Want money for becoming more energy efficient? Besides the

obvious payoff of reduced energy bills, rebate and incentive dollars are out

there if you know where to look.

MidAmerican Energy offers energy

efficiency rebates to its non-residential customers Illinois. Amounts vary; rebate eligibility

depends on the technology and its efficiency. Programs that could qualify

include heating and cooling equipment; lighting; motors and variable speed

drives; and insulation.

Southern California Edison (SCE) offers

incentives for non-residential customers, regardless of size and energy usage.

Prescriptive rebates are available for lighting, refrigeration, premium

efficiency motors and air conditioning technologies. SCE demand curtailment

programs are also available, with rebates or rate discounts available to

customers who agree to have their energy usage curtailed during peak periods

and seasons.

Seems like every week, one hears something about rebates and

financial incentives for industries including manufacturing. But what we hear

is that funds are available or that manufacturers should check into them. So,

if all that money is available, where is it coming from? More importantly, how

do you get your hands on it?

 

Rebate roadmap

The Illinois and California offerings are

just two of the many programs listed on the DSIRE Website . The Database of State

Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of

information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that

promote renewable energy and energy efficiency, according to information

published on its Website ( www.dsireusa.org ).

Established in 1995, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the North Carolina Solar Center

and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). It is funded by the U.S.

Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE),

primarily through the Office of Planning, Budget and Analysis (PBA). The site

is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which is

operated for DOE by the Alliance

for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

The site’s home page displays a U.S. map with embedded links for

each state. By clicking on an individual state, users are directed to that

state’s landing page, each of which contains links for rebates, incentives,

loans, grants and policies provided by utilities and/or state or federal

governments.

It also provides information about Federal incentives and

policies for renewable energy and efficiency. A brief list of the many

offerings include Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction; Business

Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC); U.S. Department of Treasury – Renewable

Energy Grants; Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs); Qualifying Advanced Energy

Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit; and Interconnection Standards for Small

Generators.

Making your plant more energy efficient will result in

reduced energy bills. But tapping into a rebate or incentive program could go a

long way toward offsetting the costs of energy efficiency improvements.

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