Aspen School District receives Black Hills Energy rebate for energy-efficient technology

The Aspen School District (ASD) received a $33,342 rebate from Black Hills Energy as part of the district’s participation in the Black Hills Energy Small Business Direct Install Program.

The program is designed to help businesses be more energy efficient. The rebate amount is enough to fund several months of energy costs, ASD Facilities Director Joe Waneka said in a news release, and the district will use the funds to fuel its energy-efficient program.

ASD received the rebate largely due to a new boiler, which runs at a 92% efficiency rate, according to the release. The previous boiler ran at 65% efficiency. Black Hills has a catalog of measures that qualify for rebates under the program, including HVAC, weather stripping, pipe insulation, and boiler replacement.

“We will take this seed money and put it toward more energy-efficient products, which will then qualify us for more rebates,” Waneka said in the release. “It’s a triple win — we save money because the new boiler is energy efficient, we use the savings for additional energy efficiency products, and the savings goes to the bottom line to be used for classroom programs.”