The Oregon Department of Energy's Rural & Agricultural Energy Audit Program helps fund energy audits for Oregon rural small businesses and agricultural producers.
About the Program
The ODOE has $100,000 available
from an Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance Grant from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (known as a REDA grant) to help fund energy audits for Oregon farms and ranches
and rural small businesses.
ODOE will use the grant funding to
pay for 75 percent of the cost of the energy audit, payable to
the auditor conducting the audit. The agricultural producer or
rural business will pay for the remaining 25 percent.
Read more in
our FAQ.
How to Participate
ODOE is
now accepting interest forms from Oregon agricultural producers and rural small businesses.
Interested participants should gather information about your site's energy use (recent utility and/or energy bills) and information about any efficiency projects you may be interested in.
Fill out the
interest form with as much information as you can, and one of our program staff will connect with you. You don't need to know everything up front – our program
staff are here to help guide you through the process. Filling out the interest
form is not an obligation to proceed with the program, just a first step in assessing
whether this program is the right fit for you, and helping you access the
resources that will best help you make informed decisions and achieve your
goals.
About Energy Audits
An energy audit of an agricultural producer or rural small business will be conducted by an approved auditor who inspects buildings, processes, and equipment to measure efficiency and identify improvements that can save energy. For businesses considering investing in renewable energy like solar to offset energy usage, making energy efficiency improvements first can reduce the size (and costs) of the renewable project they’ll need. An audit will determine opportunities to reduce energy use and costs, and can help prioritize projects based on energy savings, payback period, and other factors.
Federal, local, and utility funding may be available to rural small businesses and agricultural producers for making energy improvements, and an energy audit is often a required step. For example, an energy audit is required when applying to the USDA Rural Energy Assistance Program, which offers both grants and loan guarantees to rural small businesses and agricultural producers for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
The cost of an energy audit can vary from about $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the size and scope, and can be a significant barrier for businesses. By covering 75 percent of that cost, ODOE hopes more Oregon rural businesses and farms can participate in an energy audit to identify potential improvements, and take advantage of USDA and other funding.