Contact: Karl Walquist (775) 834-3891

Mineral County Care& Share, a nonprofit agency that provides services to senior citizens in Hawthorne and Mineral County, is getting a $5,000 energy efficiency grant from Sierra Pacific Power.

According to Care& Share Director Caroline Gillis, the agency plans to use the grant to install energy efficient double pane windows and programmable thermostats, and to upgrade existing fluorescent lighting with more efficient lights.

The grant check will be presented to Care& Share at noon on Thursday, June 16, at the Care& Share Senior Center, 975 K. Street in Hawthorne.

The energy efficiency improvements could reduce Care& Share's annual power bill by up to $1,500, said Larry Rackley, project manager for energy efficiency at Sierra Pacific.

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

In 2004, Sierra Pacific Power awarded more than $75,000 in grants to 16 nonprofit organizations in northern Nevada to fund energy efficiency improvements. Approximately $100,000 in grant funding is expected to be awarded to 20 nonprofit groups in 2005, Rackley added.

Earlier in the day, Sierra Pacific representatives will present nearly $10,000 in energy efficiency grants to two nonprofit agencies in Tonopah, the Tonopah Senior Center and the Tonopah Development Corporation, an organization created to improve the economy and the quality life in Tonopah.