The owners of The Dirty Cowgirl food truck made the jump to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2022. Since then, the newly renamed Dirty Cowgirl Saloon has become a gathering place where the Wasco community and travelers alike can enjoy a hot meal and a cool beverage.
The building that houses the bar and restaurant is well over 100 years old and was originally part of a hotel that burned down. When the owners of The Dirty Cowgirl bought it, the space had been unoccupied since 2017, and all the equipment and every appliance were over 30 years old.
“When we bought the building, there were so many things I wanted to do to fix it up,” said Celeste Jackson, one of The Dirty Cowgirl Saloon’s owners. Before opening, they repainted, redid the floors and added outdoor seating. The owners then moved on to updating appliances one by one, typically as a necessity whenever something broke down. Jackson turned to two different efficiency programs to help cover the cost of new ductless heat pumps (DHPs) and a commercial smart thermostat.
Cash incentives help small businesses afford quality equipment
Jackson received cash incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon and a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) that helped ease the financial burden of replacing the equipment. REAP supports agricultural producers and rural small businesses through guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to make energy efficiency improvements. Energy Trust also helps small businesses purchase a variety of energy-efficient equipment by providing cash incentives.
The Dirty Cowgirl Saloon’s new equipment qualified for $1,300 in Energy Trust cash incentives, which, combined with the REAP grant, funded just over half of the upgrade. “Project costs add up, so any funding we can get is a big help,” said Jackson. Without the incentives or grant, the business owners would have taken on debt or waited until they had more money to make the upgrades, risking additional challenges as they rolled into the busy summer months.
Energy Trust staff helped the owners of The Dirty Cowgirl Saloon prioritize equipment upgrades based on how much energy they could save the business as well as the availability of cash incentives. This coaching gave Jackson an idea of how much the business can expect to save on energy costs with each potential project. Jackson’s new knowledge helps her plan future equipment replacements ahead of time. “Every penny we save on our utilities gets us that much closer to our next upgrade,” said Jackson.
The first project Jackson took on with Energy Trust’s help was replacing the business’ aging diesel furnace and rooftop air conditioning unit with DHPs.
Ductless heat pumps heat and cool restaurants effectively and efficiently
In their first year in the new space, recurring issues with the building’s HVAC system cost the owners of The Dirty Cowgirl Saloon time and money. Management would have to close the business whenever old equipment broke down. “Sometimes the repair people would have to come in from hours away. We’ve had a lot of product spoil because of the amount of time it took to get appliances fixed,” said Jackson.
When the business’ rooftop air conditioning unit and diesel furnace were operating, the restaurant was either too hot or too cold. The fluctuating temperature of the space was something both staff and customers noticed. “While our customers are very supportive of our business, there were some understandable complaints about the temperature that made us want to find a fix,” said Jackson.
DHPs were the obvious choice when it came to replacing their HVAC equipment because they provide both heating and cooling. DHPs are easier to install than ducted systems and offer more flexibility for heating and cooling individual rooms and spaces. The new equipment performs consistently and will save the business over $200 a year on utility costs.
“Even during the cold snaps we had last winter, our heat pumps kept the place warm.” – Celeste Jackson, co-owner, The Dirty Cowgirl Saloon
Commercial smart thermostats help cut HVAC operation costs
Unlike standard digital or mechanical models, smart thermostats offer advanced programming, scheduling and remote access functions. Commercial smart thermostats help businesses lower utility costs and improve HVAC efficiency. The owners of The Dirty Cowgirl Saloon installed a commercial smart thermostat that operates the new DHPs to take advantage of these benefits.
The smart thermostat makes managing the temperature of the restaurant a breeze, allowing staff to focus on what’s most important to them: the customers. “Having to turn the furnace or AC on and off all the time to find a good temperature was a pain,” said Jackson. “We had a great contractor that explained how the smart thermostat works and how to set a schedule. It’s so easy.”
The Dirty Cowgirl Saloon’s commercial smart thermostat helps the bar and restaurant maintain “a consistent, comfortable temperature, no matter the weather or how many customers we have inside,” said Jackson. She notes that both staff and customers have noticed the impacts of the DHPs and smart thermostat. “It was just never comfortable inside before,” said Jackson. “Now everybody’s like, ‘oh, it feels great in here!’”
In addition to regulating the business’ temperature, the smart thermostat also helps reduce operational costs. Thanks to the smart thermostat installation, the owners of The Dirty Cowgirl Saloon will save over $100 on utility bills annually.
Energy Trust cash incentives help address business problems without the hassle
Whether a business is struggling with high utility bills or equipment dependability, Energy Trust cash incentives make energy-efficient upgrades more accessible. “Out of all the programs we’ve participated in, Energy Trust had the simplest process,” said Jackson. “There’s no reason not to look into it if you’re making a big purchase.”
Commercial smart thermostats can reduce a business’ utility costs and improve comfort. Energy Trust offers cash incentives of $400 – $500 to businesses that purchase and install a new commercial smart thermostat, which can cover the full cost of the upgrade.
Let Energy Trust help your business upgrade to a commercial smart thermostat and complete other HVAC upgrade projects at a lower cost.