Media bContact: Karl Walquist, (775) 834-3891kwalquist@sppc.com

The Hawthorne Ordnance Museum in Hawthorne aims to lower its energy bills with new insulation paid for by an energy efficiency grant from Sierra Pacific Power.

Museum Director Loretta Wilson said the $5,000 grant will be used to purchase ceiling insulation and that a local contractor is donating the labor to install it.  

"The museum is in an old Chevy dealership and there is no insulation in the ceiling,"Wilson said."The money we will save on these improvements can be used to restore other parts of the building and add to our collection."

Annual energy usage by the museum should be reduced by about 6,000 kilowatt hours, according to Larry Rackley with Sierra Pacific's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Department.  (A typical northern Nevada household consumes approximately 8,800 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.)

Sierra Pacific has awarded $92,967 to 18 northern Nevada nonprofit organizations during the past several weeks for a variety of energy efficiency improvements, ranging from lighting upgrades to the installation of energy efficient windows and automatic, programmable thermostats. 

"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.

The Hawthorne Ordnance Museum's vast collection of weapons and ordnance represents the past half century of military activity in Hawthorne. The collection features a bomb-dropping, remote-controlled helicopter from the Korean War and a 30-foot, A.S.R.O.C. missile installed in the courtyard.

For more information on the Nonprofit Grant Program or for information regarding energy conservation programs and tips, log ontowww.sierrapacific.com.