• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Flood Recovery Loan
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • TikTok
mountain association logo

Mountain Association

Building a New Economy, Together.

    • Access expertise to grow your business or organization.

      Business Support

    • Start Here
      • Learn About Support
      • Apply to Work with a Consultant
      • Success Stories
    • Resources
      • FAQs
      • Tools & Templates
      • SPARK Nonprofit Collaborative
      • Client Login
    • Expand your impact with our flexible loans.

      Talk to Us About a Loan

    • Start Here
      • Learn About Loans
      • Start the Application Process
      • Success Stories
    • Resources
      • FAQs
      • Flood Recovery Loans
      • CrowdMatch Loans
    • We can help you save money.

      Apply for an Energy Assessment

    • Start Here
      • Learn About Our Energy Program
      • Apply for a Free Energy Savings Assessment
      • Success Stories
    • Resources
      • FAQs
      • Solar Financing & Support
      • Energy Savings Microloan
    • Start something in your community.

      Learn About Training

    • Start Here
      • Training & Ideas
      • 479 Main Street Project
      • Success stories
    • Training
      • Airbnb
      • Business Training
      • Creative Economy Training
    • We can help tell your story.

      Read Our Stories

    • Stories
      • All Stories
      • Business Support
      • Energy
      • Lending
      • Training & Ideas
    • Appalachia’s New Day
      • Press & Media
      • Communications & Policy
    • Building a new economy, together.

      (859) 986-2373

      info@mtassociation.org

      Sign Me Up for News

    • The Big Picture
      • What We Do
      • Just Transition
        • How It’s Working
    • Our Story
      • Our History
      • Team
      • Board of Directors
      • Careers
    • Impact
      • By the Numbers
      • Publications
  • (859) 986-2373

    info@mtassociation.org

     

    Building a new economy, together.
You are here: Home / Energy

Energy

Energy

We can help you save money.

The Mountain Association’s energy experts are tackling the problem of high energy bills in Eastern Kentucky.

We help businesses, nonprofits, faith groups, local governments, and homeowners find much-needed energy savings.

Let us do a free assessment of your bills and your building, and we’ll tell you what you can change to save big and how much you will have to invest. We are a non-profit, so we aren’t here to sell you anything – just provide you with the information on where to start.

How will this help me?

Upgrades simply save you money. And sometimes, you don’t even have to spend money to save money. We often find utility billing errors that result in years of refunds for businesses and organizations.

  • For one grocery client, energy upgrades added up to a savings of more than $47,000 per year, which has allowed them to hire more employees.
  • A church was able to better steward its resources by saving on overhead costs.
  • A nonprofit now saves $8,900 on their bills every year, allowing them to focus less on raising money and more on serving their community.
  • A local government was overcharged $20,000 on their bills, allowing them to save taxpayer money.

“After our solar was turned on, our next bill was so much less than it had ever, ever been. I was astounded. It was the difference of about $400.”

Gwen Johnson
Hemphill Community Center
Neon, KY
Get started by applying for our program
Frequently Asked Questions

How does this work for businesses & organizations?

  1. Apply: The first step is for you to fill out our short application online, or give us a call to fill it out over the phone. The application gives us information about your building and utilities. After you apply, we’ll call you to discuss your facility, needs and priorities.
  2. Utility Bill Analysis: Next, we look at 12 months of your past utility bills to see your current use and make sure your utility company has not made any billing errors.
  3. On-site Energy Audit: Someone from our team will visit and walk through your building, looking at your HVAC, lights, insulation, water heating and any other areas of concern.
  4. Energy Assessment Report: In four to six weeks, we’ll send you a written report of our recommendations.
  5. Follow-up Support: We can connect you with contractors to do any of the recommended upgrades, review their bids, and help you apply for financing, grant funding or rebates.

Questions? Contact Carrie Ray at the Mountain Association, carrie@mtassociation.org or (859) 544-0023.

Ryan C Hermens
chris woolery resdential energy audit

What about for homeowners and renters?

What are the options for homeowners & renters?

