Deadline: 27-Oct-21
The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has announced the applications for Commercial, Industrial & Agricultural (CI&A) Grant Program to Maryland commercial, industrial, farms, and other agricultural entities for the implementation of energy efficiency improvement projects to their facilities.
Funding Information
- The CI&A Program budget in Fiscal Year 2022 will be divided between two application periods, subject to availability. The total budget for FY22 is anticipated to be $3,350,000, of which $1.5 million shall be used only in the Pepco and Delmarva utility service territories.
- Subject to availability, application period timeline and expected budgets are as follows:
- $1,675,000 for applications received in Application Period 1 from July 27th – October 27th, 2021; of which $800,000 will be reserved for applications eligible under AOI 2.
Eligible Applicants
To be considered for a grant award, an application must be complete, accurate, and signed by an authorized representative of the business owner. Contractors may not apply on behalf of clients.
- AOI 1: Commercial & Industrial Sector
- Businesses (registered corporations, LLPs, LLCs, GPs, etc.)
- Manufacturers & Industrial Entities
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Private Schools (Pre-K, K – 12)
- Privately-owned Colleges and Universities
- Other types of commercial buildings on a case-by-case basis.
- AOI 2: Agricultural Sector
- Farms and Businesses in the Agricultural sector
- Entities that fall within NAICS Codes
Eligibility Criteria
At minimum, each proposed project must meet the following requirements:
- Be located in an existing facility within the State of Maryland which is owned or leased by the Applicant organization;
- Reduce total facility energy (electricity and non-electric (thermal) energy) consumption by at least 18% (AOI 1) or 10% (AOI 2) of its baseline consumption on a MMBTU/year basis. For example, if a project proposes only electricity measures, the 18% requirement applies only to its electricity baseline. If it employs thermal-only measures, the 18% requirement applies only to its thermal baseline. If it employs both types of measures, the combination of saved energy must achieve 18% in MMBTU savings from its combined electricity and thermal baselines;
- Must be cost-effective—where cost-effectiveness is defined as an overall aggregate simple payback of the energy efficiency measures before the application of rebates, incentives, and other leveraged funds of up to twenty (20) years, depending on the type of energy measures being proposed. All measures must have a payback shorter than the expected lifetime of the installed equipment. MEA typically uses the Mid-Atlantic Technical Reference Manual to establish the anticipated life of equipment. While other resources may be used, MEA reserves the right to determine acceptable payback periods;
- Be composed of at least two (2) significant energy conservation measures (“ECMs”) that replace or improve existing equipment, technology, or building envelope/materials. To be considered a separate ECM, each measure shall utilize at minimum 10% of the total project costs before the application of rebates, incentives, and other leveraged funds.
- Have a total cost, before the application of rebates, incentives, and other leveraged funds, of at least $20,000.
- If located within one of Maryland’s five major utility service territories (BGE, PEPCO, Potomac-Edison, Delmarva Power & Light, SMECO) that offer commercial EmPOWER utility rebates for energy efficiency measures, Applicants must either apply for eligible measures within their projects or submit formal intent to MEA to apply.
Ineligible Applicants
- Data Centers (MEA provides energy efficiency incentives for data centers through its Data Center Energy Efficiency Grant Program.)
- Public Schools (Public school systems are eligible to apply for low-interest loans for energy efficiency projects through MEA’s Jane E. Lawton Conservation Loan Program.)
- Local Governments (Local government entities can participate in MEA’s Maryland Smart Energy Communities program.)
For more information, visit https://energy.maryland.gov/business/Pages/incentives/empowermdcigp.aspx