MediaContact:
Karl Walquist (775) 834-3891

Several nonprofit organizations in rural Nevada, including Mineral County Care& Share offices in Hawthorne and Mina, are getting a total of $65,448 in grants from Sierra Pacific Power Company to make energy efficiency improvements at their facilities. Care& Share provides services to senior citizens in Mineral County.
 
The grants should help the nonprofits better manage their utility costs and reduce the total amount of energy Sierra Pacific must generate at its power plants or purchase from other suppliers, explained Larry Rackley, project leader for energy efficiency and conservation at Sierra Pacific.

The projected energy savings from the rural grants amounts to approximately 67,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, Rackley said.

He said the Mineral County Care& Share office in Hawthorne is getting a $2,754 grant to install energy efficient fluorescent lighting, insulation and energy efficient windows, and the office in Mina will receive a $5,843 grant for energy efficient lighting and windows, as well as programmable thermostats and an energy efficient door. The annual energy savings from the improvements is expected to be approximately 12,600 kilowatt hours of electricity. Checks for the grants will be presented on Monday, June 12.

Among the other rural Nevada nonprofit groups receiving energy efficiency grants are Piper's Opera House in Virginia City; Head Start of Northeastern Nevada and the Family Resource Center, both in Elko; the Tonopah Development Corporation; the Pershing County 4H Council in Lovelock; and Winnemucca Recycling. 

Grants are also going to agencies in Reno and Incline Village in Washoe County.

In 2005, Sierra Pacific awarded about $100,000 in energy efficiency grants to 20 agencies and the utility awarded $75,000 in grants to 16 nonprofit organizations in 2004.