Continuing its campaign to promote state assistance for energy efficiency for small businesses, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will host workshops for Northwestern Pennsylvania in Meadville on Feb. 24. The agency will also reach out to grant applicants through a series of online seminars about the program, offered in cooperation with the federal Energy Star program, through early April.
Funded through the state’s new Alternative Energy Investment Fund, Small Business Energy Efficiency Grants cover up to 25 percent of the costs of energy conservation measures up to a maximum grant of $25,000. They are applicable to a wide range of small businesses, including manufacturers, retail and service businesses, and agricultural and mining operations. And they apply to energy efficiencies that improve the operations of lighting, heating, cooling, and refrigeration systems, as well as process machinery, building insulation, and weatherization projects.
The Meadville workshops will take place at DEP Regional Office, 2:30 Chestnut St., 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
“These workshops are for independent, for-profit small businesses with 100 employees or fewer,” says DEP Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch. Citing energy costs as a key concern, Burch notes that “the goal of the workshops is to provide information on ways to bring such costs under control.”
Resources for the grant applications, as well as registration information for the online seminars, can be found at the the DEP’s Energy Independence Web site. Applications will be accepted until May 1 or the $3-million fund is exhausted.
Source: PA Department of Environmental Protection
Writer: Joseph Plummer
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