Buffalo receives $300,000 for clean energy pilot project in Delavan-Grider

The city of Buffalo, three states and 13 other local governments will benefit from the next round of federal grants totaling $12.1 million to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and decrease overall energy consumption.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced this week that Buffalo received a $293,740 grant from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.

The money will be used to pilot a Resilience Hub program at the Delavan-Grider Community Center, which serves a predominantly Black community on Buffalo’s East Side that is burdened by energy costs.

The project includes a comprehensive energy assessment and net-zero renovation of the building that will reduce energy costs and improve the center’s ability to provide key resources before, during and after extreme weather events.

The initiative will strengthen the center’s role as an emergency center during extreme weather events.

“The Delavan-Grider Community Center provides valuable services to residents. The center also played a key role in helping provide shelter to those in need during our recent winter storms,” said Mayor Byron Brown. “The Resilience Hub pilot will help further increase the services we can offer residents, not only during extreme weather events, but throughout the year. »

The 17 projects are funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law.