Green Schools Program Resources

For full information about the opportunities below, please see our PRIORITY NOTICE: Energy Savings Funding Opportunities and Resources for Maine Schools

The Maine Department of Education's Green Schools Program is excited to offer Maine school districts an opportunity to assess and improve building performance. In partnership with Building Infrastructure Management Solutions ("BIMS"), this program provides free school facility energy analysis and indoor air quality consultation and technical assistance.

Through this program, BIMS will serve as a technical partner to your district, helping you better understand and plan for improvements to energy efficiency, measure and improve indoor air quality, while enhancing school facility resilience, while reducing long-term operational costs.

Interested? Simply complete the short interest form or call to discuss the program and next steps. Selected districts will participate in follow-up discussions to confirm eligibility and scope.

Interested parties must fill out the audit application.

For questions or to discuss participation directly, please contact:
Donald Bresnahan, Senior Vice President, BIMS at 207-956-2685 or directly via email at don@bims.company

Through this Funding Opportunity Notice (FON) Efficiency Maine is seeking applications for energy efficiency projects involving lighting retrofits in Maine public PreK-12 schools.

This initiative offers incentives that are 30% higher than typically provided under the Commercial and Industrial Prescriptive Initiatives (CIPI), with the intent of accelerating the conversion to LED lighting. Interested participants can find more information about this program and instructions on how to apply in the FON document posted under "Program Documents."

Efficiency Maine School Lighting Retrofits

Perhaps one of the best, easiest-to-read, and dependable updates on federal tax credits and resources comes from a school-centered non-profit named UndauntedK-12. Use the following link to walk through a clear, well-researched description of the existing and rapidly changing landscape in energy systems support for America's schools.

Energy Tax Credits for Schools Hub

The Updates to Energy Tax Credits page provides a direct link to the overviews of the current energy tax credits available to schools. You'll find updated links to the two videos on that same page.

Maine schools face unique challenges, and opportunities, when it comes to saving energy. From our long, cold winters to the need for safe, healthy learning spaces, the right solutions can make a big difference for both budgets and classrooms. That's why we've created a set of practical, Maine-specific energy efficiency guides tailored for school districts. These resources focus on real examples from Maine schools and strategies designed to work in our climate, not just generic recommendations.

Inside the six guides, you'll find straightforward, actionable steps on everything from launching an energy assessment to choosing heat pumps for ventilation, adding solar power, or making the switch to electric buses. Each guide is built with Maine weather, schools, and communities in mind, helping districts reduce costs, improve health, and set students up for a more sustainable future.

Whether you're a facilities director, superintendent, school board member, or community advocate, these guides are designed to spark ideas and make decision-making easier and more thoughtful. Explore them today and see how Maine schools are leading the way in energy efficiency and clean energy adoption.

• Engagement
• Assessment
• Heat Pumps
• Ventilation
• Solar Power
• Electric Buses

Modernizing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems is an essential action school administrative unit (SAU) leaders can take to create safe and healthy learning environments and improve operational efficiency.

• HVAC Modernization Guide for Maine Schools