13 Jun 2017 Gannawarra Times, Gannawarra (General News) LOCAL businesses are being invited to apply for grants to help them save money on their energy bills. The State Governments Boosting Business Productivity Energy Assessment Grants program is open to applications now. Small businesses spending more than $20,000 a year on energy could apply for a basic energy assessment up to $2000 and a detailed energy assessment up to $6000. A $3000 implementation bonus is also available to both grant types to carry out one or more of the recommendations from their assessment. These might include fitting variable speed drives to fan drives on existing variable air volume heating, ventilating, or air conditioning systems. Another option may be to install fast rolling doors or clear plastic strips to prevent heat gain or loss on large warehouse doors. An energy assessment can be extremely beneficial to your business, undertaken by experts, they will provide tailored advice on how you can cut your energy costs and improve productivity, Member for Northern Victoria, Jaclyn Symes said. Businesses can save, on average, more than $50,000 each year on energy bills alone. A further $630,000 was allocated to the Boosting Business Productivity grants program in the recent State Budget. Small and medium sized manufacturers can now apply for a Materials Efficiency Grant of up $13,000 to improve materials efficiency, reducing waste sent to landfill. For more information visit www. sustainability.vic.gov.au or call 1300 363 744 to speak to a boosting productivity adviser. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.