Except as provided by § 455.92 of this part, all eligible applications received by the State will be ranked by the State in accordance with its approved State Plan.

For technical assistance programs, buildings shall be ranked in descending priority based upon the energy conservation potential, on a savings percentage basis, of the building as determined in the energy audit or energy use evaluation pursuant to § 455.20(k). Each State shall develop separate rankings for all buildings covered by eligible applications for:

Technical assistance programs for units of local government and public care institutions and

Technical assistance programs for schools and hospitals.

All eligible applications for energy conservation measures received will be ranked by the State on building-by-building or a measure-by-measure basis. If a State ranks on a building-by-building basis, several buildings may be ranked as a single building if the application proposes a single energy conservation measure which is physically connected to all of the buildings. If a State ranks on a measure-by-measure basis, a measure that is physically connected to a number of buildings may be ranked as a single measure. Buildings or measures shall be ranked in accordance with the procedures established by the State Plan on the basis of the information developed during a technical assistance program (or its equivalent) for the building and the criteria for ranking applications. The criterion set forth in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall receive at least 50 percent of the weight given to the criteria used to rank applications. Each State may assign weights to the other criteria as set forth in the State Plan pursuant to § 455.20(e). The criteria for ranking applications are:

Simple payback or a life-cycle cost analysis, calculated in accordance with § 455.63 and § 455.64, as applicable;

The types and quantities of energy to be saved, including oil, natural gas, or electricity, in a priority as established in the approved State Plan;

The types of energy sources to which conversion is proposed, including renewable energy;

The quality of the technical assistance program report; and

Other factors as determined by the State.

A State is exempt from the ranking requirements of this section when:

The total amount requested by all applications for schools and hospitals for technical assistance and energy conservation measures in a given grant program cycle for grants up to 50 percent is less than or equal to the funds available to the State for such grants and the total amount recommended for hardship funding is less than or equal to the amounts available to the State for such grants and

The total amount requested by all applications for buildings owned by units of local government and public care institutions in a given grant program cycle is less than or equal to the total amount allocated to the State for technical assistance program grants in the State;

If a State elects to permit applications for credit pursuant to § 455.102, such applications for completed or partially completed energy conservation measures shall reflect both the work done and the work to be done and will be reviewed and ranked on the basis of the cost of all of the measures in the project. The credit shall not exceed the non-Federal share of the proposed additional energy conservation measures (and the Federal share shall not exceed the cost of the work remaining to be done).

Within the rankings of school and hospital buildings for technical assistance and energy conservation measures including renewable resource measures to the extent that approvable applications are submitted, a State shall initially assure that:

Schools receive at least 30 percent of the total funds allocated for schools and hospitals to the State in any grant program cycle and

Hospitals receive at least 30 percent of the total funds allocated for schools and hospitals to the State in any grant program cycle.

If there are insufficient applications from schools or hospitals to cover the respective 30 percent requirements specified in paragraph (f) of this section, then the State may recommend use of the remaining funds in those allocations for other qualified applicants.