CU awards $50K in EnergyWise grants

The program provides funding for projects that aim to cost-effectively reduce energy and water consumption or electric demand and do not qualify for prescribed rebate programs, according to a CU news release. Fifteen applications for requests totaling $513,000 were received for 2008, the program’s first year. The total amount available for the program annually is $50,000.

This year’s grants will go to:

• Springfield Workshop Inc., which will receive $22,500. The not-for-profit workshop employs people with disabilities and does sub-contract work for local manufacturers. The grant will go toward increasing the facility’s ceiling insulation level to R-38 from R-19 in the main production area, cafeteria and office areas – a measure that is expected to reduce heating costs by 20 percent and cooling costs by 10 percent, the release said. The grant will cover half of the total project cost.

• Missouri State University’s Residence Life and Services, which will receive $22,340. The funds will be used to install occupancy sensors on all lights in community and public restrooms, common study areas, multipurpose rooms, computer labs and laundry rooms in all residence halls on the MSU campus, according to the release. The change should save about 175,000 kilowatt-hours each year. The grant covers the equipment cost; MSU will cover labor costs of the project, which should amount to about $18,000.

• Boys & Girls Town of Missouri, which will receive $5,140. The organization plans to use the funds to replace six refrigerators with EnergyStar refrigerators, which is projected to save about 12,576 kilowatt-hours per year.

Grant recipients must be CU commercial electric, natural gas or water customers who are nonprofit organizations, governmental entities or academic institutions. Grant requests must be between $1,000 and $50,000, and funds must be completely used, with project completion within 18 months of receiving an award, according to the release.

Information on the 2009 EnergyWise Grant Program will be available after the beginning of next year, CU Director of Energy Management and Conservation Cara Shaefer said.[[In-content Ad]]