The State Energy Office Small Business Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Assessment grant funds will be available to Wyoming businesses until June 30, 2013.
The Wyoming Business Council State Energy Office, in partnership with the University of Wyoming Extension office and Manufacturing-Works, offer funding and technical support to entities pursuing an energy audit and renewable energy assessments.
“The goal of the grant funds is to help Wyoming business owners think differently about how they consume energy and provide them an action plan to act on improving energy efficiency at their places of business,” said Sherry Hughes, State Energy Office Energy Efficiency Program manager. “It’s a great way for business owners to save energy while saving money.”
According to Hughes, energy efficiency improvements and small-scale renewable energy systems are an often overlooked, cost-effective, opportunity for Wyoming’s small businesses, agricultural producers, non-profits, and local governments and this program is aimed at solving that problem.
So far, nine businesses have taken advantage of the energy efficiency grants, including Wyoming-based company Union Wireless.
“When I learned of the energy audit and grant program available from the State of Wyoming, I enthusiastically pursued securing funds from the state,” said Jan Fasselin, Director of Advertising for Union Wireless. “The energy grant provided was critical in allowing Union Telephone to upgrade to a better insulation product. The end result is a much more energy efficient building that will continue to provide service to the employees that work in the community.”
The State Energy Office offers a 75/25 $5,000 grant for energy audits and retrofits as identified within the audit. Qualified entities include small businesses, agricultural producers, non-profits and divisions of local government.
The partnership with the University of Wyoming Extension and Manufacturing Works offers an additional $2,000 through a United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant for small businesses located in rural areas. The USDA grant also offers a renewable energy assessment for rural small businesses, farms and ranches.
Renewable energy assessments explore producing energy through small-scale biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar (thermal and electric), and wind energy systems. Residences and housing units are not eligible.
The audit will be completed by engineers from UW-affiliated Manufacturing Works. Other contractors can also be utilized, but some grant funding may not be available to these vendors due to external grant restrictions.
Applicants will be evaluated based on a first come, first serve basis until funding is exhausted. Eligible applicants may apply for both a renewable energy assessment and energy audit. Information and application can be found at: http://www.wyomingbusiness.org/program/small-business-energy-audit-and-/6663.
For further information contact Corrie Graham by phone at 307.777.2841 or by email at [email protected].
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