Nevada County businesses already are adapting to a warming climate, which is bringing bigger and more destructive wildfires, longer and deeper drought, and more frequent rain-on-snow events that cause flooding. Some of the consequences include higher insurance bills, the need to use more energy and costs for making buildings more fire-resistant.
Business owners (and residents) can take steps that both save money and help solve the underlying cause of the growing climate crisis, by reducing the use of energy, fossil fuels and other sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Many small steps, taken together, can make a difference.
Here are a few ideas and examples.
(Part One of a three-part feature)
Nevada County’s Sierra Business Council can help small businesses lower energy bills
Small business owners can get help when they make investments to lower their energy use. The Sierra Business Council offers free services that show people how they can reduce their utility bills and get help with the cost of those investments.
Through the council’s Sierra Nevada Energy Watch program, business owners can get a free audit of their energy use, look for ways to lower that use, and find rebates that offset energy-saving improvements. Some improvements also may qualify for zero-interest financing of the costs up-front.
Energy-saving improvements commonly include upgrades to heating, ventilation, air conditioning and insulation, replacing doors and windows, roof repairs and new lighting.
Every business owner’s situation is different, and the improvements and financial options vary accordingly, says SNEW Program Manager Sam Ruderman, based in Truckee.
“So many buildings still have outdated and inefficient light fixtures… that can easily be replaced by LEDs for the interior and exterior,” Ruderman adds.
Fourteen counties, including Nevada, Placer, Yolo and Sierra, are part of the SNEW program. The Public Purchase Program charge, a small monthly fee paid by all Pacific Gas and Electric Co. account-holders, pays for the program.
SNEW helps both governmental agencies and businesses: Nevada City replaced the heating system for the men’s and women’s showers at the Pioneer Park pool with high-efficiency, hot-water heat pumps, says Sierra Business Council’s Katey Ford. In El Dorado County, the transit authority upgraded its lighting. Savings are in the thousands of dollars yearly, SNEW reported.
Small- to medium-sized businesses that use less than 500,000 kilowatt-hours per year of electricity qualify for the program. (Homeowners are not eligible as of this writing, but the program may expand in the future, Ford says.)
Working with SNEW, a vetted energy contractor comes to the business and later sends a written report outlining areas where energy could be saved and how. With help from SNEW and the contractor, the business owner learns about resources available to make those improvements, including financing opportunities such as rebates.
Many energy-saving upgrades may qualify for a zero-interest loan that comes through the business’ PG&E bill. It’s called on-bill financing, and it works this way: In the energy audit report, the contractor includes a cost analysis for all measures, including projected savings, Ruderman explained. If the project is eligible for on-bill financing and the customer agrees, the contractor performs the work and pays the upfront costs. The customer continues to pay the utility bills as before; but, the amount of money “saved” by the upgrades goes back, through PG&, E, to repay the contractor.
Even in a scenario where the business owner pays the costs up front, he or she would see savings immediately on the energy bill, Ruderman pointed out.
The team at SNEW guides people through the process to enroll in the program, and explains the ins and outs, and manages the upgrade project. There is no charge for any of the program’s energy audits or consulting services.
“We tell people, ‘You’re already paying for these services’” through the charge on the PG&E bill, Ruderman says. “You should take advantage of these opportunities. It costs no money up front to just see what they are.”
sam ruderman, Snew’s program manager
BriarPatch Food Co-op in Grass Valley is the most recent business in western Nevada County to start working with SNEW to audit problems and finance solutions. They are early in the process, and it’s not clear what upgrades the store will pursue through SNEW, says BriarPatch Sustainability Coordinator Lauren Scott. In addition to saving the store money, energy-efficient upgrades fit with the member-owned store’s values supporting sustainability and environmental stewardship: Lower energy use means fewer greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming. “We are constantly evaluating opportunities to lower our environmental impact,” Scott says.
Sierra Nevada Energy Watch
This program offered through Sierra Business Council provides free services to help business owners reduce energy use:
- Energy audits
- Incentives, rebates, 0-interest loans
- Energy efficiency project management
- Education and training
SBC also offers a free Building Operator Certification course for public agencies to train building maintenance and facility people in energy efficiency best practices.
California Green Business Network offers sustainability guidance – studies show that many consumers care about eco-consciousness and climate change
Businesses that take steps toward environmental sustainability can use that status to attract customers — and a statewide program shows business owners how to get there.
The California Green Business Network offers guidance to business owners wanting to save money on energy, water, garbage collection and other bills. By implemeting environmental sustainability practices recommended by the network, businesses also can improve employee wellness and productivity with steps such as using less-toxic cleaning products.
Business owners who want to see what practices might work for them can get help through the Sierra Business Council, says the SBC’s Green Business Coordinator Katey Ford, based in Truckee.
Several businesses in eastern Nevada County already are on board, and on the western slope, BriarPatch Food Co-op in Nevada County is the first to become certified through the Green Business Network.
BriarPatch Sustainability Coordinator Lauren Scott encourages business owners to check it out. “The (network’s) survey questions cover a vast scope of operational details and will likely shed light on new opportunities for any business,” Scott adds.
More than 60 percent of American consumers care about whether businesses engage in sustainable environmental practices, according to a 2021 study by global strategy and pricing consultants Simon-Kucher & Partners. Around 40 percent of younger shoppers are willing to pay more for sustainable products and services, the survey found.
Check the SBC website for webinars.
https://www.sierrabusiness.org/
Sierra Business Council
10183 Truckee Airport Rd.
Truckee, CA 96161
SNEW@sierrabusiness.org
www.SierraBusiness.org/archives/SNEW
