Mountain Village: Making Saving Money & Energy Easier

Mountain Village wants its residents and business owners to save money. Energy companies want its customers to save energy. So the town has developed three new incentive programs to do just that, with the programs together totaling $50,000, a portion of the $350,000 Town Council earmarked for energy reduction projects in the 2014 budget.

A key first step to save money and energy is to schedule an energy audit with a professional auditor who will visit a home or business and produce a detailed report on how to save energy and reduce electric, heating, and cooling bills. Mountain Village has earmarked $10,000 for its Energy Audit Rebate Program to offset the cost of a professional energy audit. This translates to $100 off the price of a home audit and $200 for businesses. Energy audit pricing may be based on square footage; contact a local energy audit professional for a quote.

In that same vein, the town is partnering with Alternative Power Enterprises (APE) of Ridgway to offer discounts for rooftop solar energy installations. The Mountain Village Solar Energy Discount Program will offer $.40 per watt discounts on all solar energy systems installed in Mountain Village between now and the end of the year or until the allocated $40,000 is spent. To understand one’s solar resource options, APE offers free on-site consultation.

In addition to the Energy Audit Rebate Program and the Solar Energy Discount Program, Mountain Village and San Miguel Power Association (SMPA) will create a LED Light Discount Program, which will offer community members the option to purchase severely discounted LED lights from a town-approved lighting provider with all applicable discounts and rebates applied at point of sale.

Last, Mountain Village continues to offer its homeowners and business owners a $100 discount off the regular solar panel price of $747 at the SMPA solar array between now and the end of the ski season. To learn more about the community solar array, representatives from the project are hosting a reception March 6 at Hotel Madeline’s SMAK Bar from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. A free drink and appetizers will be offered courtesy of SMPA.

To learn more about these money-saving opportunities contact Environmental Services Director Deanna Drew at ddrew@mtnvillage.org or 970.369.8236.