Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Efficiency Grant

Illinois EPA is funding energy efficiency improvements at waste water treatment plants. Potential applicants must have completed an energy efficiency assessment for the waste water treatment plant and be GATA pre-qualified. Illinois EPA will dispense up to $3,000,000 for this first round of energy efficiency improvements. The deadline to apply is February 12, 2019.

Applicants must create an account and pre-qualify through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, prior to application submittal. During pre-qualification, Dun and Bradstreet verifications are performed including a check of Debarred and Suspended status and good standing with the Secretary of State. The pre-award process also includes a financial and administrative risk assessment utilizing an Internal Controls Questionnaire. Registration requirements may be found at the Grantee Pre-Award Requirements page.

Assessment Information: Illinois EPA's Office of Energy is teaming up with the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC) and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) to help local municipalities save energy and reduce the cost of wastewater treatment. SEDAC and ISTC will provide free energy usage assessments to publicly-owned wastewater treatment plants.

The final assessment reports will break down recommendations for energy efficiency improvements at each facility. This will include information such as upfront costs for equipment upgrades or retrofits, estimated time it will take for the upgrade costs to pay-off in energy savings, and the resulting energy and monetary savings that could result from upgrades and retrofits. Similar assessments would ordinarily cost municipalities between $6,000 and $12,000.