Contact: Karl Walquist, (775) 834-3891

Sierra Pacific Power is helping nine Reno nonprofit agencies save money on their power bills with $42,453 in energy efficiency grants. The agencies will use the funds to install double pane windows, fluorescent lights and make other energy efficient improvements that will help reduce their energy use.

The annual energy savings for each of the agencies is expected to range from $200 to $1,500, depending on the energy efficiency improvements.

The grant checks will be presented by Sierra Pacific President Jeff Ceccarelli and Mary Simmons, the utility's vice president of external affairs, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 25, at the Lake Mansion, 250 Court St., which serves as the headquarters for VSA arts of Nevada, one of the grant recipients.

Other nonprofit organizations that will be awarded the grants include: Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada, Nevada Land Conservancy, Ronald McDonald House, The Children's Cabinet, The Nature Conservancy, WARC, and Washoe Legal Services.

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, explained Bob Balzar, director of energy efficiency and customer strategy for Sierra Pacific.

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 throughout the company's northern Nevada service area in 2005.

Following is a summary of how the grants will be used at the agencies:

• VSA arts of Nevada, an organization that gets children and adults involved in the visual and performing arts, plans to use its $5,000 grant for insulation, storm windows and weather stripping at the historic Lake Mansion, newly relocated to its Court and Arlington Street location, and currently undergoing renovation.
• The Nature Conservancy, an organization dedicated to preserving the diversity of life on earth, is getting a $3,500 grant to install a solar-powered pump for ponds in a wildlife preserve east of Reno.
• Friends of Nevada Wilderness, a wilderness education and advocacy group, will use its $5,000 grant to install double pane windows at its 1 Booth Street offices.
• Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada will use their $6,700 grant to install the latest generation of energy efficient fluorescent lights at their 605 Washington St. offices, along with motion sensors that switch lights on and off automatically when someone enters or leaves a room.
• Nevada Land Conservancy, which is dedicated to preserving and protecting open space in Nevada, plans to use its $5,000 grant to install double pane windows.
•  Ronald McDonald House, 323 Maine St., in Reno provides an affordable place for parents to stay if they have seriously ill children who are hospitalized. The organization's $6,950 grant will be used to install upgraded fluorescent lights and motion sensors.
• WARC, an agency that administers programs for people with developmental disabilities, plans to use its $4,500 grant to install more energy efficient heating and cooling equipment at its 790 Sutro St. location.
• Washoe Legal Services, which provides low-income clients with free legal services, plans to use its $5,000 grant to install double pane windows and an energy efficient glass door at its offices at 650 Tahoe St.
• The Children's Cabinet, 1090 S. Rock Blvd., is using its $803 grant to install exit signs that use energy efficient LED (light emitting diode) lights.