Selected Past Projects
State Energy Offices/State Agencies
New York State Energy Research & Development Authority
Designed and delivered a program to offer incentives on variable speed drives to New York farmers. Enrolled 573 farmers in the program from 1999-2003, saving over 10 million kWh. In 2004-2005, offered energy audits and equipment incentives through the Montgomery/Schenectady County Dairy Development Energy Program. Currently, we are working with NYSERDA in the management of the Agriculture Energy Efficiency Program.
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Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, State Energy Conservation Office
Designed and delivered a program to offer free energy audits and technical assistance to Texas agricultural producers. In addition to providing four informational workshops and four data collector trainings, we provided 68 farm energy audits and 32 technical assistance reports over the one-year program period.
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Minnesota Department of Commerce
Conducted a pilot farm energy audit program for Minnesota farmers. This small audit program was used to gauge the opportunity for full-scale farm energy programs in the state.
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California Public Utilities Commission
Designed and delivered a program to offer incentives on variable speed drives to dairy customers of two California utilities.
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Maryland Energy Administration
Worked with the Maryland Energy Administration to deliver the Maryland Statewide Farm Energy Audit Program. Other program partners included the Maryland Eastern Shore Resource Conservation & Development Council, Maryland Agriculture and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Rural Development, the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Washington County Soil Conservation District, and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education.
The program began as a pilot program in 2006, delivering 25 energy audits to farmers on Maryland’s eastern shore. The program then expanded to target the dairy-intensive counties of Western Maryland and added equipment incentives to the program design. In 2009, the program extended eligibility to all farmers in the state, expanded its incentives, and offered technical assistance reports in addition to farm energy audits. In 2010, the program was one of five winners of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s States Stepping Forward Project, recognizing exemplary state-run energy efficiency programs. Program funding from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is currently on hold.
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Minnesota Department of Commerce
Operated the Minnesota Farm Energy Conservation Improvement Program for customers of Xcel Energy, Minnesota Power, and Alliant Energy – Interstate Power and Light Co. The program offered the utilities’ farm customers farm energy audits and cash incentives on a range of energy efficiency measures.
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Michigan Public Utilities Commission
Designed and delivered a program to offer incentives on variable speed drives to Michigan dairy farms.
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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Designed and delivered a program to offer incentives on variable speed drives to Pennsylvania dairies. Also educated dairies about mercury disposal on the farm.
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Electric Utilities/Rural Electric Cooperatives
Southern California Edison
Operated the Agricultural Ventilation Fan Efficiency Program to promote the installation of energy efficient ventilation fans for agricultural producers. Offered rebates on the installation of fans. Funded through Southern California Edison’s Innovative Designs for Energy Efficiency Activities (IDEEA) Program.
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Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Delivered the Dairy Energy Efficiency Program, starting in 2006 and continuing today. This program offers incentives to PG&E dairy customers for installing a range of energy efficiency measures.
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Wisconsin Public Service Farm Audit Program
Provided several hundred energy audits from 1999-2007 within the utility’s farm rewiring program.
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Central Vermont Public Service Corporation, Vermont
Completed on-site farm energy audits. Coordinated with customers and trade allies to install recommended measures.
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Efficiency Vermont
Collaborated with Efficiency Vermont’s geo-targeting initiative to encourage and oversee energy efficiency retrofits for farmers in specific areas of the state. The program provided incentives for energy efficiency within geographic areas with aging substations in order to avoid costly upgrades to the electric grid.
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Massachusetts Electric Corporation
Worked with to RCE, Inc. to provide on-site farm energy audits for Massachusetts and New Hampshire customers.
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Otter Tail Power Company, Minnesota
Conducted a pilot farm energy audit program to evaluate the potential for a large-scale farm energy program.
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Vermont Public Power Supply Authority
Provided farm energy audits, measure installation facilitation and farm energy educational support to utilities under the Authority.
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Washington Electric Cooperative, Vermont
Provided dairy farm energy audits, presentations, education and measure installation facilitation. Provided analysis and recommendations for water heater fuel switching.
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Xcel Energy, Minnesota
Delivered farm energy audits to a full spectrum of Xcel Energy farm customers. These farm energy audits were augmented by cash incentives offered to agricultural producers to install energy efficient measures.
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Alliant Energy, Iowa
Surveyed electricians, farm equipment dealers, and related businesses to develop a database of trade allies for Alliant Energy. This identification of trade allies allowed Alliant Energy to market rebates to specific dealers that sell, lease, install and service energy efficient measures.
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Central Maine Power Corporation
Conducted a pilot data gathering program, surveying agricultural customers ranging from greenhouse operations to dairy farms. EnSave developed educational materials for distribution to all dairy customers.
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Green Mountain Power Corporation, Vermont
Conducted project management to coordinate with customers and trade allies to install energy efficient measures.
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Wisconsin Electric Power Company
Operated a multi-year (1998-2000) farm energy conservation program that delivered energy efficient measures through farm equipment dealers, electricians and directly to the farmers.
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Federal Agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Partnered with Upper Columbia Resource Conservation and Development Council and Blue Mountain Resource Conservation and Development Council. The program educated farmers in Eastern Washington about no-till direct seeding and provided incentives for every acre switched from conventional tillage to no-till direct seeding. Enrolled 16,000 acres and reduced diesel use by 60%.
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USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Registered as a technical service provider to provide agricultural energy management plans in 48 states. Has also been awarded four state Conservation Innovation Grants to provide training for energy management plan data collectors. Provided training in New Jersey, Montana, Colorado, and Missouri.
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Nonprofit Organizations, Educational Institutions, Trade Associations
Southern New Hampshire Resource Conservation and Development
Partnered with the Southern New Hampshire Resource Conservation and Development Council and Merrimack County Conservation District to deliver 25 farm energy audits to small and medium-sized producers throughout New Hampshire. EnSave trained representatives of the Conservation District as energy data collectors, and worked with the two organizations to provide energy audits and energy technical assistance to participating farmers.
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Virginia Cooperative Extension
Partnered with Virginia Cooperative Extension to train extension personnel as energy data collectors. We worked cooperatively with the University to deliver energy audits as part of the Energy Audit Pilot Program for On-Farm Energy Conservation and Outreach.
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Propane Education & Research Council
Worked with the Propane Education & Research Council to investigate opportunities for propane marketers to promote farm energy efficiency. EnSave trained representatives from Iowa propane marketers, worked with the marketers to complete energy audits, and evaluated the potential for the propane industry to use energy audits as a tool for customer education and retention.
