SmartBuildings Grants To Help Detroit Save Energy
Economic Development Corp. of the City of Detroit has approved $800,00 in SmartBuildings Detroit energy-efficiency funding for the Detroit Medical Center and $500,000 for the City of Detroit General Services Department.
The EDC also approved a $1 million energy conservation revolving loan fund for building owners in the Woodward Corridor.
The Detroit Medical Center has pledged to leverage an additional $11.5 million of its own funds with the SmartBuildings funding, which will be used for a number of energy conservation improvements to Detroit Receiving Hospital.
"Running a state-of-the-art medical facility 24/7 requires significant spending on energy," said David Manardo, senior vice president of facility engineering and real estate for the DMC. "We are very pleased that the improvements we can make under the grant will save money as we continue to deliver the highest quality of care to our patients."
The City of Detroit is required to match the SmartBuildings funds with $2.8 million in Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant funds to make energy-saving improvements to municipal buildings. The City is proposing energy improvement work on five buildings, subject to City Council approval:
* Cultural Center Garage, 41 Farnsworth St.
* Fire Apparatus Building, 1400 Erskine St.
* Elections Building, 2978 W. Grand Blvd.
* 36th District Court Building, 421 Madison Ave.
* Detroit Historical Museum, 5401 Woodward Ave.
"We expect to save $458,000 per year in utility costs as a result of the improvements," said Brad Dick, deputy director of the Detroit General Services department. "That's a significant benefit."
The City and DMC will measure their energy savings as part of the SmartBuildings Detroit Program.
The EDC also approved a $1 million revolving loan pool to help commercial building owners make energy conservation improvements to properties in the Woodward Corridor. Applicants will be required to use loan funds to leverage additional money from other sources. Eligibility and other requirements were established by the EDC Board. The Program Area is generally bounded by the Detroit River on the south, the Lodge Freeway (M-10) on the west, Seward on the north and the Walter Chrysler Freeway (I-75) including the Eastern Market area on the east. As it becomes available, information about the SmartBuildings Detroit Program and the Green Fund will be posted on www.degc.org.
The SmartBuildings Detroit energy efficiency program is funded by $10 million of a $30 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to the State of Michigan and a number of its partners as part of the BetterBuildings for Michigan Program.
"These grants will help create jobs in the near future as well as generate planet-friendly, cost-savings for years to come," said Andrew S. Levin, acting director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth.
The Economic Development Corp. of the City of Detroit is managing the SmartBuildings Detroit program. The Detroit Economic Growth Corp. acts as staff for the EDC.
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