State & Local Energy Report

by Leo Wiegman and Jim Arwood

On Earth Day 2010, a dedicated group of 8- and 9-year-old students at South Shore Public Charter School in Norwell, Massachusetts, learned they had been chosen America’s Greenest School, beating out  550 other schools. The children erupted in a happy frenzy. Their entry, a mock-newscast and tour of the school’s numerous green initiatives, landed them first prize in a contest with over a million ballots cast for the top 10 projects. (more…)

by Jennifer Pinkowski

Like many states, Pennsylvania has a few programs that encourage retrofitting and other home energy improvements. But the Commonwealth is also pioneering a new approach: energy-efficiency financing as an investment — one with a respectable return, no less, and one that has the potential to be bundled and sold on a secondary market. (more…)

by The National Association for State Community Service Programs

When it comes to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) expenditures, production, and job creation, there is good news for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) network. As of the end of May 2010, Grantees have spent over $1 billion to weatherize 134,000 homes under ARRA, saving American families more than $47 million on their energy bills. (more…)

A revolving loan fund (RLF) is a fund of capital used to provide loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements. As the loans are repaid, the fund is replenished, enabling lenders to make more loans. Interest rates on RLFs are usually pegged to the administrators’ own borrowing rate, or bought down using program funds. (more…)

By Rona Cohen

Avast green experiment is unfolding in communities across America, fueled by a fresh infusion of stimulus money, a vital need to curb energy costs and a White House eager to catalyze a nationwide energy efficiency upgrade.

Last Earth Day, the Energy Department announced that it would award $452 million to 25 communities and states that had competed for a chance to show how they could take building retrofits to a new level. (more…)