Sample Policy, Program Documents and RFP Library

In order to assist the State and Territory Energy Offices as they implement programs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, NASEO will maintain and expand this library of existing statewide programs, sample request for proposals (RFPs), statewide legislation, funding opportunities, and other program documents. Currently, this library includes resources for states on voluntary building energy benchmarking and energy improvement programs, statewide shared energy manager programs, and mandatory building energy benchmarking ordinances and building performance standards. Future updates will include program plan templates for states and territories to adapt and use for IIJA and other funding applications to advance the efficient use of affordable and resilient energy for their constituents and to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

This page will be updated and may change significantly as the IIJA is implemented. This model program and policy library is a supplementary resource to NASEO’s IIJA Resource Hub. If your state has sample programs, policies, or documents that should be included in this resource list, please contact Jasmine Xie (jxie@naseo.org).  

NASEO and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are also available to review state draft plans and offer technical assistance to state and local jurisdictions on accessing program funding. For more information, please contact Ed Carley (ecarley@naseo.org) or Caterina Hatcher and Brendan Hall (statelocal@energystar.gov).

RELEVANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

For Improving Building Energy Performance

• State Energy Program (SEP)

  • Award: $56.5M (for FY 2022, formula-based) 

  • Eligible Uses: This highly flexible funding source can be used by states to fund general energy efficiency and programs to increase deployment of clean energy technologies in buildings, among other energy sectors and activities. This includes building energy benchmarking and building performance standards, shared energy manager programs, and other innovative program types. An example of an SEP-funded project is Kentucky’s School Energy Manager program for which $5 million from the state’s allocated SEP funds went towards hiring 49 energy managers to benchmark the energy use of and recommend energy improvements for 144 participating school districts. Eligible recipients for SEP funds are states. Formula-based allocations found here. 

• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) 

  • State Energy Program (SEP): 

    • Award: $500 million (one-time, formula-based & competitive) 

    • Eligible Uses: As an additional infusion of funds towards the SEP through the IIJA, the same activity eligibility criteria apply (see above). Eligible recipients are states. Funding release date TBA (likely 2022 Q3). May include competitive award component (TBA). 

  • Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG): 

    • Award: $550 million (one-time, formula-based & competitive) 

    • Eligible Uses: This funding source supports immediately deployable local-level projects and programs for reducing fossil fuel emissions and improving energy efficiency in the transportation, building, and other sectors. EECBG funds can be used for building weatherization and energy retrofits, energy improvement strategies informed by initial building performance benchmarking. Formula-based grants are issued directly to states, local, and tribal governments. Of the total $550 million grant, states receive 28 percent to redistribute across smaller local governments, while 70 percent goes directly to mid- and larger-sized local governments via formula-based allocations. The remaining two percent of the grant funding is set aside for competitive funding opportunities among entities that are not eligible as direct grant recipients. Formula-based funding allocations for state and local recipients were released in June 2022 and can be found here.  

  • Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund Capitalization Grant Program: 

    • Award: $250 million (one-time capitalization grants, formula-based)

    • Eligible Uses: Energy efficiency audits and building upgrades and retrofits can be funded by State Energy Office-run revolving loan funds. The IIJA offers $250 million in capitalization grants for states to establish these revolving loan funds, a viable funding source to finance energy improvements as informed by initial building energy benchmarking programs. The funding opportunity announcement and application period is TBA (will likely be released in 2022 Q4).

  • Energy Improvements at Public School Facilities: 

    • Award: $500 million (one-time, competitive) 

    • Eligible Uses: This funding will go towards energy efficiency (envelope, HVAC, lighting, controls, etc.), ventilation, renewable energy, alternative vehicles, and alternative fuel vehicle infrastructure improvements in K-12 schools. As such, energy improvement opportunities identified by existing K-12 focused shared energy manager programs may be financed by this funding. Eligible recipients are local educational agencies (school districts) and one or more partners, which could include non-profits, for-profits, and community partners. Local governments may also be included as eligible application partners. The funding opportunity announcement and application period is TBA (will likely be released in 2022 Q4). 

  • Cost-Effective Codes Implementation for Efficiency & Resilience (RECI): 

    • Award: $225 million (one-time, competitive) 

    • Eligible Uses: This funding will go towards state-led activities related to building energy code adoption, enforcement, training, as well as “innovative approaches”, that includes building performance standards to address the energy performance of existing buildings. Eligible recipients are local educational agencies and one or more schools, non-profits, for-profits, and community partners. The notice of intent for the funding opportunity announcement has been released and can be found here, while the application period remains TBA (likely October 2022). 

BUILDING ENERGY CODES 

Sample field study contractor language

• NASEO’s sample RFP for two field studies in southwestern states 

BENCHMARKING AND ENERGY IMPROVEMENT

Voluntary Programs

• Clean Energy Communities 

  • The Clean Energy Communities (CEC) program is administered by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) and incentivizes municipalities in New York to implement clean energy and energy efficiency projects from a pre- approved list of “high-impact actions”, based on which they can pursue grant funding and recognition opportunities.  

• Illinois Energy Now Trade Ally Program 

  • The Illinois Energy Now Trade Ally Program, which ran between 2012 and 2015, developed a network of industry experts and private energy service providers to train on statewide incentives and energy efficiency technology. The program then facilitated relationships between the public sector and private energy service providers and fostered competition through a recognition program for service providers that performed the most public sector energy efficiency upgrade projects. This program was created through a State Energy Program Competitive award in 2012 ($427,500).

Benchmarking Ordinances and Building Performance Standards

Existing Toolkits and Resource Libraries

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Benchmarking and Building Performance Standards Policy Toolkit

  • A Toolkit maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that offers key resources, policy considerations, and strategies for using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager when implementing state and local benchmarking and building performance standards. 

