Page 6 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, AugusT 16, 2024 Hosted by Chamber of Commerce, City of Everett and La Comunidad Electrify Everett event discusses energy grants for local small businesses For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@advocatenews.net Officials and members of the Chamber of Commerce, City of Everett and La Comunidad are shown during last Tuesday’s event. By Neil Zolot S mall businesses have until September 15 to apply for grants through the Electrify Everett Project for up to 90% discounts on upgrades to lighting, refrigeration and weatherization, among other things, to save money on energy costs. “It’s an investment that will increase a small business’ comfort for its customer and staff,” City Planning Department Sustainability Manager Katherine Jenkins-Sullivan said. “We all know if you’re saving money on utilities, you might be able to invest more into the business. Lighting upgrades will save money by using energy efficient lights.” “It will help make buildings more energy efficient,” Daniele Marut of social service agency La Comunidad and an advocate for the project added. There are some exceptions, however, based on the scope of the work, but Sullivan is confident “most of the time you’ll see significant savings on payments of a lot of money in the future from a small payment.” The effort is from a broad coalition of entities, including Energy Source, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Mass Save, a collaborative of many state utility providers, including National Grid. In addition to the Chamber of Commerce and La Comunidad, local partners include the Everett Haitian Community Center, Everett Community Growers, the Eliot Family Resource Center and The Neighborhood Developers. “By rolling this project out through a wide-reaching team, we are better able to meet people where they’re at, engaging with our diverse population in their preferred language, meeting them on the street or at an event, and ENERGY GRANTS | SEE PAGE 7
7 Publizr Home