More Utilities Offer Rebates And Other Cash Incentives To Slash Energy Usage

March 11, 2005
According to “Rebate Resource,” a feature story in this month’s Electrical Wholesalingmagazine, more than 50 electrical utilities, government agencies and public utility commissions now offer rebate programs and related financial incentives for end users that install energy-saving building systems.

The electrical wholesaling industry can once again count on utility rebates to spark sales of energy-efficient electrical products. According to “Rebate Resource,” a feature story in this month’s Electrical Wholesalingmagazine, more than 50 electrical utilities, government agencies and public utility commissions now offer rebate programs and related financial incentives for end users that install energy-saving building systems.

Rebate programs help end users design new buildings and retrofit inefficient buildings with energy-efficient lighting systems, motors, efficient coolers, HVAC systems and insulation. They help utilities, too, because in many regions of the United States, it’s tough for them to meet the electrical power needs of customers during periods of peak demand. Two options that utilities have to meet these power demands are building new capacity or enticing customers to cut their energy usage with financial incentives if they install energy-efficient electrical systems, HVAC equipment and other building systems and components.

Although no two rebate programs are exactly alike, many of the 2005 programs offer rebates for products such as T5 and T8 lamps with electronic ballasts; reflectors for fluorescent fixtures; high-efficiency fluorescent troffers; pulse-start, metal-halide lighting; hard-wired and screw-in compact fluorescent lamps; HID lighting systems; occupancy sensors and daylight dimming systems; LED exit signs; motors; and variable-speed drives.

However, in some states and regions of the United States, utilities offer the same rebate programs. For instance, in the Northeast, quite a few utilities offer rebates for energy-efficient motors through the MotorUp program (www.motoruponline.com). In California, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison all offer rebates through the 2005 Express Efficiency program.

In addition to this EW article, the best available resources for anyone interested in available utility rebates for electrical products are three Web sites:

  • Advance Transformer’s Energy Rebate Central at www.energyrebatecentral.com/index.html

  • >“Utility Rebate Links” compiled by US Lighting, Islandia, N.Y., at www.uslighting.us/utility_rebate_links.htm

  • Information on “State Energy Management” programs compiled by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy at http://pnnl-utilityrestructuring.pnl.govenergymanage ment/energymanagement.htm

Rebate programs are constantly changing because they are generally funded and budgeted on an annual basis. Once funds run dry, no rebates are usually offered until the following year.