At Alpha Nursery in Salem, Josh Zielinski, assistant manager, is always looking for more efficient technologies for the 150-acre ornamentals grower. So when he learned that an Energy Trust incentive would cover half the cost of an energy- and water-saving variable frequency drive, VFD, for one of his irrigation pumps, he couldn’t say no.

Since 2007, the nursery has invested in energy-saving improvements from energy- and water-saving variable frequency drives to energy-efficient condensing boilers and high-efficiency sprinkler heads.

“We invest in high-efficiency equipment if we have to replace something, if we’re adding equipment or if it’s going to save us money,” said Zielinski. “If it has a really quick turnaround and it’s not an astronomical investment, we go for it. The variable frequency drive is a good example. For the amount of energy and water it saves and the control it gives us, it wasn’t overly expensive. It was a good deal.”