entities located in the State of Delaware. Pre-approval is highly encouraged for all projects to ensure an applicant’s proposed project is eligible for grant funds and to reserve eligible funds. However, applicants may forgo pre-approval for energy assessments and may apply for grant funds within 30 days of site audit. Applicants not gaining EEIF pre-approval before services performed assume full risk of project ineligibility and/or exhausted funds.
Complete eligibility details, terms and conditions, and program requirements are found in the Program Guidelines and Operational Procedures.
Projects that bring the building up to minimum energy code requirements will not be accepted.
Prescriptive Improvement Grants include two types of applications: prescriptive lighting and heating, which includes natural gas heating and water heating equipment.
Program participants are non-residential, commercial, and industrial entities located in the State of Delaware. Pre-approval is highly encouraged for all projects to ensure an applicant’s proposed project is eligible for grant funds and to reserve eligible funds. However, applicants may forgo pre-approval for prescriptive projects and may apply for grant funds within 30 days of the final invoice date. Applicants not gaining EEIF pre-approval before materials are ordered, installed, or services performed assume full risk of project ineligibility and/or exhausted funds.
Complete eligibility details, terms and conditions, and program requirements are found in the Program Guidelines and Operational Procedures.
Projects that bring the building up to minimum energy code requirements will not be accepted.
Custom Improvements Grants apply to more complex or one-of-a-kind measures that go beyond the equipment funded by Prescriptive Improvement Grants. Custom incentives mitigate a significant portion of the project costs for high efficiency equipment. They are based on incremental cost, calculated energy and demand savings of retrofit projects, cost effectiveness, and are limited by total project cost. This option allows for the greatest flexibility and creativity in design by providing an incentive on a facility-wide scale or on targeted assessments that save energy. The projects qualifying under this program are generally more complex and include aggressive measures that permanently raise the efficiency levels of standard equipment.
Program participants are non-residential, commercial, and industrial entities located in the State of Delaware. All projects require pre-approval prior to purchasing and installing the equipment. Complete eligibility details, terms and conditions, and program requirements are found in the Program Guidelines and Operational Procedures.
Projects that bring the building up to minimum energy code requirements will not be accepted.
The following projects may be eligible for custom incentives:
Building envelope
Chillers and boilers
Combustion controls
Compressed air systems
Demand control ventilation
Energy management systems
Heat recovery
HVAC Systems
Insulation and weatherization
Lighting power density improvements
Plug load controls
Process and manufacturing improvements
Combined Heat and Power Grants include five types of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems: microturbines, reciprocating engines, gas turbines, steam turbines, and fuel cells. Systems must meet the minimum 60% annual system efficiency requirement, and produce 1.0 MMbtu/hour of useful thermal output. The CHP pathway is ideal for facilities with high annual hours of operation and a high thermal load.
Program participants are non-residential, commercial, and industrial entities located in the State of Delaware. All projects require pre-approval prior to purchasing and installing the equipment. Complete eligibility details, terms and conditions, and program requirements will be found in the updated Program Guidelines and Operational Procedures.
Projects that bring the building up to minimum energy code requirements will not be accepted.
The State Energy Program Revolving Loan Fund can be used to supplement an EEIF grant project or as a stand-alone loan for installation of energy efficiency measures.
Applicants must have an energy audit that includes a detailed description and documented energy savings of the proposed project. Applicants can be from non-residential, commercial, or industrial sectors.
Underwriting is done in-house by DNREC, allowing for greater flexibility in loan terms and conditions. Loan approval will not compromise an applicant’s EEIF grant amount, meaning that loans can be used in combination with a grant to help pay the balance of the project cost.
Questions on the revolving loan application can be directed to Edward.Synoski@delaware.gov.
Related Topics: climate, efficiency, energy, grants