Funding Municipal Building Energy Projects

In 2008, the City of Saint Paul created a revolving loan fund to internally finance energy efficiency improvements at city-owned buildings. The revolving loan started with an initial balance of $1 million. Between 2009 and 2018, the City completed 629 energy efficiency projects using the revolving loan fund. Collectively, these projects were estimated to save more than $1.6 million in energy costs.

The City of Saint Paul expanded its green revolving loan fund to $5 million in 2018 to better support the city's goal of making municipal buildings and operations carbon neutral by 2030.

To learn more about Saint Paul's green revolving loan fund, check out this case study from the American Cities Climate Challenge:Saint Paul's Energy Conservation Revolving Loan Fund case study

In 2024, the City of Saint Paul's Green Revolving Loan Fund was restructured to a dedicated fund (non-revolving) to allow City departments more flexibility in supporting clean energy and decarbonization projects at municipal facilities.