Financial Help to Make Your House or Business More Energy Efficient

The U.S. Department of Energy has a program available in several states and cities called the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program.  It has the goal of improving the energy efficiency of over 100,000 homes, and has partners such as power companies and community development agencies across the U.S. to bring energy efficiency to home and business owners in various ways: by performing free or low-cost energy assessments in building, offering rebates for more energy-efficient improvements and appliances, and low-cost loans to purchase more efficient equipment.

However, while the seed funding came through the DOE, the money went through competitive grants to local groups with the most competitive plans, so it's not available all over the country.  To find out if it's available in your area, check this directory of Better Buildings local programs.  You will find each program with different partners, and different ways to help home and business owners improve the energy efficiency of their buildings.  In Toledo and northwest Ohio, the main partner is the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.  They work with business owners to assess buildings and offer low-cost loans for improvements.  For homeowners, they partner with Columbia Gas who does energy assessments and has information on rebates and other incentives.  Better Buildings as partnerships in 31 states and the Virgin Islands.