Dairy Energy Efficiency Program

Get your energy savings moooving with CERTs!

CERTs can answer questions about energy efficiency for dairy barns and will guide you through the funding options available for barn energy efficiency upgrades. We can help you consider renewable energy options, too.

Check out the resources below to learn more about LED lighting, other energy upgrades, and the available funding for both. Fill out a form to request assistance or reach out to Fritz at 612-626-1028 when you’re ready!
 

Click on a step below to get started!

Learn About Energy Efficiency

Review the dairy energy efficiency process map and think about necessary upgrades to your equipment:

Check out this presentation to see energy efficiency opportunities in the dairy production process, as well as other energy-saving upgrades:

Want to learn more about energy efficiency for milk cooling, cow comfort, lighting, and other operations?

• Read a case study about Hoffman Farms Dairy near Chatfield to learn what they’re doing to save energy. “I’ve always been for anything that would save,” says Gary Hoffman of Hoffman Farms, a 300+ head dairy with 800 acres just west of Chatfield, MN. Hoffman Farms recently saved energy and money on dairy technology through People’s Energy Cooperative energy savings rebates. Click here to read the full case study.

• See presentations from our recent event, Lunch and Learn: Energy Efficient Dairy Production. The Southeast Clean Energy Resource Team (SE CERT) and People’s Energy Cooperative co-hosted a lunch gathering at People’s Energy Cooperative in Oronoco on December 11th, 2014 to learn about ways to save energy in dairy production and funding opportunities and rebates available. Click here to see event recap, presentations, video, and photos.

Take an Inventory of Existing Lighting & Equipment

Take an inventory of your existing dairy lighting and equipment, then fill out the form below to get support from CERTs.

 
Download and fill out the CERTs Lighting Inventory worksheet to think about lighting and equipment upgrades (cash prize no longer available).

Fill out the form below to get support from CERTs

Get Rebates from Your Electric Utility

CERTs can help you connect with your electric utility to be sure you get all the rebates ($$$) you can.

 
View the funding comparison chart to see how utility rebates compare to other funding.
 

Decide on Additional Funding to Pursue

Decide which of the following additional funding opportunities you want to pursue, if any. Note that they can work together! There is a section on each of these below.

• USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program (NRCS EQIP)
  Note: The audit through EQIP can be used as the energy evaluation for all the other funding options. The cost of the audit is generally covered in full by NRCS, and it’s nearly free.

• USDA Rural Development Rural Energy for America Program (RD REAP)

• MDA Livestock Investment Grant

• MDA Farm Opportunity Loan

• Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)

View the funding comparison chart to see how all of these funding options compare to one another.
 

Get started with USDA NRCS EQIP

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) helps farmers evaluate energy saving opportunities and provides financial assistance to help make energy upgrades happen. EQIP requires an audit first, which the program pays for most, if not all, of it. After the audit, you can apply for financial assistance for any recommendations in the audit.

• Get an application in to receive a 100% cost-covered, comprehensive energy audit of your barn operations. If you already have an audit under your belt, see if it is eligible for moving forward to get some of your audit’s recommendations cost-shared by NRCS EQIP.

• Stop by your local USDA office to work on an application—the field office staff are always willing to get through the paperwork with you! EQIP applications are accepted on a continuous basis with application cut-off dates.

• Review NRCS’ Top Ten EQIP Tips.
   

Get started with USDA RD REAP

Rural small businesses and agricultural producers can apply for grants and guaranteed loans to fund energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy systems through USDA Rural Development (RD) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

• Get 25% of your project costs covered through a grant or 75% covered through a loan. A new streamlined application will make applying easy enough to do without a grantwriter. Upcoming grant application deadlines are October 31, 2016 and March 31, 2017. Submit guaranteed loan applications anytime.

• Visit USDA website to download application

• Confirm that you are in a rural area and therefore eligible for REAP

• Watch a webinar about REAP, the application and project examples

• Review the application scoresheet.
   

Get started with MDA Grant

A grant offered from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture covers 10% of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Complete a short and relatively easy application. Best part? CERTs is happy to help you complete sections of it and write a Letter of Support. A little bird told us that odds of receiving this grant are very good. The application for the grant program is open from September 6, 2016 to December 16, 2016. You might also consider an MDA Farm Opportunity Loan.
 

Get started with PACE

Property Assessed Clean Energy is a cash-flow positive way to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades through a voluntary property assessment. This program has no cut-off date, but your city or county must have a PACE program.

• See if your farm is located in an area with a PACE program available. If it isn’t, contact CERTs to let us help get the ball rolling!

• Watch a video, see example projects, and read all about PACE on the CERTs website.
   
   
   

Consider Renewable Energy

Want to go further and install renewable energy on your farm?

Check out Renewable Energy for Greater Minnesota to receive tailored assistance for pursuing renewables like solar, wind, or biomass on your farm.

Have questions about dairy energy efficiency? Contact us.
 

Dairy Star’s Finding technologies to be more efficient December 23, 2014 – Lunch & Learn event re-cap