Louisiana Revolving Loan Fund Program
Loans help Louisiana public entities improve energy efficiency and install renewable energy at public facilities.
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You can finance public-facility upgrades such as insulation, efficient lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, weather sealing, ENERGY STAR appliances, windows and doors, water-saving fixtures and building energy controls. Projects must fit a federal categorical exclusion: a type of work that normally needs no individual environmental review. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) still makes the final environmental determination, and the project must have no extraordinary circumstances that require further review.
On-site renewable options include solar electricity panels appropriately sized for the facility, or ground-mounted panels up to 60 kW within an existing facility; wind and solar thermal systems up to 20 kW; solar hot water; ground-source heat pumps up to 5.5 tons; combined heat and power sized for the building; and biomass heat up to 3 million BTU per hour using best available control technology to limit emissions. Batteries and flywheels must be sized appropriately for the facility.
The programme also covers alternative-fuel fueling equipment at existing facilities, excluding underground storage tanks, and electric-vehicle charging stations. For alternative-fuel vehicle purchases, only the extra cost of the alternative-fuel option is eligible; vehicle conversions are also listed in the guidelines.
You repay principal and simple interest over a term of up to ten years. The rate is fixed when the loan closes; rates for new loans are reviewed each June. Louisiana Public Facilities Authority services the loans and charges a 2% closing fee and a 0.5% annual servicing fee. Interest runs from closing on a 360-day-year basis, and early repayment carries no penalty. There is no loan forgiveness.
The programme does not require you to contribute a fixed share of project costs. Your contribution covers costs outside the approved loan and any voluntary additional funding. Additional funding from you or other sources is not required, but improves the application score.
Eligibility
- The applicant must be a public entity located in Louisiana, and the project must be in Louisiana. Homeowners cannot apply.
- The programme excludes casinos and other gambling establishments, aquariums, zoos, golf courses and swimming pools. It does not fund property purchase or leasing, equipment leases, research, development or demonstration of energy-efficiency or renewable-energy technologies that are not commercially available, renewable equipment at single-family homes, or costs incurred before award.
- Complete environmental screening in the application. Loan-funded work must wait for DOE’s final environmental determination after award. Historic-preservation review under Section 106 is also a funding condition. Screen against the DOE–Louisiana agreement: fully covered projects need no additional historic-preservation compliance form. Ground disturbance outside previously disturbed areas, exterior alterations and protected or potentially protected historic structures can require the form, supporting information and written concurrence before covered work starts.
- Borrowers, contractors and subcontractors need a Unique Entity Identifier before work begins. Borrowers and organizations receiving a subaward directly from them must keep their federal SAM.gov registration current during the award and renew it at least every 12 months. Contractors must be licensed in Louisiana and in good standing with the Secretary of State.
- For covered construction, alteration or repair, pay workers weekly at the applicable locally prevailing wages and benefits, pass the requirements to contractors and subcontractors, and submit weekly certified payroll through LCP Tracker. Government bodies doing work with their own employees generally fall outside this Davis-Bacon requirement. The application also lists exemptions for construction contracts of $2,000 or less; projects with no contractor-employed laborers or mechanics working on public buildings or public works; and projects performed entirely by executive, administrative or professional employees, or involving activities such as energy audits, energy-savings monitoring or building commissioning inspections. Document the basis for any exemption in the application; attach supporting documentation or provide it to the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy (C&E) on request. Include wage determinations in solicitations and contracts and report subcontractor details to C&E. For covered construction, alteration, maintenance or repair of public buildings or public works, use U.S.-produced iron, steel and manufactured goods, subject to the applicable Buy American exceptions and waivers.
- Use competitive fixed-price procurement to the maximum extent possible and follow applicable federal and Louisiana procurement rules. Report contracts that are neither fixed-price nor competitively awarded. Where waste is generated, describe handling and disposal in the application and follow applicable waste laws. A separate waste-management plan is unnecessary for household-type waste or where construction specifications cover waste management.
- Finish the funded installation within the approved project period. Reporting starts when the loan agreement is executed: submit quarterly reports within 30 calendar days of each quarter end and annual reports within 30 days of each year end. Submit the final closeout report within 90 days after the work and objectives are complete and the financial documents reconciled; include supporting reimbursement documents. C&E may require additional reports.
- Keep financial records for at least three years after the final expenditure report, unless C&E requires longer, and allow monitoring and audit access. Keep payroll records during the work and for three years after all work on the prime contract finishes.
- Obtain all required permits and comply with federal, state and municipal laws and codes.
- Programme files and reports are made public. Publications financed with State Energy Program funds must carry the required ARRA and State Energy Program funding acknowledgment.
How to apply
- Statut
- Candidatures au fil de l’eau
- Conditions de cette période de candidature
- Applications are reviewed in the order received, subject to available funds.[^c2]
C&E administers the programme. Complete the 2026 application package and applicable attachments, then email one complete electronic application to larlf@la.gov. A person authorized to bind your organization must sign it; scanned and electronic signatures are accepted. Applications are accepted continuously and reviewed in receipt order while funds are available.
Provide the project narrative, timeline, energy use and savings, efficiency measures, budget and waste and environmental screening. Include the current DOE environmental questionnaire, W-9, equipment specifications, Davis-Bacon acknowledgment and historic-preservation information where applicable. Governmental and political subdivisions must attach written governing-body support and their current budget explaining repayment. List other funding sources with supporting letters or, when a letter is not yet available, the anticipated source and supporting documentation.
C&E reviews completeness, eligibility and the likelihood of delivering the project benefits. If selected, sign and return the Award Notification within 30 days. Environmental clearances, loan closing and work-stage compliance follow award; submitting screening forms does not authorize work. Technical assistance with savings calculations, cost estimates, project viability and programme requirements is available at larlf@la.gov.