Maplewood business nearly misses out on big utility rebate

Maplewood– Many businesses don’t realize that equipment purchases may qualify for a utility rebate. Energy Smart recently encountered one such situation during its Community Focus Initiative inMaplewood. While conducting an energy consultation at Commercial Pool and Spa Supplies in November, it was discovered that the business upgraded a rooftop HVAC unit earlier in the year but had not applied for a utility rebate. “I didn’t know there was a rebate available for the new HVAC unit,” says Bill Soukup, president. Energy Smart staff collected the needed data for the Xcel Energy rebate form including technical specifications, invoice and quote for the new equipment. Energy Smart then helped the business complete a utility rebate application and ensured that it was received by the utility.

After the rebate form calculations were complete, Energy Smart was able to tell the business that their expected annual savings for the upgrade were 1,896 kWh and $194. Even better, they were told they’d be receiving a rebate check for $800 from Xcel Energy. “Energy Smart made the process easy and did most of the work to get the rebate application over to Xced Energy,” says Soukup. Concurrently, Energy Smart also facilitated a lighting audit for Commercial Pool and Spa and the company’s rebate savings may increase the likelihood they will complete the additional lighting upgrade.

The 22nd Energy Design Conference and Expo

The 2012 Energy Design Conference and Expo is February 21-22. This conference is a great opportunity to learn from and network with peers and learn about the latest innovations in high-performance buildings, sustainable design and development. The conference is held at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, 350 Harbor Drive. For more information visit the conference web site.

Xcel Energy introduces LED wall pack rebates

LED wall pack fixtures have been added to the prescriptive rebate program at Xcel Energy. Wall pack lighting is typically used on the outside of a building or in a covered parking garage. Please note that if installing an LED wall pack in a parking garage, it MUST BE attached to the wall and not the ceiling. Ceiling mounted LED parking garage fixtures need to go through the Xcel Energy Custom Efficiency program.

Prescriptive rebate amounts for this type of fixture include:

• For a retrofit: $100 per fixture

• For new construction: $40 per fixture

Projects invoiced on or after 9/1/2011 may qualify for the new rebates. Rebate cannot exceed 60% of project cost. See page four of the Xcel Energy rebate application for details.

Do you have wall pack lighting on the outside of your building? Contact Energy Smart at (651) 292-4652 or info@mnenergysmart.com.