The Green Pages of their work on smaller, rural communities, such as Nucla and Naturita. “We'd go down to the area, and actually help people with applications and things like that,” said Vanderwist. One of the main functions of the FORE Alliance is to help individuals and organizations get rebates for purchasing a variety of appliances and services. “There are so many rebate programs!” said Vanderwist enthusiastically. “The Governor's Energy Office has a rebate program for refrigerators, and currently you can get rebates for insulation and air-sealing. “DMEA also has a rebate program for Energy-Star appliances, and some commercial lighting rebates. Source Gas has some rebates available for weatherization, insulation and air-sealing; there's up to $600 for air-sealing insulation.” The programs are apparently working quite well. DMEA has processed more than a thousand Energy Efficiency Rebates for refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, Geoexchange systems, and water heaters. The G.E.O. has awarded nearly $128,000 in rebates to 318 customers. Source Gas has given $90,000 worth to 162 customers in Montrose, and $7,000 worth to 17 customers in Delta. You can get a complete list of available rebate programs by visiting the organization's website at forealliance.org. And, Abbie Vanderwist would be glad to address any questions or concerns you might have. “If you have any questions, calling our office or emailing me is the best way to do it. What I do is make sure that you go to the
right place, for the right rebate.” You can call her at her office in the Montrose DMEA building, at (970) 240–1272, or email her at info@ forealliance.org Speaking of the website, it has some other features you might find useful, including information about energy audits, recycling, and a computer program called “Green Quest”. “Green Quest was developed by a company in Denver. It's a computer program, and it's a database to put in all the energy or fuel or water that you're using in your home, or in your small business,” explained Vanderwist. “It gives you an idea of what you're spending, and the greenhouse gases you're producing. It will give you tracking information, and if you want to have some goals on energy reduction, it will help you with that. It'll also give you tables and graphs on what you're using, and strategies that you could use to reduce your energy consumption.” FORE Alliance does not charge for its services. FORE Alliance's history began with some brain-storming by just three people. “DMEA General Manager Dan McClendon, Delta County Manager Susan Hanson, and Virgil Turner, from the City of Montrose, got together about a year and a half ago, talking about an officer of resource efficiency for the Montrose-Delta region,” said Vanderwist. “They understood that the local utilities and local governments needed to be on board for energy strategies, and moving forward for the New Energy Economy. So, they got a group of people together, and collaborated with Surface Creek and the North Fork Valley. All of a sudden, this grant came up with the Governor's Energy Office. So, they felt like that was the best themonitormagazine.com
opportunity for moving forward and creating an office of resource efficiency.” After receiving the grant, the committee that evolved into the FORE Alliance hired Abbie Vanderwist to help promote and create programs for the area. Since June 2010, the group has been involved in numerous workshops, trainings, and outreach efforts, including: a Biofuels and Bioenergy Conference co-sponsored with DMEA; the Montrose County Fair, the Delta County Fair, and the Olathe Sweet Corn Festival; Weatherization Days in Nucla and Ridgway; presentations to Third Rock, the Lions Club, the Montrose Chamber of Commerce, the Montrose City Council, and the Delta City Council; the Cedaredge Apple Fest; the 1st Annual Energy Savings Event in Delta; and Help for Hard Times at the Montrose Pavilion. As for the future, Vanderwist says the FORE Alliance has six goals. “One of them is achieving energy efficiency and conservation gains in all sectors of the local economy, by providing education and outreach. The second one is promoting and serving as a local point of contact for the G.E.O. programs that we can use in our community. The third one is collaboration and support for any energy-related programs and projects throughout our region. The others are: supporting efforts for locally generated sustainable power; encouraging energy and energy efficiencyrelated jobs; and establishing and maintaining a sustainable formal structure for the Focus On Resource Efficiency Alliance.”
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