Program helps nonprofits deduce their power use.

• Position: ENERGY

SMALL ACTIONS ARE ENOUGH TO STIR up a big change. In 2006, the Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Program (NEEP) started out small: A handful of people from Energy Outreach Colorado and Xcel Energy came together and funded seven projects in their first year. Since then, the program has been a safety net for nonprofit facilities feeling the pinch of rising energy costs.

The collaboration, which grew to include the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships and other utility companies, finances and provides energy upgrades to nonprofits that serve vulnerable populations, such as at-risk youth and homeless populations. It has helped 74 nonprofits upgrade 124 facilities throughout Colorado.

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"We started seeing higher energy prices, and a lot of agencies that distributed cash assistance funds were having a hard time paying their own energy bills while they were helping their clients pay theirs," said Jennifer Gremmer, deputy director at Energy Outreach Colorado. "Our goal is to reduce those bills to put more funding into their programs."

Gateway Battered Women's Services and Third Way Center are two of the many organizations that have received efficiency upgrades. On average, a participating nonprofit can expect to reduce its energy bills by about 20 percent.

Third Way Center, a residential treatment program for at-risk youth, received about $70,000. The Pontiac building, which houses 16 teenagers, was built in 1905.

"A lot of the buildings have been donated or were bought inexpensively," Gremmer said, "Since it is their biggest asset, what we do is have them think about how energy is a critical way to make the building last longer and reduce operating expenses."

NEEP provided Third Way with a high-efficiency furnace and air...