There are a number of options for residential energy efficiency audits that vary depending on where you live. Depending on your utility, they may offer an audit through our HowSmart program. Additionally, there are a number of housing non-profits that serve Appalachia and may offer energy programs. 

Start by contacting Chris Woolery at the Mountain Association, chris@mtassociation.org or (859) 621-4765, who can tell you all about your options.

Success Stories

Learn about other small businesses and organizations that have saved through our energy program. We also work on energy policy at the local, state and federal level.

What to do if you got a bad install by Solar Titan

File a Complaint Against Solar Titan Many Kentuckians are reporting bad solar installations completed by the now defunct Solar Titan. There may be an opportunity to get some of your…

Read What to do if you got a bad install by Solar Titan

Rural electric coop kentucky

Utility Disconnections are Dangerous, Ineffective, and Unnecessary

This is an op-ed by a Mountain Association staff member that appeared in several Kentucky papers in April 2023. The number of Kentuckians who had their power disconnected increased by…

Read Utility Disconnections are Dangerous, Ineffective, and Unnecessary

ku lge rate hike bills kentucky

Will Cryptomining Companies Coming to Kentucky Raise Your Electric Bills? 

This is an op-ed dated April 3, 2023 that ran in several papers. A Chinese cryptomining company is proposing to build a $250 million plant near the town of Louisa…

Read Will Cryptomining Companies Coming to Kentucky Raise Your Electric Bills? 


Rural electric coop kentucky 1

Now is the Time for Kentucky’s Rural Electric Cooperatives to Move on Clean Energy

This is an op-ed that ran in several outlets in January and February 2023. Rural electric cooperatives provide power to nearly a third of Kentuckians, serving 1.5 million people in…

Read Now is the Time for Kentucky’s Rural Electric Cooperatives to Move on Clean Energy

London, KY Farm Saves Big on Energy Bills

In 2005, Ford Waterstrat took a job on a local farm while on summer break from teaching. That’s when he set his heart and mind on having his own organic…

Read London, KY Farm Saves Big on Energy Bills

salyersville iga solar kentucky 1

Salyersville IGA Adds Solar

Three years ago, Salyersville IGA moved to an expanded storefront double the size of its previous location. Along with the expansion, Magoffin County’s only full-service grocery store completed major upgrades…

Read Salyersville IGA Adds Solar

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about our energy program and other resources.

What are my options for having my business or organization assessed for efficiency issues in Eastern Kentucky? How does an energy assessment from the Mountain Association work?

The Mountain Association has a team of energy experts that can help you figure out how to save on your energy bills. We are a nonprofit, so we aren’t here to sell you anything – just provide you with the information on where to start. The process starts with you filling out an application that gives us some more information about your building, utilities, etc. Apply here, or we can fill it out over the phone if you prefer ((859)544-0023.). After you apply, we’ll have a phone call to discuss your facility, your needs, and your main priorities.

Next, we look at 12 months of your past utility bills to see your current use, and make sure your utility has not made any billing errors. After that, one of our staff or one of our contractors will come out to walk through your building: looking at your HVAC, lights, insulation, water heating, and any other areas of concern. These are free or low-cost depending on our current offerings. Our on-site audits are free for small businesses and non-profits with most audits taking two hours per building.

A few weeks later, we’ll send you a written report of our recommendations, and we can help you decide where to go from there.

How can my business or organization benefit from energy savings?

Investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy often pay for themselves in a short period of time – in the case of LED lights, it’s often less than two years! With Mountain Association’s low-interest solar loan, solar might be able to result in a positive cash flow from day one. As a business, you can also depreciate the business solar expense on taxes over five years, offering another opportunity to achieve a positive cash flow. Regardless of what upgrade you choose, lowering your energy costs reduces overhead and limits the impacts of ever-rising electric rates.

Resources: Solar Energy Industries Association

What are my financing options?

Costs shouldn’t be a barrier to take on energy efficiency or renewable energy projects that will save you money in the long run. The Mountain Association provides affordable financing to eligible businesses and organizations, with loans up to $50,000 at 2.5% interest with up to 72-month terms for general energy efficiency projects. For solar projects, we offer 4% fixed interest with up to a 20 year term. All loans are subject to approval. Personal residences are not eligible.

