Small Business Advantage Grant Program

July 30, 2019

Summary

NOTE: This program started accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 on July 26, 2019. Applications will be accepted until the funds are exhausted.

Established in July 2004, the PA Small Business Advantage Grant Program provides matching funds to for-profit businesses with a maximum of 100 full-time equivalent employees for improvements in energy efficiency and pollution prevention. The business must also be the primary source of employment for at least one full-time employee. 

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) administers the grants, providing up to $7,000 for proposed projects. Under the most recent solicitation, projects must demonstrate annual savings of at least 25% in energy consumption or pollution output plus $500 in annual monetary savings as a direct result of the proposed project. A recipient of the grant must submit a follow-up report to the DEP twelve months after the project completion date, detailing the environmental benefits and the financial costs and benefits as a result of the project. Prior to submitting an application for the program, eligible businesses must first (1) obtain a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Vendor Registration Number; and (2) provide a completed checklist and a W-9 with the application.

Franchises are not eligible for funding. Residential rental units and dwellings are not eligible for awards, nor are outdoor wood burners, wood-fired boilers, photovoltaics (PV), room air-conditioners, vending machines, and some types of building envelope measures. The measures identified above as eligible equipment are based on examples provided in program documents and lists of awards made for prior solicitations.

The program provided more than $945,000 in grants for 193 projects under the 2018 solicitation. 

Program Overview

Implementing Sector: State
Category: Financial Incentive
State: Pennsylvania
Incentive Type: Grant Program
Web Site: https://www.dep.pa.gov/Citizens/GrantsLoansRebates/SmallBusinessOmbudsmanOffice/Pages/Small%20Business%20Advantage%20Grant.aspx
Administrator: Small Business Ombudsman, Department of Environmental Protection
Start Date: 7/26/2019 (current solicitation)
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies:
  • Solar Water Heat
  • Water Heaters
  • Lighting
  • Lighting Controls/Sensors
  • Chillers
  • Furnaces
  • Boilers
  • Air conditioners
  • Heat recovery
  • Steam-system upgrades
  • Compressed air
  • Motor VFDs
  • Processing and Manufacturing Equipment
  • Custom/Others pending approval
  • Food Service Equipment
  • Commercial Refrigeration Equipment
Incentive Amount: Up to 50% of equipment costs
Maximum Incentive: $7,000
Equipment Requirements: ENERGY STAR equipment is required if the equipment type is covered under the ENERGY STAR program

Authorities

Name: 35 P.S. 6029.201 et seq.

Contact

Name: Ed Boito
Address: Rachel Carson State Office Building
Harrisburg PA 17101
Phone: (717) 772-5106
Email: epadvantagegrant@pa.gov

This information is sourced from DSIRE; the most comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewables and energy efficiency in the United States. Established in 1995, DSIRE is operated by the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center at N.C. State University.