Project Profile
Women's Bean Project
“We are grateful for our partnership with Energy Outreach Colorado. Their help makes it easy for us to do the right thing and improve the efficiency of our building, which puts more money into program services makes our team more comfortable daily.”
Tamara Ryan, Women’s Bean Project CEO
Women’s Bean Project is a Denver 501c3 that hires women experiencing chronic unemployment to develop their job readiness skills and break the cycle of poverty. Their building is comprised of offices, meeting rooms, the manufacturing floor, and retail space. With their service needs rising, they relocated from their location on Curtis Street to a larger building on Alameda, doubling the space.
Energy Outreach Colorado has a strong relationship with the Women’s Bean Project having worked on their previous location, so when plans were made to relocate to the new building, NEEP was involved from the design stage to ensure that energy efficiency was being considered as a part of the remodel. The building had previously been used as a car sales and repair garage and needed a lot of work to make it usable and comfortable, as well as energy efficient for the organization.
Grant Funding: $75,000
Grant Sources: Denver Office of Nonprofit Engagement, Xcel Energy, and EOC
Expected Annual Savings:
- 46,186 kWh
- 526 therms
NEEP upgrades included ceiling and wall insulation, LED lighting, and 4 high-efficiency rooftop units. Almost an entire wall of garage windows was converted into wall space and insulated. All lighting was converted to LEDs. The organization is expected to save 46,186 kWh and 526 therms annually, which will result in significant utility bill savings to allow for additional funding to be directed back into serving more women.
