Energy Trust of Oregon
Business Energy Efficiency Incentives for Existing Buildings
Background
Energy Trust of Oregon offers incentives to companies (commercial, agricultural, and institutional – including schools) that increase the energy efficiency of their existing buildings.
The standard incentive program provides cash incentives for non-custom equipment with easy installation, including high-efficiency electric motors and drives, lighting equipment and lighting controls, heat pumps, air conditioners, radiant heat, insulation, domestic hot water, boilers, steam traps, as well as equipment specific to the food service and lodging industries. To be eligible for standard incentives, projects must be pre-approved before making any equipment purchases or initiating any work. Details on Energy Trust’s standard incentives can be found at: www.energytrust.org/existingbuildings/standard.
Customers retrofitting existing buildings through measures not covered under the standard incentive program can still receive financial assistance from Energy Trust through the custom incentive program. Custom incentives for projects involving non-lighting equipment are approved up to 35 percent of the total approved cost, not to exceed 20¢/annual kilowatt-hours (kWh) saved and $1/therm saved. To qualify for a custom incentive, the energy savings must be at least 25 percent of the current energy use for lighting equipment and 10 percent for all other equipment and measures. Details on Energy Trust’s custom incentives can be found at: www.energytrust.org/existingbuildings/custom.
Both custom and standard incentives for existing buildings are capped at $500,000 per site, per year. Participants must be customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural or Cascade Natural Gas and must also pay the public purpose charge on their energy bills.
Solar incentives for existing buildings
Incentives are also available for installation of solar energy systems. Energy Trust offers $6.00/therm or $0.40/kWh for solar water heating systems and $1.50/therm solar pool heating systems. Solar electric incentives vary based on the size of the system and the electric utility and can be as high as $175,000 for public buildings including schools. To avoid a large capital investment, a school may seek to purchase solar electricity from a third party that installs, owns and operates a solar electric system on the school. Details on Energy Trust’s solar incentives can be found at: http://energytrust.org/solar/index.html.
Energy Trust cash incentives can be combined with state and federal tax credits for energy efficient and solar energy systems.
Contact Information
Building Energy Solutions - Existing Buildings
The Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc.
621 SW Morrison St., Suite 550
Portland, OR 97205
1-877- 510-6800
buildings@energytrust.org
http://www.energytrust.org/eb
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