The end of the year is a busy time! Before you turn the calendar to 2025, make sure you’ve submitted your applications for cash incentives from the Energy Trust projects you completed this year. The deadline is December 31, 2024.
Energy Trust cash incentives help you offset the upfront costs and reap the rewards of your new equipment sooner. You can find all of the agriculture incentive information and forms you need on the Energy Trust website. The fastest and most convenient option is submitting the forms online, but there are mail, email and fax options as well. Don’t forget to include invoices for purchased equipment.
Continue the savings in 2025
Looking ahead to next year, do you already have plans to replace or upgrade equipment or systems at your agricultural or industrial operation? Whether you’re just starting to think about it, or have a plan in place, Energy Trust can help you maximize your savings. We’ll assess your operations and help you select the best equipment for the job that saves energy and qualifies for cash incentives. We can also recommend contractors in your area.
Smaller irrigation upgrades are a great place for farms to start. Replacing hardware, like sprinklers, nozzles and gaskets takes care of leaks, improves water flow and saves energy and water too. Rebates from Energy Trust make these a simple and low-cost project.
Here are some examples of farmers, growers and small industrial business owners like you who have been happy with their energy-saving upgrades and the Energy Trust incentive checks that came with them.
At his asparagus and onion farm outside Milton-Freewater, Felipe Jimenez is saving water, labor costs and an estimated 33% on energy costs after installing drip irrigation and a variable frequency drive (VFD) on his irrigation pump.
When Josh Zielinski, assistant manager at Alpha Nursery in Salem, learned that the Energy Trust incentive would cover half the cost of a VFD on an irrigation pump, he was sold. “The variable frequency drive is a good example. For the amount of energy and water it saves and the control it gives us, it wasn’t overly expensive. It was a good deal.”
The Criss Family Farms near Klamath Falls, received $21,000 in Energy Trust cash incentives when they added a new pivot irrigation system as well as a new pump with a VFD. “The variable frequency drive runs everything more efficiently, reducing energy costs,” said Chad Criss. The farm expected to cut energy costs by $5,900.
A heated greenhouse could save 30% in natural gas by reglazing alone. Youngblood Nursery in Salem saved an estimated 54,000 therms annually after upgrading their greenhouse glazing. They also received an Energy Trust cash incentive of $162,000 for the project.
If you’d like to ramp up for 2025 and learn more about how to save with cash incentives on energy saving projects at your farm or facility, contact an Energy Trust representative at 1.866.202.0576 or email production@energytrust.org.