Municipal Energy Manager Grant - Frequently Asked Questions
Is this program available to municipalities that have Eversource or National Grid or Eversource as the natural gas provider but the electricity is primarily provided by a municipal light plant? Yes.
We are a group of municipalities applying for a joint application. We are all National Grid customers but there are some municipal buildings in our partner district that receive gas and electricity from a different provider. Are we still eligible? Yes. If you are a customer of Eversource or National Grid, you are eligible. Any municipality in your proposed group that is not a customer of either Eversource or National Grid is not eligible. For example, a municipality that has a municipal light plant and has no gas service is not eligible.
What type of experience will the Energy Manager need to have?
We provide a sample job description on the website that has recommendations for the level of education, skills and experience, however, it is not mandatory for recipients of the grant to use this sample job description. Participating municipalities can edit this sample job description however they need to align with their own goals and policies. All candidate screening, interviewing, and hiring decisions are the responsibility of the participating municipality.
Is there a resource to help us find Energy Managers that are available and meet the qualifications?
Eversource and National Grid will do our best to amplify the job postings of awarded applicants for the Municipal Energy Manager Grant.
Several resources where we recommend advertising job postings include but are not limited to:
If your community is looking to hire a contracted energy manager, we recommend issuing a request for proposals (RFP) to solicit this kind of service. Some of the same links above would be places to advertise the RFP, and you can also contact your Eversource and National Grid points of contact and we can work with you to get the word out to additional networks.
We already have an energy manager. Can we apply?
Municipalities that already have funding for or have already hired a full-time Energy or Sustainability Director/Manager/Coordinator are not eligible for this grant.
If you have a part-time Energy or Sustainability Manager you are eligible to apply to make that a full-time role.
Can we apply for this grant and combine it with other sources of funding to fund the Energy Manager position?
Yes, you can use multiple sources of funding to support an energy manager role. We encourage the use of other funding sources when they are available.
Would joint applications from more than one town be considered?
Absolutely, we encourage municipalities to come together and apply jointly. Read more about regional collaboration in our Municipal Energy Manager Grant Guidebook.
We are a small municipality and only need an energy manager for about 10 hours per week. Can we apply?
If you only need an energy manager for less than 20 hours a week then we encourage you to coordinate with other communities and file a joint application. While we will accept an application for a 10 hour a week role, we recommend including details in your application of how you would find qualified applicants to work for a role that is 10 hours a week, or if it would be a contracted position.
Is there a minimum population to be served or a minimum number of municipal buildings?
There is no minimum population served or number of municipal buildings to apply for the grant. However, Small municipalities with a population of fewer than 20,000 and/or with fewer than five (5) school buildings are encouraged to partner with neighboring municipalities and share a Municipal Energy Manager or to apply for a part-time or contracted Municipal Energy Manager.
We have a regional school district. Can you apply just for the town/municipal buildings?
This is part of our school decarbonization offer, so we would like to see holistic applications that will address both school and municipal buildings. In this case we encourage you to get buy in from the other town in your regional school district and apply jointly. If you are unable to do so by the application deadline, you may submit an application as a single community and should include in your application details on the outreach that you have done to engage the other communities in your district.
Can the energy manager work to address energy concerns of buildings other than schools?
Yes, Energy Managers should and are encouraged to work to address energy concerns for all municipal buildings in the participating municipalities.
If the municipality is the applicant, do you need a letter from the municipal leader?
Yes, we would like to see a signed letter of support from the municipal and school district leadership. You can find a template letter of support on the resource links page of the Municipal Energy Manager grant application platform.
Are there marketing materials for this grant that I can share with my clients?
The Municipal Energy Manager Grant webpage is the best resource to share with clients.
How long it will take to hear back on whether or not we are awarded the grant after the submission deadline?
Applicants will be notified of the status of their applications in March, 2025.
If awarded a grant, when would hiring begin?
If awarded a grant, municipalities will be issued a memorandum of understanding that will act as a funding agreement. We expect hiring to be done within 90 days of the municipality signing the memorandum of understanding.
Could a town include an objective in the plan to roll work from an Energy Management Plan into a Municipal Decarbonization Plan? Yes.
