Local businesses are cashing in on energy savings by taking advantage of Gunnison County Electric Association’s commercial energy audits. The audits are conducted by a professional engineer and provide valuable information to the business owner.
GCEA staff work with the auditor to review energy bills over the previous 24 months, list individual sources of space and water heating, document the energy factor and Btu and kilowatt-hour input of equipment, and list all electric loads with the associated time of use and kilowatt input. The audit includes a blower door test and a series of infrared camera photos to confirm sources of air leakage and insulation.
After the walk-through audit, the engineer prepares a technical analysis that lists recommended strategies for making improvements. Gunnison County will give the business owner a detailed, written report with estimated costs and energy savings for each of the improvements.
Thanks to grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Resource Efficiency, the audits are provided to businesses at a low cost and may even be free in some cases. Contact member services at 970-641-3520 to schedule your audit today.
Fort Morgan’s electric co-op and a bank have teamed up to provide co-op members with loans to help them go green.
Morgan County Rural Electric Association has found that often there are members who want to add solar panels to their home or they want to update their windows so they are more efficient, but they don’t have the money. So MCREA partnered with Fort Morgan State Bank to create “Green for going Green.”
This loan program offers 100 percent financing for approved energy efficiency products, wind turbines, energy-efficient windows, solar panels, new insulation, and other efficiency and renewable products. Qualified borrowers must own the home or business and it must be served by MCREA. The applicant must submit a loan application and have an energy audit or an economic estimate from MCREA.
The loans are making it possible for more MCREA members to make their homes more energy efficient and for others to add renewable energy resources to property. It’s a win-win situation.