KEENE, NH – The towns of Peterborough and Harrisville are among the beneficiaries of a pair of grants coming into New Hampshire.

According to a news release from Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s office, two awards are heading to the Granite State totaling $900,000 through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program.

The towns will receive a total of $700,000 to retrofit 250 buildings to replace fossil-fuel heating systems with cold-climate pumps. Of those 250 buildings, the release notes that 100 of them are the homes of low-income residents.

Exeter will receive the remaining $200,000 award to leverage funding from the NHSaves Weatherization Program to make energy efficiency upgrades and lower bills in 100 low-income households located in manufactured housing parks. The funding will also support workforce development through a collaboration with Lakes Region Community College and the MAXT Makerspace.

EECBG Program funding is meant to meet unique energy needs. Applicants were evaluated based on their project impact, plans for community engagement and expected community benefits – particularly for lower-income and energy burdened Americans, the viability of their plans, and the strength of their team.

“I’m so pleased that the funding I fought to include in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is going to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and homes, which helps Granite Staters save money on heating and cooling costs while supporting local jobs,” said Senator Shaheen, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. “These types of energy efficiency programs will continue to have huge positive impacts across New Hampshire, and I’m glad that communities like Exeter and small towns like Peterborough and Harrisville are benefiting from this funding.”

Shaheen announced the grants last week along with Senator Maggie Hassan, Congresswoman Annie Kuster, and Congressman Chris Pappas.