MI ENVIRONMENT EGLE grants help small businesses in Michigan realize energy efficiency savings Date: February 11, 2021 Small business owners know how hard it is to be successful. Finding ways to cut costs to improve already slim margins is a daily struggle. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is uniquely situated to be a partner with small businesses to help them cut their energy costs. Through its Agriculture and Rural Communities Energy Incentive Program, EGLE's Energy Services has awarded $179,000 in grants in 2018 and 2019 to non-industrial small businesses of less than 500 employees in rural areas. An upgrade at Bell's Brewery that was funded in part by a grant through EGLE's program recently resulted in the Comstock, Mich., small business being awarded the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry Certification. The grant of $15,000 helped to pay for Bell's Glycol heated CO2 vaporizer upgrade, which was part of a total retrofit project completed this past summer.