A $44,758 GeoAlliance grant was recently presented to the Savanna Museum and Cultural Center, Savanna, to help in funding the installation of a geothermal heat pump heating and cooling system. The grant program is funded by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF) and administered by the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC).
The purpose of the grant program is to encourage the use of clean and efficient geothermal systems to heat and cool not-for-profit and public facilities that receive electric service from Illinois electric cooperatives.
John Lecomte, Savanna Historical Society Board Trustee, said the board was surprised to learn that the building they’d selected for the museum and cultural center had extremely high electric bills. “The store’s monthly bill just for heat was as much as $1,500 per month,” said Lecomte. “So, we decided to go with geothermal technology and pursued the GeoAlliance grant. Our utility bills for the entire building are now less than $300 per month for heat and closer to $200 per month for air conditioning. We’re very pleased.”
GeoAlliance grant funding will be available until June 30, 2013, or until the funding has been depleted prior to that date. For more information about the GeoAlliance grant program, contact your local electric cooperative. You can also call Nancy McDonald at the AIEC at (217) 241-7954 or e-mail her at nmcdonald@aiec.coop, or visit the association’s website at www.aiec.coop.