What grants, tax credits and rebates are available?

As a for profit business, there are two grant programs that the Mountain Association can help you apply for through the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy’s Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF) for agricultural businesses. We have helped businesses bring in over thousands of dollars through these programs. 

There are many tax credits and direct payments now available through the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law in 2022. For example, REAP grants can now cover up to 50 percent of an energy project, where as it was previously just 25 percent.

Resources: USDA REAP, Kentucky KADF, Kentucky Utilities Rebates

What are my options for having my home assessed for efficiency issues in Eastern Kentucky?

There are a number of options for residential energy efficiency audits that vary depending on where you live. Depending on your utility, they may offer an audit through our How$mart program. Additionally, there are a number of housing non-profits that serve Appalachia and many offer energy programs. 

Start by contacting Chris Woolery at the Mountain Association, chris@mtassociation.org or (859) 621-4765, who can tell you all about your options.

What are all these charges on my utility bill?

The Mountain Association can walk commercial energy users, which include businesses, non-profit, government and schools, through what is wrapped up in the charges on your utility bill, whether you are served by Kentucky Utilities, Kentucky Power or a rural electric cooperative. Please watch a video here or contact us for one-on-one support at energy@mtassociation.org or 859-544-0023.

To find and compare current utility rates across Eastern Kentucky, visit here.

I am a contractor, or want to go into the energy field. What training options are available?

The Mountain Association is happy to learn about new or existing contractors working in the growing fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy. In fact, through our New Energy Internship program, a workforce development program that ran from 2018-2020, we trained seven former coal industry or other out-of-work individuals in energy efficiency and renewable energy, such as assessing buildings and homes for energy efficiency issues, implementing energy efficiency upgrades, particularly in lighting and duct sealing, and in facilitating renewable energy systems. Four of those individuals are now contractors that we use for referrals.

To be added to our current list of contractors that we refer to businesses and organizations interested in implementing energy projects, email Carrie Ray at carrie@mtassociation.org.

We also have various hand-held and data-logging tools available for free, short-term borrowing by individuals or businesses/organizations. Anyone wanting to borrow equipment first needs to become a lending library member (it’s easy!) and agree to return the equipment in the time allotted. A late fee of $1.00 per day will be assessed if equipment is not returned on time. For more information, contact us at info@mtassociation.org.

I am interested in making DIY improvements to my home or business. What resources are available for me?

Please get in touch and we can recommend a number of DIY YouTube videos to follow on insulation improvements, lighting changes, water heater settings, and more. We also have various hand-held and data-logging tools available for free, short-term borrowing by individuals or businesses/organizations. Anyone wanting to borrow equipment first needs to become a lending library member (it’s easy!) and agree to return the equipment in the time allotted. A late fee of $1.00 per day will be assessed if equipment is not returned on time. For more information, contact us at info@mtassociation.org.

Footer

mountain association logo

For more than 40 years, we were known as the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED).

As we enter a new decade and a new look, we have become the Mountain Association. This change underscores our commitment to a new beginning that is more inclusive and welcoming to the people and communities we serve.

Donate Now 1

Get the Newsletter

Sign Up Now

  • Programs
    • Business Support
    • Lending
    • Energy
    • Stories
    • Training & Ideas
  • About
    • What We Do
    • Just Transition
    • Team
    • Our History
    • By the Numbers
  • More
    • Donate
    • Careers
    • Board of Directors
    • Publications
    • Sponsorships

BEREA
(859) 986-2373
433 Chestnut Street
Berea, KY 40403

Meetings by appointment only

info@mtassociation.org

We are happy to make any
accommodation to better serve you.
Inquire via phone or email.
If hearing or speech impaired,
please dial 7-1-1 for relay
services prior to calling.

 

HAZARD
(606) 439-0170
420 Main St
Hazard, KY 41701

PRESTONSBURG
(606) 264-5910
268 E Friend St, Ste 101
Prestonsburg, KY 41653

Copyright © 2023 Mountain Association | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Non-profit Disclosures

made by P&P