(a) Other appropriate activities or programs may be included in the State plan. These activities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Program activities of public education to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and alternative transportation fuels;

(2) Program activities to increase transportation energy efficiency, including programs to accelerate the use of alternative transportation fuels for government vehicles, fleet vehicles, taxis, mass transit, and privately owned vehicles;

(3) Program activities for financing energy efficiency measures and renewable energy measures—

(i) Which may include loan programs and performance contracting programs for leveraging of additional public and private sector funds and program activities which allow rebates, grants, or other incentives for the purchase of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy measures; or

(ii) In addition to or in lieu of program activities described in paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this section, which may be used in connection with public or nonprofit buildings owned and operated by a State, a political subdivision of a State or an agency or instrumentality of a State, or an organization exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 including public and private non-profit schools and hospitals, and local government buildings;

(4) Program activities for encouraging and for carrying out energy audits with respect to buildings and industrial facilities (including industrial processes) within the State;

(5) Program activities to promote the adoption of integrated energy plans which provide for:

(i) Periodic evaluation of a State's energy needs, available energy resources (including greater energy efficiency), and energy costs; and

(ii) Utilization of adequate and reliable energy supplies, including greater energy efficiency, that meet applicable safety, environmental, and policy requirements at the lowest cost;

(6) Program activities to promote energy efficiency in residential housing, such as:

(i) Program activities for development and promotion of energy efficiency rating systems for newly constructed housing and existing housing so that consumers can compare the energy efficiency of different housing; and

(ii) Program activities for the adoption of incentives for builders, utilities, and mortgage lenders to build, service, or finance energy efficient housing;

(7) Program activities to identify unfair or deceptive acts or practices which relate to the implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy measures and to educate consumers concerning such acts or practices;

(8) Program activities to modify patterns of energy consumption so as to reduce peak demands for energy and improve the efficiency of energy supply systems, including electricity supply systems;

(9) Program activities to promote energy efficiency as an integral component of economic development planning conducted by State, local, or other governmental entities or by energy utilities;

(10) Program activities (enlisting appropriate trade and professional organizations in the development and financing of such programs) to provide training and education (including, if appropriate, training workshops, practice manuals, and testing for each area of energy efficiency technology) to building designers and contractors involved in building design and construction or in the sale, installation, and maintenance of energy systems and equipment to promote building energy efficiency;

(11) Program activities for the development of building retrofit standards and regulations, including retrofit ordinances enforced at the time of the sale of a building;

(12) Program activities to provide support for prefeasibility and feasibility studies for projects that utilize renewable energy and energy efficiency resource technologies in order to facilitate access to capital and credit for such projects;

(13) Program activities to facilitate and encourage the voluntary use of renewable energy technologies for eligible participants in Federal agency programs, including the Rural Electrification Administration and the Farmers Home Administration; and

(14) In accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, program activities to implement the Energy Technology Commercialization Services Program.

(b) This section prescribes requirements for establishing State-level Energy Technology Commercialization Services Program as an optional element of State plans.

(1) The program activities to implement the functions of the Energy Technology Commercialization Services Program shall:

(i) Aid small and start-up businesses in discovering useful and practical information relating to manufacturing and commercial production techniques and costs associated with new energy technologies;

(ii) Encourage the application of such information in order to solve energy technology product development and manufacturing problems;

(iii) Establish an Energy Technology Commercialization Services Program affiliated with an existing entity in each State;

(iv) Coordinate engineers and manufacturers to aid small and start-up businesses in solving specific technical problems and improving the cost effectiveness of methods for manufacturing new energy technologies;

(v) Assist small and start-up businesses in preparing the technical portions of proposals seeking financial assistance for new energy technology commercialization; and

(vi) Facilitate contract research between university faculty and students and small start-up businesses, in order to improve energy technology product development and independent quality control testing.

(2) Each State Energy Technology Commercialization Services Program shall develop and maintain a data base of engineering and scientific experts in energy technologies and product commercialization interested in participating in the service. Such data base shall, at a minimum, include faculty of institutions of higher education, retired manufacturing experts, and National Laboratory personnel.

(3) The services provided by the Energy Technology Commercialization Services Program established under this subpart shall be available to any small or start-up business. Such service programs shall charge fees which are affordable to a party eligible for assistance, which shall be determined by examining factors, including the following: the costs of the services received; the need of the recipient for the services; and the ability of the recipient to pay for the services.