Thermal Energy Investment Program
The Thermal Energy Investment Program (TEIP) provides financial incentives to businesses, municipalities, educational institutions, governmental entities, and nonprofits located in the state of Maine for the installation of new thermal energy-derived projects. A “thermal energy-derived project” means a project that produces thermal energy and thermal renewable energy credits, including, but not limited to, (1) conversion of fossil fuel-fired boilers to wood-fueled boilers or boilers using biofuels derived from wood, and (2) installation of new wood-fueled boilers or boilers using biofuels derived from wood.
Program Term
The Trust will accept rolling applications starting on August 1, 2025. The Trust will review these applications in the order they are received and make awards to applicants who meet the criteria within this PON, as funding allows.
Eligible Projects
Under this PON an eligible small project is defined as a conversion of a fossil fuel-fired boiler to wood-fueled boiler or a new wood-fueled boiler or boiler using biofuels derived from wood with an installed heating capacity of less than 600,000 Btu/h.
Under this PON an eligible large project is defined as a conversion of a fossil fuel-fired boiler to wood-fueled boiler or a new wood-fueled boiler or boiler using biofuels derived from wood with an installed heating capacity of greater than 600,000 Btu/h.
Ineligible Projects
Projects involving refurbishment or maintenance of existing equipment are not eligible for the program. Projects that include expansion of an existing system’s heating capacity are eligible.
A project that is awarded an incentive through this PON cannot receive any additional incentives from Efficiency Maine’s C&I Prescriptive Initiatives, the C&I Custom Program, or from the residential Biomass Boiler/Furnace Rebate Program.
Incentives
Incentives are set at 45% of the combined cost of the equipment and the labor for installation. An additional 20% incentive may apply if the project includes advanced emission controls or BTU meters. All costs associated with shipping and equipment warranty are the responsibility of the applicant or their contractor/vendor.
The Trust reserves the right to reject an application in whole or in part if it determines, in its reasonable discretion, that project costs, expenses, or charges are unreasonable.
Documents
Additional Incentive Opportunities
Thermal Renewable Energy Credits (T-RECs): Through a program administered by the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC), both residential and commercial customers can earn T-RECs based on the volume of biomass fuels they purchase. All customers can access these payments through their fuel suppliers (click here for more information). Alternatively, commercial facilities can gain direct access by petitioning the PUC for Thermal Energy Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) certification (click here for more information). The market price of T-RECs fluctuates and can be worth up to a cap of $25 each.