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Resources

  • The full inventory of EPA's tools and resources for benchmarking policies and building performance standards

• U.S. Department of Energy Building Performance Standard Resource Library

  • A comprehensive list of resources from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on building performance standards, including software tools for program implementation and guidance on target-setting.

• Building Performance Standards | Institute for Market Transformation 

  • A comprehensive list of resources from IMT for designing a city or statewide building performance standards. 

• Model Ordinance for Building Performance Standards | Institute for Market Transformation 

  • A model ordinance for cities and states to adopt and customize in designing their own standards, which includes suggested administrative structures, performance metrics, compliance thresholds, and program deliverables. 

Training and Task Force Development

• Notice of Funding Availability - High-Performance Building Technical Assistance, Training, & Capacity Building | Washington, DC District Department of Energy and Environment 

  • Notice of funding issued by Washington, D.C. DOEE soliciting a third-party nonprofit organization to offer training, capacity building, and technical assistance to building owners, managers, and other building sector stakeholders towards complying with the city’s building energy performance standards program. 

• Notice of Funding Availability - High Performance Building Innovation & Training Hub | Washington, DC District Department of Energy and Environment 

  • Notice of funding issued by Washington, D.C. DOEE soliciting a third-party organization to develop a hub or platform that captures examples from leading cities with high performance building initiatives and connect building sector representatives to collaboration, innovation, capacity building, training, and technical assistance opportunities.  

Determining Final and/or Interim Performance Standards

• Understanding and Choosing Metrics for Building Performance Standards 

  • An EPA white paper that provides a framework and supporting analysis to help policymakers understand key differences among building performance metrics and select the best to apply to their jurisdiction’s building performance standards. 

• Request for Proposals for consultants to develop energy utilization index targets for the commercial building energy performance standard. | Washington Department of Commerce 

  • Washington State Department of Commerce issued a request for proposal to determine the EUI-based benchmarking target for each property type subject to compliance under the Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard. 

• Required Retrocomissioning Scope | Boulder, CO Building Performance Ordinance

  • Establishing retrocommissioning as a baseline energy saving measure, the building performance standard in Boulder, CO defines the required scope of retrocommissioning if not conducted by a local energy utility.

Program Assessment

• Notice of Funding Availability - Pathways to DC Building Energy Performance Standards | Washington, DC District Department of Energy and Environment  

  • Notice of funding issued by Washington, D.C. Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) soliciting a third-party organization to conduct a cost benefit study on the impacts of the city’s building energy performance standards program as mandated by the Clean Energy Omnibus Act of 2018. 

Shared Energy Manager Programs

K-12 Public Schools

• Kentucky School Energy Managers Project Case Study 

  • This case study summarizes the Kentucky School Energy Managers Project (SEMP), which used funding from the State Energy Program and partnerships with local investor-owned utilities to deploy 49 energy managers to implement energy management plans and identify energy savings opportunities across most school districts in Kentucky. 

  • Kentucky School Boards Association and School District Sample Memorandum of Agreement – School Energy Managers Project 

    • This customizable memorandum of agreement was signed between each school district participating in SEMP and the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) to develop a partnership for administering the energy manager program.  

  • Kentucky SEP ARRA Final Project Overview – School Energy Managers Project 

    • This report describes the activities undertaken with grant funds towards SEMP, which included recruiting school district participants, codifying and advertising energy manager job description and performance requirements, conducting various trainings for the final energy manager candidates, and monthly reporting from energy managers on implementation of the ENERGY STAR 7-Step energy management process. 

  • Kentucky SEP ARRA Final Project Goals – School Energy Managers Project 

    • This report presents the goals of SEMP and describes tasks accomplished under each goal. Goals of the program included creating a statewide network of energy manager professionals, supporting and coaching the energy manager workforce, introducing best energy practices for the energy managers, and developing and implementing procedures for timely reporting. 

  • Kentucky SEP ARRA Final Project Partnerships and Regions – School Energy Managers Project 

    • This report provides details on the number of energy managers, school districts, and district partnerships engaged through the administration of SEMP, in addition to capturing a map of all participating K-12 school districts (144 out of Kentucky’s total 174 school districts).

• Rhode Island Municipal Energy Management Services Provider Solicitation 

  • This is an RFP document issued by the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (the State Energy Office) soliciting professional energy management services to support municipalities and school districts throughout Rhode Island. For more information, please contact Nathan Cleveland, Programming Services Officer at the Rhode Island Office of Energy Offices (nathan.cleveland@energy.ri.gov). 

• School Uplift - Energy Efficiency Grants - TVA EnergyRight 

  • Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally owned electric utility, offers the School Uplift program that provides grant funding towards energy upgrades in under-resourced schools and offers energy management training to faculty, staff, and students on energy efficiency and conservation practices. The State of Tennessee has been a key partner in School Uplift, providing matching grants through the Energy Efficient Schools Initiative fund since the program’s pilot 

All Public Buildings

• West Virginia Benchmarking and Transparency Initiative 

  • In 2018, the West Virginia Office of Energy, funded by a USDOE Competitive SEP Award, began a statewide Benchmarking and Transparency Initiative, using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, and develop a comprehensive building inventory that led to the unanimous passing of HB 2667: Energy Savings in Public Buildings. This bill sets the state's first energy reduction goal of 25 percent by 2030, establishes a state benchmarking and disclosure policy and calls for a comprehensive performance contracting program. This initiative engages a cohort of agency stakeholders to benchmark state and municipal buildings, as well as university and high school staff and students to benchmark all K-12 school and higher education buildings.