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Home > Buildings & Plants > Small Business > Guide for Small Business > Getting Started > Finding Funds
Getting Started: Finding Funds
Access to capital for an energy-efficiency upgrade need not be an issue. Some upgrades require little funding. For those that do require investment, don't worry; there are many traditional and non-traditional financial resources available. A well-designed upgrade can provide your business a positive cash flow from energy savings while paying off the capital investment for new equipment.
For small, inexpensive projects, you may want to use your own internal funds to pay for the upgrade in order to keep your payback period low and return on investment high. For larger jobs, financing might be the only way to pay for the upgrade. Fortunately, a variety of sources and mechanisms exist for small businesses to finance energy-efficiency improvement projects.
It's your business decision to weigh your competing needs for capital versus continuing increases in operating costs for energy. Remember – even a longer return-on-investment on energy efficiency results in affordable comfort, and new, more reliable equipment that will pay for itself with energy savings. Strategic energy efficiency investments are your hedge against the certainty of higher utility bills that you cannot control.
The following resources can help you find funding information and opportunities for your upgrade:
- To help you locate special offers and rebates in your area, ENERGY STAR provides an online zip code driven tool
- The Office of Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)
is affiliated with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and has offices in all states offering free services to help small firms develop conventional loan applications for loans backed by the SBA. SBA loan programs include business start-up, expansion, property and major equipment purchases, and disaster recovery. For SBA loan information please visit SBA: Financial Assistance - ENERGY STAR Directory of Energy Efficiency Programs (DEEP)
- EPA's Small Business Gateway
- Energy Crossroads
- Small Business Administration's Financing Your Business
- DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Financing Solutions & Incentives
- National Association of State Energy Officials' State and Territory Energy Offices
- Alliance to Save Energy's Financing Energy Efficiency
- Local Government Commission's Funding Opportunities
- Another aspect of funding energy-efficiency is group purchasing with business association members, other franchisees, etc. to achieve lower unit prices on efficient equipment with volume purchases. Read more about this strategy in ENERGY STAR Small Business's Group Purchasing Fact Sheet
(165KB).
The Small Business Association of Michigan operates a group purchasing Web site at www.sbam.org that is open to all small businesses throughout the United States.
