DEP webinar explains MORE grant and loan for municipal energy-efficiency projects

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) hosted a webinar to explain the MORE program, a state-backed financing and grant pathway for municipal energy-efficiency projects. DEP speakers and program partners summarized how the MORE grant and MORE loan work, what applicants must submit and what compliance rules apply.

The MORE grant "can be used for level 2 energy audits, energy conservation measure or ECM project design, and interest rate buy down on a MORE loan," Elena Schmieder, an energy program specialist with DEP who works with the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, said during the presentation. She added that the MORE grant application window ran from June to December and that awards have already been made.

Why it matters: the MORE package pairs technical assessments (an ASHRAE level 2 energy audit) with financing to help municipalities pay for recommended upgrades. For local governments that lack capital to implement efficiency measures, an interest-rate buy-down tied to the loan can materially reduce project costs, the presenters said.

Program basics and eligibility

Colleen Unruh, a William Hannah Penn Fellow in DEP’s policy office and Energy Programs Office, said the MORE grant round has closed but that leftover funds might be offered later; interested parties may be added to a distribution list for any future brief window of funding. DEP requires…