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State energy officials brief Curry County on $150,707 EECBG award and plan timeline
Summary
State energy officials told the Curry County Commission the county received a $150,707 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant to create a low-income household retrofit plan; draft plan due June 30 to unlock a $113,000 second payment and the final plan is due Sept. 30 for a $17,677 final payment.
Eliana Levy, program coordinator in the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Energy Conservation and Management division, told the Curry County Commission that the county has been awarded a $150,707 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) to create an energy efficiency and conservation plan.
"At the end of this program, the goal is that Curry County will have an energy efficiency plan that they can use to apply for a much larger pot of money," Levy said, describing the EECBG as a seed-stage award intended to position the county for follow-on funding. She said the typical follow-on 'seed' awards average about $1,500,000 but can vary by number of households served and depth of retrofits.
Levy said the EECBG funding is aimed at low-income households and can support household audits, education and outreach, and retrofit work such as door and window replacement, insulation, lighting and HVAC improvements. She outlined the deliverable schedule the department expects: a draft Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan due June 30 (which, when submitted, would trigger a second payment to the county of $113,000) and a final plan due Sept. 30, accompanied by a final payment of $17,677.
Levy listed local implementation options the grant can fund: hiring a consultant to develop the plan, contracting licensed home energy auditors to perform per-household assessments, preparing outreach materials, and identifying community partners to support delivery. She said the plan should include goals, metrics and a timeline and budget for implementing a three-year seed program if Curry County later pursues larger funding.
Commissioners did not pose substantial questions during the briefing and thanked Levy for the overview. Levy and a colleague, identified in the briefing as Ed McElvain, the Green Buildings program manager, offered to answer follow-up questions from county staff.
The county will use the EECBG deliverable to apply for larger seed funds this fall, with the intention of using household audits to determine the most cost-effective measures for the local climate and housing stock.
