You’ve probably seen the ads with the cute talking outlets and smart power strips talking about how to get their energy bills “in shape.” Or the numerous billboards in the Chicagoland region that advertise how simple it is for families and
businesses to save money and energy by utilizing the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program. You read that correctly. With their
assistance, you can save energy AND money, which is what Commonwealth Edison, often known as ComEd, sincerely hopes.
Makes you think it’s not real? Trust me, it’s not. Do you want to know how investing in something each month can pay off?
Take a seat back, unwind, and allow Energy Expert to educate you on Commonwealth Edison Rebates that can be applied to
your company or public facility.
Illinois emerged as a global pioneer in sustainable energy following the passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act, or FEJA, in 2016. The already potent infrastructure for energy efficiency was expanded in 2021 with the passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act. The main ways in which these bills accomplish this are by increasing the state’s energy efficiency initiatives, like as the Commonwealth Edison Energy Efficiency program, and by safeguarding consumers’ access to affordable energy rates. This program was in place before to FEJA, but CEJA increased financing for low-income programs, brought attention to the immensely profitable Comed Incentives available in Illinois, and tripled the budget for these earlier initiatives. The solar subsidies offered by our state were also stabilized by CEJA, which developed a more substantial and established market for ground-mounted and roof-mounted solar PV systems.
In every way since the program’s modest start in 2007—the quantity of houses and companies taking part, the annual kWhs saved, the number of jobs generated, and the variety of energy-saving solutions available—it has grown enormously. It seems like there are currently rebates available for almost any kind of structure, be it 500 square feet or 500,000 square feet, newly constructed or 150 years old (we will discuss this in more detail later). Program Implementers and Service Providers are essential to ComEd’s ability to oversee, publicize, and finish the program’s activities because of its extensive portfolio. Businesses like as Energy Xperts are useful in this regard.
You must select a qualified ComEd Service Provider to evaluate your facility, make recommendations for energy efficiency enhancements, and carry out the actual installation in order to get work performed and receive Commonwealth Edison reimbursements under the program. The ComEd Service Provider network is composed of a select group of approximately twelve organizations that are leaders in their respective fields, including lighting installation, lighting distribution, energy efficiency, and sustainable energy.
To make sure that these businesses and the people working with them are the most qualified to carry out the program’s objective and values, they undergo extensive background checks and training. This year, in accordance with CEJA, all service providers must be ICC Certified Energy Efficiency Measures Installers in order to do any work. This requirement further ensures that all service providers are reliable, competent, and well-trained.
Offering for Small Businesses (SBO): Buildings in the public and private sectors that use between 0 and 400 kW per month are eligible for this program. This program has grown from its previous 0-100kW limit. Resource Innovations oversees the SBO program, which is immensely extensive and offers discounts for every small business need, including weather stripping, air compressors,
HVAC systems, and brand-new LED lighting. Since the goal of this program is to reduce energy use, you will receive more
money if the installed fixtures have lower wattages. Because this is a closed network of contractors,
not everyone who uses an authorized vendor can access this program. The good news is that Energy Xpert Energy Efficiency Experts is a recognized supplier. Indeed, they’ve taken home multiple honors: Partner of the Year in 2018, 2019, and 2021; Most Comprehensive in 2017 and 2022; and Leading in 2023. We promise that in 2024, we will continue to be good partners.
Installing EC motors in place of conventional freezer and cooler motors can increase the efficiency of refrigeration systems. Walk-in doors can be fitted with low temperature strips to help prevent the air inside the cooler from escaping and door closers to ensure that energy isn’t wasted with open doors.
Finally, smart thermostats are constantly in style because they provide building owners greater control and lower their heating and cooling expenses.
Standard Commercial Incentives Program: Similar to the SBO program, the Standard program, run by Resource Innovations, provides rebates to commercial buildings in the private sector that consume more than 400 kWh of energy per month. These kinds of buildings are typically big, complex structures like manufacturing and high-rise buildings. Additionally extensive, this program provides a plethora of refund alternatives for refrigeration measures, outdoor lighting, and indoor lighting. The energy efficiency improvements in buildings covered by this program are very beneficial since they reduce the amount of energy needed to maintain the building’s safety and comfort levels.
This initiative, which is open to all firms in Comed area, including those that wish to install projects themselves, is quite similar to the Small Business Offering.
Instant Discounts: Instant Discounts, which are managed by DNV GL, are applicable to energy-saving improvements in any size commercial building, in contrast to the SBO and Standard programs. Instant Discounts are precisely what they sound like: instant savings and instant incentives for LED lighting systems.
