Companies can slash energy costs with Business Council grants

The Wyoming Business Council has grant money available to help small businesses, agricultural producers, nonprofits and local governments make energy efficiency improvements to their facilities.

“Energy efficiency improvements are an often overlooked, cost-effective opportunity to save money on operating costs and reduce energy consumption,” said Sherry Hughes, State Energy Office program manager.

The Small Business Energy Audit/Retrofit grant program has $85,000 available. The program pays for 75 percent of the cost of an energy audit. Depending on funding levels, grantees can also receive a fraction for some of the lighting upgrades, insulation and other deficiencies discovered by the auditor.  The cost of the audit and associated improvements cannot exceed $5,000.

Residences are not eligible for this grant program.

Local governments can apply to the Energy Improvement grant programs, which are designed to retrofit existing buildings to maximize energy savings and create a sustainable reduction in energy usage.

Applicants must sign up for the WYLite program by emailing John Canfield of Trident Energy Services at jfcanfield@tridentenergy.com or calling him at 303-247-0193. The program includes a free energy assessment. 

There is $100,000 available in the energy efficiency program, and grantees may be awarded up to $20,000.

A new program available this year will also help local governments interested in lighting retrofits. There is $150,000 budgeted for this program, and grants are available for up to $25,000.

“There’s also been a high interest in just completing lighting retrofits, so we started a new program to specifically address those needs,” Hughes said.

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