Saving Money: Always a Good Cause

A penny saved is a penny earned.

A cliché, maybe, but clichés always have a kernel of truth. That truth has been put into action at the Sweet Charity Resale Boutique in Ruidoso Downs, which is operated by Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL).

The entire store was recently converted to energy-efficient lighting, thanks to a Reduce Your Use grant from Public Service Company of New Mexico.  The grant is offered for up to $5,000 to help non-profit organizations across the state.

“I approached the NEST to ask if they had a property with older lighting,” said Jim Miller, who wrote the grant and has worked as an advocate for energy efficiency and recycling in Lincoln County. “They told me about Sweet Charity, so I figured we’d take a look.”

Funds raised by Sweet Charity sales helps support the NEST domestic violence shelter, so any money saved on energy costs goes directly to the cause, something immediately appealing to the staff.

According to Miller, the building’s lighting was quite out of date and in need of replacing. He suggested switching to T8 lighting with electronic ballasts. The lighting remains at 95 percent efficiency with no degradation, and each bulb can last 3-4 years.

Fewer lights are needed to illuminate the same space, saving money.

As grants go, the document is fairly simple – only four pages – and provided for less than $4,000 needed to complete the project.

Miller said the application process was pretty quick and simple as well.

“It was a quick turnaround,” said Miller, who finished the grant in October, just two months before it was awarded. “The purpose, as a non-profit working with women and children impacted by domestic violence, is to save money. They need to use the money they raise for the moms and kids, not for energy bills.”

As the state’s largest electricity provider, PNM serves more than 500,000 New Mexico residential and business customers in Greater Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas and Belen, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Alamogordo, Ruidoso, Silver City, Deming, Bayard, Lordsburg and Clayton, as well as the NM tribal communities of the Tesuque, Cochiti, Santo Domingo, San Felipe, Santa Ana, Sandia, Isleta and Laguna Pueblos.