Energize Whatcom brings energy efficiency to rural businesses

Energize Whatcom is encouraging businesses in rural Whatcom County to consider implementing energy-efficient measures.

The Energize Whatcom program is a collaboration between Sustainable Connections, the Port of Bellingham, Whatcom Conservation District and Spark Northwest, a Seattle nonprofit that transitions communities to clean energy. The program provides financial incentives for participating businesses as well as assistance applying for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants.

Almost all of the services available through Energize Whatcom are available to all businesses in Sustainable Connections’ service area, but the program provides energy audits at a subsidized rate for rural businesses. Businesses outside of Bellingham and Ferndale qualify for the program, said Emily Kubiak, Sustainable Connections energy program manager.

While some businesses in the Blaine area have expressed interest in the program, none have formally signed up yet, Kubiak said.

Sustainable Connections works with participating businesses to conduct an energy audit, then helps the business identify energy-saving opportunities, Kubiak said. The cost of the audit is based on the business’s square footage and subsidized to make it more accessible.

These energy audits aren’t new. Sustainable Connections’ Community Energy Challenge has offered the audits since 2010, Kubiak said. The program has audited 769 businesses in Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan and Island counties with almost 100 percent of businesses implementing energy efficiency changes since, Kubiak said.

“I’d love for anybody who’s even a little bit curious about the energy audit to call,” Kubiak said. “Then, instead of giving this broad idea of what it is, I can tell them, ‘Here’s what’s available to you.’”

After completing the energy audit, the advisor and business owners work together to review the proposed ideas based on cost-effectiveness and potential savings, Kubiak said. Energize Whatcom provides up to $5,000 toward helping businesses implement these changes, with $1,000 dedicated to quick-fix solutions such as replacing lights with LED bulbs.

The Energize Whatcom program also provides assistance working with contractors when deciding to implement projects.

The amount of funding Energize Whatcom provides businesses with is determined by the calculated energy savings a project will yield, Kubiak said. This allows Energize Whatcom to fairly allocate funding across industries that require different industry-specific equipment.

Spark Northwest is also available to help businesses apply for USDA Rural Energy for America Program grants, which can cover up to 25 percent of the cost of energy-efficiency projects. The deadline to apply for USDA grants is November 1.

In 2019, Sustainable Connections facilitated a similar program in San Juan County. During the program, 27 businesses conducted energy audits and 23 businesses, including agricultural producers, received assistance from the program implementing energy efficiency projects, Kubiak said.

Fourteen of those businesses applied and received USDA grants, putting over $120,000 toward solar and energy efficiency improvements in San Juan County businesses, Kubiak said.

“As complex as it may sound to go into this process, going into it with a knowledgeable third party who’s there to help you with every single step makes it as effortless as this sort of thing can be,” Kubiak said. “Whether someone already has a project in mind that they want to complete or they just want to take the first step to figure out what to do, we’re really experienced with bringing people along that entire process.”