Rural Energy Assessment Center
Rural Energy Assessment Center
- Cost
Typically, energy audits like this cost between $8,000 and $12,000 in addition to travel expenses. OSU REAC only charges $500. This includes scheduling and pre-audit work, the 1-day on-site energy audit and the follow-up report.
- Benefits
- REAC energy audit recommendations help clients save 5% - 15% of annual energy costs.
- REAC audits cover all energy consuming equipment including lighting, HVAC, building envelope, etc.
- Energy audit recommendations may be implemented using funds from the USDA-Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants and guaranteed loans
- The grants range from $1.5K - $250K and cannot exceed 50% of total project costs.
- Return
Unbiased Service
30-day report - We deliver our assessment report within 30 days of the date of the assessment visit.
Confidentiality - We maintain complete confidentiality of our clients and any proprietary information about their facility will remain strictly confidential.
Latest technology/practices - The REAC assessments can give your company insight into industry best practices and latest technologies currently in use.
- Eligibility
Must be an agricultural producers or a rural small business
- Small businesses must be located in a rural area. Check here to see if your small business is in a rural area by selecting REAP and entering your address.
- An agricultural producer is defined as an individual or entity, directly engaged in the production of agricultural products.
- Small business follows the Small Business Administration's (SBA) definition of Small Business. Check to see if you qualify!
- No cap or requirements of minimum annual expenditure toward energy bills (including electricity, natural gas, water and all other fuels).
Project Categories
Funds may be used for the purchase and installation of revewable energy systems such as:
- Biomass (for example: biodiesel and ethanol, anaerobic digesters, and solid fuels)
- Geothermal for electric generation or direct use
- Hydropower, below 30 megawatts
- Hydrogen
- Small and large wind generation
- Small and large solar generation
- Ocean (tidal, current, thermal) generation
Funds may also be used for the purchase, installation and constrction of energy efficiency improvements such as:
- High efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC)
- Insulation
- Lighting
- Cooling or refrigeration units
- Doors and windows
- Electric, solar or gravity pumps for sprinkler pivots
- Switching from diesel to electric irrigation motor
- Replacement of energy-inefficient equipment
How it works
-
- Once the initial contact is made with a potential client, data will be collected to determine eligibility.
- The pre-assessment phase of the process involves data collection to assure that the client is qualified and research to ensure that the site visit time is maximized.
- Eligibility is assessed in two steps: (1) current activities, through a screening questionnaire, and (2) past activities, through historic utility/production documentation.
- An interested potential client is contacted by phone and/or email in order to address the pre-assessment questions.
- Any questions as to the eligibility of a potential client will be discussed with the State Rural Development Energy Coordinator before scheduling the energy audit.
-
- Energy savings - We provide the requisite industrial assessment that can ensure energy savings, and as a result lower your utility bills and possibly operational costs.
- Increased productivity - We emphasize productivity issues to make processes more efficient and effective.
We serve all agricultural producers & rural small businesses in Oklahoma
-
- REAC personnel schedule a site visit after the client is determined to be qualified to participate in the audit program through the pre-assessment process.
- The team of 4 REAC members will do the assessment visit to the plant.
- The site visits will normally begin with a meeting of key personnel at the facility, including all specific contacts as well as associated executives that are available.
- A general work plan is outlined along with a tour of the facility, which allows the team members to become familiar with the location of equipment and the process flow.
- At this point, the team is now ready to develop a specific work plan, including assignment of data acquisition tasks, placement of measurement and data collection equipment, and identification of potential recommendations.
- Our team members will work/collect data in pairs, with intermittent meeting times to assure progress and safety.
- The field visit concludes with a closing meeting with the client's personnel including any available executive staff personnel.
- The preliminary findings of the assessment team will be discussed, and additional questions will be addressed.
Qualification
See if you're in an eligible rural area.
Agricultural producers may submit projects in non-rural areas if the project is associated
with an on-site production operation.
Are you a small business?
See if your business is considered a small business.
U.S. Small Business Administration