Rural Oregon businesses REAP benefits of OSU program

Oregon State University’s Energy Efficiency Center is expanding a program to provide subsidized energy efficiency assessments and recommendations thanks to a two-year grant from the federal Department of Energy’s Rural Energy for America Program, according to a report in Sustainable Business Oregon.

The assessments and accompanying recommendation are available to any small rural business or farm in Oregon that derives more than half its gross annual income from agriculture. The REAP grant will pick up about 75 percent of the cost of the service, leaving business owners to pay just $370.

OSU says savings can be gained by installing more efficient systems, running equipment less often, generating renewable energy, increasing productivity and reducing waste as well as by using different ways of using fuel, fertilizer and farm equipment. As an example, running a tractor at less than full throttle in a higher gear can save 10 to 25 percent in fuel cost.

This program is an expansion of a similar OSU initiative supported by the Department of Energy for industrial clients. During the past 24 years, the Industrial Assessment Program recommended more than $18 million of savings for local industrial clients.

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