The Department of Environmental Protection and a variety of partners are sponsoring a series of seven regional Energy Management Workshops for small and medium-sized businesses who want to save money on their energy costs.

The workshops will be held:

· April 24-- Small Business Development Center, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh;

· May 6-- Penn State Great Valley Campus, 30 E. Swedesford Rd., Malvern;

· May 15-- Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County William J. Douglass Conference Center, 764 Bessemer St., Meadville;

· May 22-- Electrotechnology Applications Center, Northampton Community College, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem;

· May 28-- Bucknell University, Elaine Langone Center, 701 Moore Ave., Lewisburg;

· June 3-- Lancaster County Career & Technology Center, 432 Old Market St., Mount Joy; and

· June 12-- SMC Business Councils George Westinghouse Science & Technology Center, 1382 Beulah Rd., Pittsburgh.

Learn how to reduce high energy costs through easily implemented, cost effective changes for commercial and industrial facilities. Find out about financial and technical resources that are available for energy efficiency upgrades for businesses.

The half-day workshops will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and will provide information on energy supply options, illustrate how to identify energy cost-saving opportunities and show how to develop an energy action plan. Doors open at 7:45 AM.

These free morning workshops are sponsored by the Office of the Small Business Ombudsman of the Department of Environmental Protection and the following local business assistance providers and organizations: Electrotechnology Applications Center,

Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program, Duquesne Small Business Development Center, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, Northwest Industrial Resource Center, Western Crawford County Chamber of Commerce, Gannon Small Business Development Center, PAEP Pollution Prevention/Energy Efficiency Roundtable, Lehigh University Small Business Development Center, SEDA-Council of Governments, Lancaster County Career & Technology Center and SMC Business Councils.

Funding for the workshops is provided through a U.S. Department of Energy grant.

For more information and to register visit the Energy Management Workshops webpage or call DEP’s Office of Energy and Technology Deployment at 717-783-8411.

4/4/2008