Don’t endure another winter without idle-reduction equipment when there’s money to help you.

Sams Trucking LLC of New Tazewell, Tenn., paid Knoxville Thermo King close to $10,000 for each of four TriPac APUs this summer to outfit part of its five-truck over-the-road fleet with idle-reduction technology. The bill was offset, though, by Tennessee’s “Idle Smart” rebate program, which offers state-based owner-operators and fleets rebates of up to 50 percent of the cost. Sams Trucking received $4,000 back for each of the four TriPacs.

Billy Sams was able to cash in on hefty rebates from a Tennessee program that covered almost half the cost of this and three other TriPac auxiliary power units now part of his small fleet.

Nancy Sams, whose husband, Billy, drives a custom 300-inch 2001 Peterbilt 379 in their fleet, says they had their sights on the TriPacs regardless of the rebate program. However, the “free money” helped them decide to take the plunge. “That’s a lot of money to spend at one time,” she says.

Nancy reports their drivers “just love them. My husband said that if he had known it was going to be as nice as it is, he’d have put one on a long time ago.”

A fully functional auxiliary power unit run by a diesel-fired engine, with the ability to both cool and heat the cab as well as power in-cab electronics and other devices, according to the Overdrive Partners in Business manual, costs $6,000 to more than $11,000 installed. Battery-powered devices with similar functionality can come in between $4,000 and $11,000. Cab heaters can be had for $2,000 or less. Evaporative coolers (also referred to as “swamp coolers”) can be equally inexpensive if you’re cooling needs are occasional.

APU payback scenarios in the Partners in Business manual show most devices can return the investment through fuel savings and reduced maintenance (less wear and tear on the engine) in fewer than three years for the most expensive devices.

A rebate or grant reduces the payback time further. In addition to the loan/grant/rebate programs listed below, many states have Small Business Assistance programs that include low-interest financing for pollution-reducing equipment of all types, not just APUs.