Because the measures that qualify for the rebate are so simple to install, this program, which focuses on screw-in LED measures (like screw-in light bulbs in the typical home), does not require service provider installation. Businesses can easily purchase screw-in LEDs as needed because this program does not require upfront project clearance. Applying to both public and private sector commercial buildings makes the Commonwealth Edison Rebates and Instant Discounts program even more alluring. Woo! Since it was introduced a few years ago, this program has also offered immediate savings on heat pump and high efficiency HVAC systems.
Market rate condo and apartment buildings with more than three units can take advantage of the exciting new Multi-Family Energy Savings Program, which is managed by Franklin Energy. Comed Incentives are offered. The goal of this program is to give the customer complete project freedom, including both in-unit and common area metrics. With no additional costs to the consumer, the Multi-Family Energy Savings Program, or MFESP, offers larger refund levels for a narrower range of actions. Upgrades to LED lighting and occupancy controls are eligible for incentives under this scheme.
Public Housing and Income Eligible Buildings Multi-Family Energy Savings Program: The public housing or income qualified side of the program has very comparable incentives and metrics to the market rate side. This year has seen a significant rise in financing for the MFESP income eligible and public housing side, which is managed by Franklin Energy and Elevate Energy and made possible by FEJA. This is great news for Chicagoland, since low-income regions are especially in need of energy savings and efficiency measures.
Other Residential Opportunities: By installing screw-in LEDs, installing smart thermostats, and swapping out outdated appliances for Energy Star models, homeowners can accomplish a number of other energy-efficiency improvements without the assistance of a service provider. For example, certain Energy Star-rated products at Target include labels exhibiting discounts per the energy efficiency program. Commonwealth Edison pays refunds for these measures, which can be sought for by the homeowner themselves or applied to the product at purchase. For savings on water-saving items, smart thermostats, lights, and even electric car chargers for your house, you can also make direct purchases on this Comed website.
Through the use of the Energy Management System (EMS) or Building Automation System (BAS), one of the largest adjustments to a major building’s energy usage can be made in ways that are invisible to the public. Small tweaks to a building’s BAS system to optimize its energy use can result in significant energy savings, and this is the foundation of the Through the use of the Energy Management System (EMS) or Building Automation System (BAS), one of the largest adjustments to a major building’s energy usage can be made in ways that are invisible to the public. Small tweaks to a building’s BAS system to optimize its energy use can result in significant energy savings, and this is the foundation of the Retrocommissioning Program (RCx).
This program includes an energy engineering course that costs, on average, $20,000 or more and is totally funded by the utility. Following the engineering or investigative phase, a number of recommendations are given with a straightforward payback period of no more than 1.5 years. These suggestions, which are regarded as ECMs, frequently come with extra program incentives to persuade the facility to implement the modifications for hotel energy efficiency in Chicago.
Last but not least, the building and its partners are offered a variety of incentives, which are subject to frequent change. A building can save tens of thousands of dollars in operating expenses by going through this process once every seven years.
Like the Retro-commissioning program, the Industrial Energy Efficiency initiative targets major energy consumers with strong engineering backing. The Commonwealth Edison industrial energy efficiency program offers financial incentives to companies so they can install new or updated energy-efficient equipment and save money. This may involve items such as:
Because every industrial facility is so different from the next based on actual manufacturing, the magic of this program all happens during an onsite visit.
Commercial buildings usually mix ventilation with heating and cooling systems. Commercial buildings, unlike residential ones, require adequate ventilation to ensure public health and prevent exposure to common building materials.<br>
Nevertheless, energy efficiency and ventilation disagree. In the summer, imported air is usually warmer and more humid, whereas in the winter, it is normally colder and drier. Both greater wear and tear on the equipment and increased energy expenditures result from this.
Two independent systems of VRF heat pumps and energy recovery ventilators are combined to create Very High Efficiency, or VHE, HVAC. A building’s savings over traditional HVAC might range from 40% to 80% when these two already-existing systems are combined. Energy Xperts finished a significant school conversion to VHE HVAC in 2022 and 2023 at the Oak Park Temple in Oak Park, Illinois.This resulted in the school and religious building completely decarbonizing and supplying fresh air for the first time in decades.
By employing refrigeration, heat pumps transfer heat into and out of a building. These systems are significantly more efficient than the heating and cooling ones that are in use today, and they can function well even at -10 degrees Fahrenheit. It was actually -10 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago for the majority of December 24, 2022. It was cozy and comfortable inside the building where I was staying. After they had control and lighting systems upgraded, we actually installed a heat pump for one of our long-time customers.
