Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund (EERLF)

Evidence Step: Strong Evidence

Department: Environment and Conservation

Program Description

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund (EERLF) Capitalization Grant Program, funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), provides funding to states to establish revolving loan funds to support energy efficiency audits, upgrades, and retrofits to improve the efficiency, performance, and comfort of buildings. The Tennessee program funds audits of and energy efficiency upgrades to county-owned, commercial buildings with multi-use purpose that support community resilience or that are deemed critical facilities, which may also function as emergency shelters or staging areas during emergency response and recovery efforts (e.g., K-12 schools, hospitals, emergency management facilities, community centers). The Tennessee program will also support the Energy Efficient Schools Initiative Revolving Loan Fund to support low-interest financing for the design, engineering, and construction of capital improvements that improve energy efficiency in Tennessee’s public K-12 schools.

Learn More on Program Website

Details

Program Demographic: Children, Adolescents / Young Adults, Adults, Aging Adults, Rural Focus

Delivery Setting: Organization / Business / Local Government, Hospital / Treatment Center, School, Other Community Setting

Current Participants: 4

Research

The EERLF Program provides building energy efficiency upgrades for commercial buildings; however, the program is not focused on achieving net-zero energy use.

Building retrofits towards net zero energy

Logic Model

If we fund audits of and energy efficiency upgrades to county-owned, commercial buildings with multi-use purposes that support community resilience or that are deemed critical facilities, then the community facilities will spend less funds on energy usage and be in better working condition should an emergency situation arise where the facility must be utilized as an emergency shelter or staging area.