Verhulst Enterprises, Inc. (dba Versatile Carpets and Interiors) in Spearfish, South Dakota resides in a modern concrete building with split concrete facing that has been stained and sealed to give the structure the historical aspects of Spearfish. Versatile Carpets has grown throughout the years and diversified into other specialized areas of flooring and interior design. Commercial contracting has become a vital part of the mix. In addition, they now offer a “warm floor” in-floor radiant heat system. They carry a full line of window blinds including Hunter Douglas. Professional installation is available for all of their products.
Tim and Lois Verhulst, owners since 1992, were interested in making their operation more energy and cost efficient. The Verhulsts worked closely with USDA Rural Development to help fund their energy efficiency improvements using the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Grant funds totaling $3,235 were used to upgrade lighting to LED and add insulation to exterior walls of this small retail business.
“We participated in the REAP grant program through USDA and as a result of the money we received from the grant and a rebate from Black Hills Power for the LED lights we installed, the overall savings for this project was 35%! Hetti Cekalla, the loan specialist from the USDA office in Rapid City was key in guiding us through the process - making it very easy and streamlined, we appreciated her help very much,” said Tim Verhulst, Owner of Versatile Carpet & Interiors. “We would recommend this program to anyone who is considering any type of energy remodeling in their business, it is simply a no brainer. We are a total electric store show room and have only August 2015 through May 2016 numbers to compare to but the savings has been over 8% in that time. I invite anyone who is considering using this program to contact us with any questions regarding how smoothly it works.”