Making schools energy efficient need not be an exercise in sacrifice. Schools can get the same or better services, as well as increase the health and comfort of students and staff, all while using less energy. Schools that are natural gas or electricity customers of Con Edison could earn cash rebates and incentives to install energy efficiency measures that can help reduce energy use, lower replacement and operating costs and reduce carbon footprint.
If you are ready to transform your school into a high-performance building, the Con Edison Green Team can help with rebates and incentives and technical expertise available through the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Energy Efficiency Program. These rebates and incentives help schools lower the capital investment required to implement energy-saving strategies and technologies, as well as provide an attractive return on investment and payback due to savings on maintenance and energy costs.
Here are three ways schools can get incentives from the Con Edison C&I Energy Efficiency Program:
1. Cash rebates for equipment upgrades
Schools can save substantially on high efficiency gas and electric equipment including lighting and lighting controls, HVAC systems, boilers/furnaces, motors, and variable frequency drives through the C&I Equipment Rebate Program. For example, lighting represents an opportunity to save energy in schools, particularly those that use T12 fluorescent lamps. Even though 20% of all fluorescent lamps are still T12, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will begin to phase them out of production this July. Con Edison's C&I Energy Efficiency Program pays up to $20 per fixture for replacing T12 systems with T8 or T5 systems for qualifying projects, but those incentives will disappear in 2013 when the new federal lighting standards kick in.
2. Incentives based on performance
The C&I Custom Program focuses on total energy savings per project rather than rebates for specific equipment upgrades. Schools can earn incentives for cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies not included in the Equipment Rebate Program such as window caulking, window film, elevator modernization and more.
3. Savings on energy efficiency studies
Schools can save up to 50%, or up to $67,000, toward the cost of an energy efficiency study to evaluate gas and electric use.
In addition to these rebates and incentives, schools have access to Con Edison's Market Partners, a network of reputable, experienced and knowledgeable energy experts who can help identify and implement energy efficiency solutions. Nearly 600 pre-approved and specially trained energy efficiency contractors, distributors and other energy professionals participate in the Con Edison C&I Market Partner network.
Join the discussion on LinkedIn (Con-Edison-Commercial-Industrial), Facebook (ConEd Green Team C&I), Twitter (ConEd Green Team C&I) and YouTube (ConEd Green Team C&I).
The Con Edison Green Team has an energy efficiency program available for almost everyone. To learn which program is right for you, call the Green Team at 1-877-860-6118 or visit www.conEd.com/greenteam.
David Pospisil is program manager of Con Edison's Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Program, New York, N.Y. Tags: