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Sierra Pacific Power has awarded grants totaling $30,667 to five nonprofit organizations in Elko and one in Battle Mountain so they can invest in efficiency improvements that will reduce their power bills.

The grants were presented to FISH of Elko County, Mishmash& Muddle, the Ruby Mountain Resource Center, The Igloo and the Western Folklife Center, all in Elko, and the Battle Mountain Family Resource Center, according to Larry Rackley with Sierra Pacific Power's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Department. 

The combined annual energy savings from the energy efficiency projects is expected to be approximately 37,800 kilowatt hours of electricity, or an annual savings of about $4,500 Rackley said. A typical northern Nevada household consumes approximately 8,880 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

"This is a valuable program because it provides assistance to nonprofit organizations that are usually operating on very tight budgets while serving their communities,"said Mary Simmons, vice president of external affairs for Sierra Pacific Power.

Elko nonprofit groups receiving the grants will be using them for the following:

* F.I.S.H. (Friends in Service Helping) of Elko County will use its $6,523 grant to install energy efficient windows at a transitional housing facility at 487 South Fifth Street.

* The $1,262 grant going to the Mishmash& Muddle Furniture Bank, affiliated with A Lift Up Org, will be invested in energy efficient lighting and reflective window film for their furniture distribution center at 1314 Idaho St.
 
* The Ruby Mountain Resource Center, an agency that provides programs for developmentally disabled adults, will use its $5,000 grant to upgrade windows and thermostats at its six Elko locations.

* The Igloo, a venue for ice hockey and other youth activities at 1515 Silver Street, will use its $4,650 grant to upgrade windows and insulation at the facility.

* The Western Folklife Center, 501 Railroad Street, which hosts the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering and other events to celebrate the American West, received a $7,500 grant that will be used to pay for energy efficient windows and an energy efficient door.

* The Battle Mountain Resource Center, 695 Broad Street, a family support organization that provides a variety of services, received $5,732 to upgrade to more energy efficient fluorescent lights.

Sierra Pacific is also awarding approximately $68,032 in energy efficiency grants to 12 nonprofit groups in Reno, Sparks, Yerington, Gerlach and Hawthorne for a total of $92,967. The utility awarded $106,448 in energy efficiency grants to agencies in northern Nevada during 2006.