Energy Efficiency

Joan Meitl, the Environmental Assistance Coordinator for the Idaho SBDC, helps small businesses comply with environmental regulations and find bottom line benefits to reducing their environmental risk. She is building resources for a new area - energy efficiency. She provided the information below on incentives from the two major power companies in Idaho - Idaho Power and Avista Corporation.

Idaho Power offers three energy efficiency programs for commercial and industrial customers. The Easy Upgrades, Building Efficiency, and Custom Efficiency programs provide financial incentives for new construction projects, simple retrofits in existing buildings and complex energy-saving projects. Idaho Power offers the Business Energy Analysis tool to help businesses better understand their energy usuage and ways to use the energy more efficiently. After answering a few simple questions, Idaho Power will provide you with easy ways to save on the energy expense of your business. You can also get a "model" estimate of how businesses similar to yours are using and conserving energy. All of this and more can be found in the Your Business section of Idaho Power's Customer Service.

Avista Corporation provides the Business Energy Analyzer for personalized cost-saving recommendations. Incentives are also available to customers who take the appropriate steps to make their facilities more energy efficient. This includes upgrading equipment for lighting, heating, and cooling, and other hard-wired improvements. Information about this program can be found on the Washington and Idaho Energy Incentives page on Avista Corporation's website.

For questions about environmental compliance or environmental risk reduction, contact Joan Meitl at JoanMeitl@boisestate.edu or (208) 426-1839.