MoDNR Awards more than $377,000 for community energy efficiency projects
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 22, 2023 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Energy Loan Program has awarded more than $377,000 in low-interest loans to assist the Glasgow, Missouri School District and the City of Rich Hill with energy efficiency projects.
“Communities are eager to trim monthly expenses and be better financial stewards,” said Dru Buntin, director of the Department of Natural Resources. “By implementing these energy efficiency projects, applicants are able to better conserve our energy resources and focus more of their budgets on their core missions.”
The projects, which are expected to benefit more than 1,700 Missourians, are anticipated to result in annual energy savings of approximately $43,000. The applicants will repay the loans with money saved on energy costs as a result of these energy efficiency projects. In addition, the projects will reduce electricity use by more than 380,000 kilowatt hours (kWh), avoiding nearly 270 metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution, which equates to removing 60 passenger cars from the road for a year.
“The Energy Loan Program provides the opportunity to make improvements by installing energy efficient innovations,” said Emily Wilbur, director of MoDNR’s Division of Energy. “The Loan Program stimulates Missouri’s economy by saving taxpayer money, allowing the applicants to redirect savings toward other priorities.”
Since the Energy Loan Program’s inception in 1989, the department’s Division of Energy has awarded more than 620 loans representing more than $118M in completed energy efficiency projects and more than $236M in estimated cumulative energy savings. Through the Division of Energy, low-interest loans are provided to public schools, public and private higher education institutions, public and private not-for-profit hospitals, and local governments to help reduce energy costs. Loan financing may be used for various energy-saving investments such as insulation, lighting systems, heating and cooling systems, combined heat and power, pumps, motors, aerators, renewable energy systems and other measures that reduce energy use and cost.
To learn more about the Energy Loan Program, please visit dnr.mo.gov/energy/grants-loans or contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Energy at 573-751-2254 or toll-free at 855-522-2796.