Mar 28 2008
Getting paid to eat the low-hanging fruit of conservation Part 1
Energy-efficiency guru, Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, is famous for talking about the low-hanging fruit available to companies through energy efficiency. He contends that there’s so much low-hanging fruit that it “is mushing up around our ankles and spilling in over the tops of our waders while the tree pelts our heads with more fruit.”
For businesses in Silicon Valley, there are some particularly delicious fruits that companies can essentially get paid to eat! I’m referring to incentive programs that subsidize corporate expenditures on programs that result in saving money and resources.
Water Conservation Programs
The WET (Water Efficient Technologies) program is administered by the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant and the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Rebates of up to $50,000 per water conservation project are available for projects that reduce annual water usage by 100,000 cubic feet (100ccf) or more. The rebates can cover up to half the total project cost.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District offers two other rebate programs: the Irrigation System Hardware Rebate Program which offers up to a $4,000 rebate on irrigation system and the Weather Based Irrigation Controller Rebate Program with rebates up to $1,100. Beware that funds are limited for these programs and there are expiration dates.
The water district also offers free site evaluations which have shown potential savings of up to $1,000 per acre of landscape.
Businesses with old-fashioned water-hog toilets can get high-efficiency toilets installed free-of charge, while supplies last! And there is a rebate of up to $400 for replacing commercial washing machines with high-efficiency models.
Even if you’re not in Silicon Valley, your business may qualify for rebates from your local water or pollution control districts or municipality. Check it out!
In Part 2, I’ll cover some sweet energy conservation incentives.