一项耗资5亿美元的赠款计划将有助于为美国公立学校的能源升级项目支付费用，副总裁卡马拉·哈里斯（Kamala Harris）4月4日宣布新利18备用网址，资金来自12亿美元的基础设施投资和就业法案。

The U.S. Dept. of Energy grants will be available to public schools for projects that result in reduced energy costs, such as improvements to lighting and HVAC systems. Funding can also be used for repairs and renovations that improve student and teacher health.

The energy efficiency program is part of the Biden administration’s aim to reach a net-zero emissions economy by 2050, while also providing savings to schools on one of their largest costs. According to the White House, energy bills are the largest expense for public K-12 districts after teacher salaries, collectively costing them about $8 billion each year.

Stan Kolbe, executive director of legislative and political affairs for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA), says the program is poised to have far-reaching impacts and shows a change in Congress' willingness to fund school projects.

“Go back 30 years, you couldn’t pass a bill with a penny for school facilities,” says Kolbe. “Now we’re talking about how many billions it could be.”

Kolbe说，仍然使用散热器，缺乏HVAC并涂上窗户的衰老学校建筑物可以通过中央空气系统，现代风管和适当的过滤升级。这些变化还将改善学校的整体空气质量，他补充说，自19号大流行开始以来，这已成为更加关注的问题。

DOE has issued a请求的信息for the program and will accept responses through May 18. The RFI seeks input on questions about how the agency will administer the grant program, such as determining prioritization criteria and how it can support workforce development.

Kolbe says he expects the funds will roll out to schools quickly, and schools will want to move fast in order to get a piece of the money. He points to the Paycheck Protection Program, which ran out of money faster than expected.

“If you’re a school contractor, you might want to say, ‘Remember me? I did the school five years ago,’ or, ‘I service the school, I can certainly do the retrofit,’” Kolbe says. “Because I think this is going to happen real soon.”

The program is part of a larger Biden administration initiative to improve school infrastructure.

在2021年的基础设施报告卡上，美国土木工程师学会对美国公立学校进行了评价a D+，指出数据显示了许多面部容量问题，同时还需要替换一个或多个建筑系统。ASCE估计，全国公立学校设施的年度资金差距为380亿美元。

“Children should be able to learn and grow in environments that are not plagued with poor insulation and ventilation, leaky roofs, or poor heating and cooling,” U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. DOE is also offering loan guarantees up to $3 billion for school retrofit projects through its neweProject eXpresstool.

Other pieces of the initiative include a U.S. Treasury Dept. effort to to help districts use American Rescue Plan funds for air quality improvements. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and DOE are working on a $5-billion Clean School Bus Program, also funded by the infrastructure act, to help school districts use electric buses. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation is also providing $90 billion for state and local governments to help students walk or bike to school.

By adding federal funding for these programs, the added effect is that school districts will be relieved of the cost burdens, Kolbe says.

他说：“这几乎是我们已经谈论25年的一系列计划的本垒打。”