Nov 13, 2012 2 min read

Two Washington County businesses were recently awarded grants from the state Department of Environmental Protection to invest in energy efficiency or pollution prevention projects.

Bedner’s Farm and Greenhouse of McDonald and Minerd & Sons Inc. of Lawrence were each awarded $9,500 grants to implement energy-saving projects.

According to a DEP news release, the two were among 56 small businesses across the state to receive grants from the DEP through the state’s Small Business Advantage Grant program, which is funded through the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act. The program provides 50 percent matching reimbursement grants of up to $9,500 to help companies with 100 or fewer employees and has invested $6.6 million since 2004 in 1,642 small businesses statewide.

Mitchell Minerd, chief financial officer at Minerd & Sons, said the metal company will use its grant to help purchase an air compressor system with a variable transmission that uses less energy by gearing down when not in heavy use without shutting off entirely.

“There’s not that big jolt of electricity when you turn it back on,” he said.

The new compressor system will be used to run various air tools and other machinery, Minerd explained.

“It’s good for electric costs. It’s good for the environment,” he said. “It was something out of reach prior to getting this grant.

DEP spokeswoman Amanda Witman said Bedner’s Farm and Greenhouse plans to use its grant to purchase and install a high-efficiency HVAC system, which is expected to save the business at least 25 percent of its annual energy costs. She said the total cost of the farm’s project will be $65,200.

The state has budgeted $1 million in grants for the current fiscal year, which are expected to create more than $1.5 million of private-sector investment in small businesses.

According to DEP Secretary Mike Krancer, the program has generated more than $26 million in private-sector investment since 2004.