Small- to medium-sized commercial buildings (SMCB) help anchor thriving neighborhoods, but SMCB owners typically operate without facility management staff and with constrained budgets. This can make it difficult to identify, design, implement, and afford effective energy upgrade solutions that can reduce the cost of doing business. This guide outlines flexible funding options for SMCBs, including non-competitive funding, competitive funding, “low-cost” debt, and traditional debt options. It helps guide program administrators toward funding combinations that can help SMCB owners complete energy upgrade projects cost effectively and provides illustrative examples of existing opportunities from utility, philanthropic, green bank, government-backed, and private financial sources.
Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity (R2E2) provides deep technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments as well as community-based organizations to jumpstart energy upgrades for single-family and multifamily affordable housing, especially in frontline communities. R2E2 is a partnership of the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Elevate, Emerald Cities Collaborative, and HR&A Advisors. Learn more about the R2E2 initiative and discover more R2E2 resources.