Recovering Energy Up to 93% of the heat and moisture in the air that exits the building are recovered by ventilators, which transfer the energy from that air to the incoming ventilation air. In addition to saving energy, this significant energy savings lets you design for a smaller heating and cooling system, which reduces the equipment that needs to be purchased for the heat pump system. Buildings feel more fresher when this system is installed, and there are less pollutants and bacteria that could harm building occupants.
Our clients have benefited greatly from this scheme, receiving up to $400,000 in rebates on a single project. Because of this, Very High Efficiency renovations may be far less expensive to build and operate than standard boiler, chiller, or roof-top unit projects.
Comed is going to start implementing a program in 2024 called “beneficial electrification,” which is any energy-related activity that is more environmentally friendly than utilizing conventional fuels like natural gas, propane, gasoline, or diesel. Commonwealth Edison Rebates will not only suggest cutting back on electricity use, but also converting from gas to electricity where it makes sense and is more environmentally friendly.
Some of our clients benefit from the 179d tax deduction when they make energy-efficient building modifications. In addition to energy savings, investment payback, return on investment, maintenance reduction, and environmental benefits, businesses can handle this independently through their own tax accountant. This is simply another reason to consider energy efficiency.
Another well-liked method of advantageously electrifying machinery is the conversion of propane, natural gas, and diesel fork lifts to electric power. Comed provides both the battery conversion and the effective charging infrastructure for this equipment.
Last but not least, using heat pumps to convert from natural gas to electricity for heating might have a lot of advantages. A building cannot be made carbon neutral without abandoning its use of natural gas as a heat source. Even the most energy-efficient natural gas systems emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and buildings contribute significantly to these emissions, particularly in our cold climate. The real deal is here with heat pumps, but making this switch will require your dedication as well as assistance from our state and utility.
Some of our clients benefit from the 179d tax deduction when they make energy-efficient building modifications. In addition to energy savings, investment payback, return on investment, maintenance reduction, and environmental benefits, businesses can handle this independently through their own tax accountant. This is simply another reason to consider energy efficiency.
The 179d tax deduction can be applied to an engineering or project management business that designs a project for people that do not pay taxes, such as government agencies and nonprofits. Because it lowers the tax base for the firm planning the project, this tax benefit—which was increased under the Inflation Reduction Act—can help a customer cut costs ingeniously. We successfully completed a sizable VHE HVAC project for a religious structure in 2023, saving our company taxes, which we then passed down to the client in the form of a discounted cost. Win-win.
Enrolling in the Commonwealth Edison Rebates and Energy Efficiency Program has many other incredible minor and large-scale benefits, on top of the evident monthly bill reductions (the average project payback is typically approximately a year!).
Let’s start small: as was already indicated, you will notice a decrease in your energy cost within the first few months of a project’s completion. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing their bills go down? If that’s not enough to convince you, installing LED lighting and energy-saving measures generally has a lot of other advantages for your space (see my other blog post, “Sustainability is the New Black,” to learn why I think these things are important for reasons other than just saving money).
Your company will literally be brighter and far more productive. For instance, if you own a warehouse, you will be able to sleep better knowing that your area is well-lit (better lighting reduces accidents and injuries and provides more comfortable working conditions during the hot months) and that you won’t have to pay someone to replace burned-out bulbs on a regular basis (LEDs typically last about 50,000 hours!).
With any luck, your staff will see these effective adjustments as a reflection of your positive business investment. Brighter lighting will allow you to display your merchandise more effectively and draw in more comfortable customers if you own a retail location. Increasing energy efficiency has a favorable impact on your company’s profitability and output. It really is win-win!
As the Energy Xperts staff is, if you have a personal enthusiasm for the environment, sustainability, and clean energy, you realize that updating energy efficiency has many other hugely significant advantages. To begin with, you’re lessening the carbon footprint of your house or place of work, which implies you’re using fewer fossil fuels and lessening the strain on our globe. In actuality, you are preserving resources for your great-great-grandchildren, grandchildren, and so forth. Reducing energy directly corresponds to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which implies that there will be less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to cause climate change and the greenhouse effect (alright, enough geeking out).
Who doesn’t want to be regarded as a leader in the industry on top of all of this? Leaders in the industry are the ones implementing energy-saving innovations and modifications in their companies, which leads to additional expansion and advancement. I firmly believe that we’ll witness incredibly exciting developments toward new clean energy technologies, including solar and wind power, as the program continues to acquire traction, partners, and consumer support. Another way to look at this is that, as a nation and as business owners, you’re improving your energy independence. Talk about being innovative, huh?
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Never believe anything we say. View our efforts to upgrade Chicagoland's HVAC systems to higher efficiency models or even incorporate EV car charging in order to draw in more clients and staff members while also increasing energy efficiency.