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Community Bakery Embraces Solar Energy
08.04.10 Scratch Baking Company in South Portland prides itself on being a true neighborhood bakery with a strong commitment to community and environmental responsibility. The bakery has grown quite a bit since opening in 2004, expanding its space and increasing the number of all-natural, quality products made from scratch. The owners try to continually refine what they learn in order to grow the business in a way that reflects their ideals.
Since the early days, owner Robert Johnson knew he wanted to use solar energy to heat hundreds of gallons of hot water used by the bakery on a daily basis. Johnson worked with Revision Energy in Portland to design a plan for a solar hot water heater. After four years of searching for project funding, Johnson was awarded an energy efficiency grant of $10,000 from Efficiency Maine to put his plan into action. The grant funding is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for commercial energy-related projects.
The solar hot water installation took only a few days to complete once the appropriate paperwork had been filed. Johnson reports that the system works seamlessly and provides enough hot water not only for the bakery, but also for an apartment unit on the second floor.
“As a small business owner, I knew I wanted to use solar energy because it’s clean and renewable, but the up front cost can be prohibitive,” said Johnson. “The 50 percent funding from the Efficiency Maine grant made the investment possible.”
“Scratch Baking Company represents a classic Maine small business. The owners and customers know each other by first name,” adds Rick Meinking, business programs specialist at Efficiency Maine. “Helping a neighborhood icon like this truly represents the spirit of the stimulus funds.”
In addition to the Efficiency Maine grant, Scratch Baking is also eligible for a 40% federal tax credit for the energy efficiency improvements.
For more information about the business programs offered through Efficiency Maine click here.
