Governor Phil Bredesen and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber announced July 19 that the communities of Benton, Milan, Savannah and Watauga have been approved to receive $100,000 each in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG), funded from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. With the addition of these four communities, the Tennessee EECBG program has now awarded $13.4 million in grants to 146 communities throughout the state to implement energy efficient projects.
The grants will fund a variety of energy efficiency and conservation programs in the local communities, including the installation and replacement of valuable energy-saving parts for a water treatment plant and retrofits of the lighting, HVAC system, windows and insulation of multiple city buildings.
The EECBG program is projected to produce more than 92 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy savings annually, resulting in an estimated cost-savings of $8 million per year for Tennessee communities. In addition, approximately 149 jobs will be created by the 146 grants awarded.
Applications were scored on the local government's overall conservation strategy, project feasibility, readiness to proceed, community impact, partnerships and the ability to extend funding impact beyond a one-time use.
