About Us

EESI provides low-interest financing for the design, engineering, and construction of capital improvements that improve energy efficiency. EESI is vendor and equipment-neutral. All projects must be approved by our five-member Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which includes certified engineers and architects specializing in energy efficiency. The EESI staff oversees the execution of the projects and makes sure that the costs are reasonable, and the work is done correctly. We have the advantage of evaluating vendor's performance at the end of the projects where we see the results of their work. EESI loans are made to the County for the benefit of the School District.

 

422,107 CUMULATIVE STATISTICS SINCE INCEPTION (FY2009)

EESI staff reports the following cumulative data from FY2008 through FY2025 (June 30, 2025):

  • Every dollar of the original funding (FY2008) and the state appropriation (FY2019) has gone directly to Tennessee’s public school districts. 116 loans, 125 energy grants, 9 school uplift grants, and 2 emergency grants have been generated by this EESI’s programs.
  •  As of June 30, 2025, (117) loan originations totaled $183,512,155, (125) energy grant awards totaled $19,826,952. (9) SchoolUplift matching grants totaled $2,505,000, and (2) Emergency Grants totaled $578,000.
  • 66 loans have been paid in full, and there have been ZERO defaults to date. 
  •  All administrative and operational costs associated with EESI's team are covered by interest payments. Administrative costs have remained less than 4% of the total original allocation of $90 million.
  • Interest earned on loan disbursements during the construction phase of projects is capitalized and added to the principal due to the loan, thereby growing the funds available for future loans. The interest is then collected over the life of the loan as individual loan repayments are collected. In Fiscal Year 2025, $51,411.00 of construction-periodinterest was earned for a total of $1,023,270.00 over the life of the program. 
  • EESI is in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) EnergyRight School Uplift Program (SUP), a total of 340 Tennessee schools have participated in the SUP, saving an average of 9.6% on their annual energy cost. Additionally, 9 public schools in Tennessee have received $2,505,000 in matching grant awards and received $578,000 in engineering services for investment-grade energy audits. 

 

OUR MISSION

Improving the classroom learning environment through energy-efficient strategies.

 

OUR STRATAGIES

  • Low interest loans for energy efficient projects.
  • Technical options for Distressed Districts.
  • Energy assessments and feasibility studies.
  • Technical review of existing proposals and designs.
  • Equipment bid specs and commissioning plans.
  • Utility bill tracking and analysis.
  • Strategic energy management planning.

 

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