One Saturday in January members of the Susanville Noon Rotary, Susanville Sunrise Rotary and Assembly of God Church gathered at the Susanville Senior Center and went to work. The group was volunteering their time to replace the center’s old inefficient lighting with new energy efficient lights.
“The project was funded by Lassen Municipal Utility District’s public benefits program,” explains the utility’s Energy Services Manager Theresa Phillips, “However it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of project coordinator Dave Monath and the army of volunteers brought together by Dave and Lassen Senior Services Executive Director and Rotarian, Penny Artz.”
Monath used the information provided by an LMUD energy audit to gather the materials for the project, combining the SmartLight rebate incentive with donated labor so that the project was completed without any expense to Lassen Senior Services.
According to Phillips the upgraded lighting is expected to reduce the center’s energy consumption by over 14,000 kilowatt hours per year, equaling an approximate savings of $1,400!
When asked what the project meant to the center Artz said, “By reducing our overall costs and reducing expenses we can focus our resources on our agency goal of helping senior citizens live full, independent lives.”
She went on to say that the center provides a place where seniors can gather; share a warm healthy meal with each other and most importantly, the center provides a sense of community, it alleviates the isolation experienced by some of our seniors.”
LMUD offers their customers many energy saving rebate programs, from replacing inefficient commercial lighting to replacing old electric water heaters. As was the case with Lassen Senior Services – LMUD works with local non-profit agencies through their Public Benefits Community Projects program – the program provides funding for a variety of energy efficient projects.
You can find more information on all of LMUD’s rebate programs by clicking the Rebate Center link on LMUD’s web site, www.lmud.org.
For complete program details, or to find out if LMUD can help your non-profit organization contact LMUD’s Energy Services Manager, Theresa Phillips at 530-257-4174.
