Energy Rebate Programs Make Upgrades Possible, Illuminating Positive Change

By supporting small farmers with markets for their goods, The Good Acre is helping power the economics of localized agriculture and food security for people in the community. The nonprofit is always looking for ways to balance its mission and values – supporting small-scale farming, sourcing nourishing food for hunger relief, all while trying to minimize its carbon footprint for the good of the planet.

“Our work is to build farm to community,” said Theresa McCormick, executive director at The Good Acre. “We know that it matters where our food comes from, and where it goes. And that’s the work that we do, building all those community connections to unlock the power of local food.”

But the energy and resources needed to fulfil those goals did not leave the organization with enough capacity to make upgrades on its 10,000 square-foot facility, including warehouse, walk-in cooler, kitchen, office, and common spaces in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights. Lighting was a particular area of concern.

“Our lights were just kind of starting to fall apart,” said Zach Dowd, Food Hub Operations Manager for The Good Acre. “They weren’t lasting long. It was getting dark, so we couldn’t actually access some of the space.”

Xcel Energy assessment and rebate programs unlock opportunities.

Xcel Energy also has a mission to try and promote energy efficiency. Understanding that upgrades can be cost prohibitive, the company has rolled out programs to help businesses and organizations reduce the costs through rebates, financing, and demand-side management. By helping businesses afford these upgrades, the utility can actively help reduce energy waste and reduce carbon emissions, reducing generation costs and fulfilling company environmental goals.

“Xcel Energy offers a wide variety of energy efficiency programs on the commercial and residential …and industrial side,” said Christian Clements, Energy Efficiency Specialist for Xcel Energy. “They can be full blown energy assessments that have up to three years of engagement, or we can just do a one-and-done kind of lighting project.”

When Dowd learned about the energy efficiency programs, he and Clements talked about the situation at The Good Acre. The next step was an assessment of the space to find out where they could get the most improvement most efficiently.

“Lighting has always been something we wanted to upgrade,” Dowd said. “But being a nonprofit, we didn’t have the resources. So, we were really excited when … this program came along.”

Special opportunities for nonprofits

Xcel Energy works with organizations of all types, from small businesses to large corporations to non profits and has made it a goal to seek out opportunities for organizations representing underserved groups. The Good Acre met those criteria and was able to apply for the Nonprofit Energy Savings Program (NESP).

Energy Analyst Cody Venier visited The Good Acre for an assessment. “We realized that there’s a lot of opportunities here, and the main one that stuck out to us was the lighting,” Venier said. “In the warehouse they had some high bays that had fluorescent tube lighting and that was a significant portion of their electric cost. We switched those all out with integrated LED fixtures.” Occupancy controls were added in the coolers and warehouse to shut off lights when the space was not occupied.

“Another thing that we were able to implement is direct install where we come out and replace lights,” Venier said. “The rebates come with a bonus through this program, so it’s more than the up to 60% rebate you would normally get. And that’s a huge factor for nonprofits.”

In fact, with that bonus, materials for the lighting retrofit did not cost The Good Acre anything out of pocket, while it now enjoys lower electric bills and a safer space. Typically, participants are responsible only for any uncovered balance for materials and labor, or just the labor if material costs are fully covered.

Areas where all businesses can benefit.

For profit businesses also see enormous benefits, Clements said, and it goes far beyond lighting. “Some of the big ones would be air conditioning, heating, ventilation, as well as compressed air. We can look at even the building envelope [insulation, doors, and windows]. We can look at new construction opportunities or retrofit as well. If it plugs into a wall, let’s see if we can rebate it.”

Whether nonprofit or for-profit, Clements encouraged anyone with a building to operate to contact Xcel Energy to explore efficiency audits and rebate programs. With many versions available, there is a good chance some programs will be a good fit.

For The Good Acre, the audit and rebates were perfectly in line with the organization’s mission.

“What efficiency means for us in this organization is the ability to not only deliver on our promise for farmers and community partners today, but it sets us up for being able to deliver on that promise tomorrow,” said McCormick. “The work with Xcel Energy has meant that we can deliver a state-of-the-art experience for both our farm partners and for our community partners.”

Visit bizenergyhq.startribune.com to view more tips from Xcel Energy and discover how your business can start saving money and energy today.