Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
On March 13, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Gap Energy Grant Program announced 34 awards totalling $8.7 million.
The streamlined energy grant funding model has helped municipal water utilities reduce their energy usage and operating costs while improving the environment, according to the MassDEP.
The grant is designed to fill the last “gap” in project financing, enabling and encouraging facilities to use energy utility incentives as well as funding from other sources to install selected energy efficiency and clean energy generation projects. Grants help to complete financing for projects that would otherwise be delayed or difficult to move forward.
Awarded projects are expected to collectively save more than $1.6 million in energy costs every year and more than 10.6 million kilowatt hours of annual electricity savings, while reducing carbon emissions by 2,440 metric tons.
In a prepared statement, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said the grants provide a model for what communities can pursue to reduce costs and protect the environment.
“This program shows what is possible when municipal water facilities, small businesses and nonprofits can invest in energy-efficient building upgrades, clean energy installations, and energy storage systems,” Tepper said.
Visit www.mass.gov for more information.