Department of Natural Resources Awards Loan for Energy Improvements…

Leeton R-X School District to install lighting and HVAC improvements

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, SEPT. 10, 2025 - The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Energy Loan Program has awarded a low-interest loan of $135,104 to assist the Leeton R-X School District with an energy efficiency project. The district will install energy efficient lighting and make HVAC improvements.

"Communities are eager to trim monthly expenses and be better financial stewards," said Kurt Schaefer, director of the Department of Natural Resources. "By implementing these energy efficiency projects, applicants are able to better conserve our energy resources and focus more of their budgets on their core missions."

The project is anticipated to result in annual energy savings of approximately $17,830. The applicant will repay the loan with money saved on energy costs as a result of the energy efficiency project. In addition, the project will reduce electricity use by more than 176,572 kilowatt hours (kWh), avoiding nearly 164 metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution, which equates to removing 38.3 passenger cars from the road for a year.

"The Energy Loan Program provides the opportunity to make improvements by installing energy efficient innovations," said Emily Wilbur, director of MoDNR's Division of Energy. "The loan program stimulates Missouri's economy by saving taxpayer money, allowing the applicants to redirect savings toward other priorities."

Since the Energy Loan Program's inception in 1989, the department's Division of Energy has awarded more than 630 loans representing more than $120 million in completed energy efficiency projects and more than $235 million in estimated cumulative energy savings. Through the Division of Energy, low-interest loans for the fiscal year 2025 cycle were provided to public schools, public higher education institutions, and local governments to help reduce energy costs. Loan financing may be used for various energy-saving investments such as insulation, lighting systems, heating and cooling systems, combined heat and power systems, pumps, motors, aerators, renewable energy systems and other measures that reduce energy use and cost.

To learn more about the Energy Loan Program, please visit dnr.mo.gov/energy/financial-assistance-opportunities or contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Energy at 573-751-2254 or toll-free at 855-522-2796.