NASCIO Awards

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

2011 Awards: Digital Government: Government to Citizen (G to C)

RECIPIENT:
Virginia - ARRA Energy Rebate Systems

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Beginning in 2009, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) received more than $100 million in energy-related federal stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to implement programs to help Virginia residents, businesses, and governments to become more energy efficient. DMME was motivated to quickly develop and launch several rebate programs totaling $37 million to encourage home owners and businesses to invest in energy efficiency measures and appliances, and renewable energy systems like solar and wind power.

In October 2009, DMME launched its first public web-based solution for the energy rebate programs. DMME partnered with Virginia Interactive, LLC (a subsidiary of NIC, Inc.) to develop two programs that provide rebates to consumers who purchase a variety of energy efficiency upgrades and equipment for homes or businesses, and a third program that provides rebate incentives to individuals and companies that invest in solar or wind energy systems.

The comprehensive online offerings automated the complex information submission requirements through a user-friendly web interface for rebate functions. It also simplified administrative requirements while maintaining a high level of security, financial control, and fraud prevention.

Some of the key features include:

E-mail notification of rebate availability and status
Self-service user profile creation and updating
User rebate reservation requests based on “first come, first served” rules
User verification of energy-related improvements and appliances
Encrypted, user-friendly data entry with integrated data validation
System calculations to control rebate amounts based upon user selections
Automated calculation of energy benefit metrics for required federal reporting
Integrated anti-fraud system rules highlight suspicious submissions
AJAX-enhanced web interface allows DMME staff to proficiently manage workloads
A flexible and scalable application framework enabling expedited deployment of multiple rebate types
Administrative functions allowing DMME staff to quickly and accurately review and approve rebate requests and redemptions

Because of Virginia Interactive’s “self-funded” business model, approximately 60 percent of the project’s development was dependent on processed rebates, on a fee-per-transaction basis. This model allowed the DMME to drive down administrative costs, prevented cost overruns and also funded hosting, maintenance and change requests.

Corporate Partner: Virginia Interactive, a division of NIC