If you’re in Worthington, stop by Bob & Steve’s Holiday gas station sometime and check out the energy efficiency work they have done on the exterior and interior. The recent projects funded by PACE included LED lights, new coolers and compressors, and new HVAC.
“The PACE program was introduced to us by Larry Potter at Blue Line Truck Stop says owner Bob Raudenbush. “With a phone call and some very helpful information from Robin Weis at the Southwest Regional Development Commission (SRDC), we jumped at the chance to lower our energy costs.”
According to the energy audit from Rick Otten, Certified Energy Manager. these projects have the potential to save a conservative estimate of $6,420 annually, which means a total savings of $96,316 in electricity costs over the 15 year loan.
“We were aware of rebate programs through our energy provider, but that was all. With the tremendous help of Robin, the business decision was very easy,” says Raudenbush.
“This is a project in which PACE was used to fund the energy retrofits,” says Robin Weis at SRDC. “We were part of a larger project, helping with the interior and exterior. The building looks really great now, and the store was even able to stay open during the retrofit construction.”
Raudenbush is excited to see how the project pans out. “We won’t have concrete evidence of our savings until probably mid 2016 because of the expansion and addition of cooling and freezer units and more lighting. When we get our usage numbers in the coming months, we will be better able to nail down our savings. But the numbers already look very promising.”
Project Snapshot:
- Location: Bob & Steve’s Holiday Station in Worthington, MN – Nobles County
- Description: Interior and exterior building energy retrofit with energy efficiency upgrades for lighting, HVAC, freezer, cooler, island case, compressors
+ Useful Life of Upgrades:- 12 years – Lighting/Signage
- 15 years – Cooling, Compressor
- 20 years – Heaters, Condensors
- PACE Loan Term: 15 years
- Project Costs: $76,030
- Annual Energy Savings: 532.88 MMBTU
- Savings Per Year: $6,421 for equipment life
- Annual Payments: $6,789 for 15 years
- Annual Net Savings: $6,420 for 15 years
- Total Net Savings: $96,316* over equipment life
* Total Net Savings is calculated by multiplying the useful life of the improvement by the estimated annual savings, then subtracting the cost for materials, installation, and interest over the term of the assessment.
If you’d like to compare the dollar savings and energy savings of the various energy conservation measures, see the table below.
| Energy Conservation Measure | Annual Savings $ | Annual Savings MCF/MMBTU |
| Lighting/Signage | $2,032.77 | 138.22 |
| Refrigeration | $165.00 | 11.22 |
| Cooler Compressor | $448.00 | 30.46 |
| Cooling | $617.80 | 42.01 |
| Heaters (Door/Water) | $149.50 | 10.17 |
| Condensors | $3,008 | 300.8 |
| TOTALS | $6,421.07 | 532.88 |
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a new way to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to the buildings of commercial property owners.Energy-saving measures pursued by the owners receive project financing and are repaid as a separate item on their property tax assessment for a set period. PACE eliminates the burden of upfront costs by providing low-cost, long-term financing. |
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