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Home » Commercial & Industrial » Programs » NJ SmartStart Buildings » Tools and Resources » Design Support

Modified Design Support

 

On Site Engineers

Even if your project is beyond the conceptual stage, there may still be significant opportunities for building in energy efficiencies!

Through Modified Design Support, New Jersey SmartStart Buildings offers fast-track design support and incentives to design professionals to foster implementation of energy-efficiency measures. Modified Design Support is applicable for projects involving efficiency improvements for one or more electric end-uses. Design incentives will cover up to 100% of the incremental cost for design services over the cost of the base case building design.

Check an example of
Modified Design Support in action.

Modified Design Support Process:

  1. Using eligibility criteria and professional judgment, program representatives qualify a project for Modified Design Support.
  2. Program representatives offer design support to help select the measures that will be covered under the Design Incentive Agreement. This support might include: suggesting potential design solutions; discussing current practices and code requirements; evaluating available technologies; assessing the feasibility of equipment options; performing cost calculations; and assisting in equipment selections.
  3. The design professional prepares a proposal specifying the incremental design time needed to incorporate the approved measures into the final design of the building. The proposal will outline the method of analysis and software design tools to be used.
  4. Program representatives review the proposal and prepare a Design Incentive Agreement.

Conditions and Eligibility

In addition to the Conditions/Eligibility/Requirements detailed on the SmartStart Building registration form, some specific restrictions and requirements apply to Modified Design Support:

  1. Any project, including remodeling and equipment replacement, is eligible for Modified Design Support, provided the project involves a non-residential facility where more than 50,000 sq. ft. will be affected by the energy-efficiency measure(s).
  2. The project owner, design team, and Commercial/Industrial Market Manager must enter into a Design Incentive Agreement, which includes general requirements, the amount of the incentives, the scope of the analysis, and payment terms.
  3. Architects, engineers, and other design professionals are eligible to receive design incentives.
  4. Prescriptive measure design incentives are available only for measures approved by the Commercial/Industrial Market Manager.
  5. The incremental measure design costs eligible for incentives are those incurred after a Design Incentive Agreement has been executed up to the release of bid specifications.
  6. The maximum design incentives for Modified Design Support will be pro-rated based on the actual electric measure end-use categories included in the project analysis. Copies of inputs and summary results in printed and electronic formats, including computer program input electronic data files, must be supplied to the Market Manager.

The pro-rated schedule of incentives is based on:

  1. Design analysis of lighting systems (up to $2,000)
  2. HVAC and envelope (up to $2,000)
  3. Motors/other (up to $500)

The Commercial/Industrial Market Manager reserves the right to negotiate the total amount for design incentives.