Wyoming State Energy Grant Program

A formula grant provided through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) State Energy Program (SEP) helped the state of Wyoming promote energy efficiency by funding 16 awards in 2019. An SEP formula grant of $285,284.49 partially funded these initiatives.

Specifically, SEP funding helped the Wyoming State Energy Program offer three award opportunities: The Local Governments Grant Program, the Small Business Energy Audit Grant Program, and the K-12 Schools Lighting Only Grant Program.

The Local Governments Grant financed 12 projects and reported annual energy savings totaling 280,385 kWh (2,448 therms) and $50,185. Eligible sectors for this grant title include fire departments, city halls, fairgrounds, and parks. The Local Governments grantee that saved the most electricity and money was the Lincoln County Courthouse. The Small Business Energy Audit Grant Program funded one grantee during the 2019 year, allowing the owner to allocate the energy savings toward other business needs.

The K-12 Schools Lighting Only Grant Program funded three awards to retrofit lighting systems and improve energy efficiency. The kilowatt-hour and monetary savings are currently under evaluation for future reporting. Energy savings projections show that the three school districts will save an estimated 98,277 kWh. Weston County School District #7 has the highest estimated energy savings thus far at 79,694 kWh.

Both Wyoming’s State Energy Program and DOE SEP encourage cost-saving energy efficiency by sponsoring various projects, energy audits, and technology retrofits through the grant program. The efforts contribute to a larger goal of reducing energy demand and helping reduce energy costs for Wyoming residents across many sectors. DOE’s State Energy Program and Wyoming’s State Energy Program look forward to more successful grants in the future.