Washington area recreation facilities Yakima Tennis Club and Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation are turning to energy efficiency to achieve savings and sustainable operations. Aiding them in their efforts is the Cascade Natural Gas Conservation Program that offers cash rebates for installing qualified energy efficient equipment.
Project Bottom-line Benefits
Yakima Tennis Club
- $16,936 estimated annual gas cost savings
- 12,677 estimated annual therm savings
- $11,712 Cascade Natural Gas cash rebate
Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation
- $1,410 estimated annual gas cost savings
- 2,000 estimated annual therm savings
- $1,200 Cascade Natural Gas cash rebate
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According to Yakima Tennis Club Manager Jerry Findley the rebates played a big role in their decision to do an energy efficiency project. “The rebates made it feasible for us to go forward with our project. Without them the project probably would not have happened.” The Club earned rebates for installing roof and wall insulation. With proper insulation there is less need for heating and cooling which saves an abundant amount of energy. “If we compare a monthly bill from this year to the same month last year our savings is about 1000 therms for one month,” said Findley.
Not only is the insulation adding green to their bottom line, but they’re also seeing improved comfort levels. “We have indoor tennis courts but in the winter it can still get cold inside. We used to get complaints about the temperature but this year we have had no complaints at all,” said Findley.
Old equipment and high operating costs prompted Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation to look into the Conservation Program. According to Operations Manager James Weppler, “The maintenance cost to keep repairing outdated equipment was getting too expensive.” The Parks and Recreation Department purchased two high-efficiency gas convection ovens that will produce savings on their annual energy costs and earned them a cash rebate from Cascade Natural Gas. Weppler has already noticed a difference, “We have seen a decrease in our operating costs.” While management at the Parks and Recreation Department appreciate the savings garnered by this project, they also see the value in the environmental benefits. “Sustainability is very important to our organization. We want to do our part to help the environment and the fact that it also creates savings is icing on the cake,” said Weppler.