New Hampshire Office of Economic Recovery	American Recovery & Reinvestment Act	N.H. Office of Energy and Planning	New Hampshire Community Loan Fund

Overview

The Enterprise Energy Fund is a low-interest loan and grant program available to businesses and nonprofit organizations to help finance energy improvements and renewable energy projects in their buildings. The goals are reduction of energy costs and consumption and promotion of economic recovery and job creation.

Program Details

CDFA and its partners, the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund and The Jordan Institute, were initially awarded $3.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding through the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning, to capitalize a revolving loan fund, the Enterprise Energy Fund. The Fund will help finance energy improvements in buildings owned by micro, small, medium, and large commercial businesses and nonprofit organizations.

An additional $3.1 million was approved in November 2010 for use only in commercial businesses.

A small portion of the Fund will be used for grants to conduct energy audits, to provide down payments to businesses and to nonprofits that provide essential services and have been hardest hit by the recession, to leverage significant private sector funds, and to encourage investments in renewable energy.

A larger percentage of the funds will be loaned to businesses to reduce their energy costs and consumption. The loans will range from $10,000 to $500,000.

CDFA encourages applicants to also make use of utility rebate programs and other related sources of funding, including the NH Office of Energy and Planning. 

Eligible Activities

The program is available to finance improvements to the overall energy-efficiency performance of buildings owned by businesses and nonprofits, thereby lowering their overall energy costs and the associated carbon emissions. These activities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Improvements to the building’s envelope, including air sealing and insulation in the walls, attics, and foundations;

Improvements to HVAC equipment and air exchange;

Installation of renewable energy systems;

Improvements to lighting, equipment, and other electrical systems; and

Conduction of comprehensive, fuel-blind energy audits.

Partners

CDFA is partnering with many organizations in a variety of capacities in order to make efficient and timely use of these funds. CDFA will administer the funds for medium and large nonprofits and commercial businesses. The Community Loan Fund will administer the funds for micro- and small commercial businesses and nonprofits. The Jordan Institute will conduct energy assessments and help borrowers make energy improvement decisions.

How to apply

Applicants must submit an Initial Inquiry form on CDFA's online grants management system. Applications submitted through September 13, 2010 will be reviewed as the applications are submitted, therefore on a first come first serve basis. Prior to accessing the Webgrants system, you will need a User ID and Password. If you have not yet registered to receive a User ID and Password, please "Register on CDFA's Webgrants system" register here.

Inquiries will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

See the Enterprise Energy Fund FAQ for more information about the application and approval process.

Additionally, CDFA and the Community Loan Fund will offer a series of informational workshops throughout the state. If you have questions about the program or the workshops, please call Cassandra Bradley, CDFA Loan & Portfolio Manager, at (603) 717-9114 or email her at cbradley@nhcdfa.org.

Additional Information

Additional information can be found on the CDFA and Community Loan Fund websites. We encourage you to sign up to receive real time information through our RSS, Twitter, and Facebook feeds.

For the overview of another one of our Energy Reduction Programs, the Municipal Energy Reduction Fund, click here.

Last updated November 17, 2010