Contact: Karl Walquist, (775) 834-3891

The Churchill Animal Protection Society (CAPS) in Fallon will soon be more energy efficient because of a $4,426 grant from Sierra Pacific Power Company.

Sierra Pacific representatives will present the energy efficiency grant to CAPS at the animal shelter, 5894 Pasture Road, on Tuesday, May 17, at 4:30 p.m.

CAPS, a nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter, plans to use the grant to replace the building's old single pane windows with energy efficient, dual-pane windows, to install programmable thermostats, and more energy efficient “doggy” doors in the kennel.

According to Larry Rackley, project manager for energy efficiency programs at Sierra Pacific, the improvements should reduce the building's energy usage by about 5,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, or a savings of approximately $400 per year in energy costs.

The goal of the grant program is to help nonprofit groups better manage their utility costs and to help reduce the total amount of energy that Sierra Pacific needs to produce at its power plants or purchase from other energy suppliers, Rackley said.

In 2004, Sierra Pacific Power awarded more than $75,000 in grants to 16 nonprofit organizations in northern Nevada to fund energy efficiency improvements at the agencies' facilities. Approximately $100,000 in grant funding is expected to be awarded in northern Nevada in 2005.