Technologies
The US Department of Energy estimates that lighting makes up 20-30% of total energy consumption for the average commercial building. Retrofitting to T-5 or T-8 high efficiency fixtures with electronic ballasts and installing lighting control systems are smart investments, resulting in reduced energy and demand costs and often enhancing the quality of lighting for better customer experiences and improved employee productivity.
HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning)
HVAC refers to the equipment, distribution system, and controls that provide space conditioning for a commercial or industrial facility. HVAC systems are typically the primary energy consumers in commercial structures, accounting for approximately half of all the energy used in U.S. buildings. In addition to lowering energy and demand costs, high-efficiency HVAC systems can improve the health, comfort and productivity of building occupants. Incentives are available for high-efficiency equipment such as gas cooling and heating, electric chillers, ground-source or geothermal heating and cooling, and electric unitary systems
Premium efficiency motors can significantly reduce production process costs for many operations. Premium motors also run cooler and are better able to withstand variations in voltage. Financial incentives are available for both open drip-proof and totally enclosed fan-cooled motors depending on horsepower and speed. Incentives are also available for variable frequency drives which control the rotating speed of electric motors by applying a low frequency and voltage during motor startup and then ramping up to accelerate the load while limiting current. During shutdown, VFDs allow motors to ramp down at a controlled rate. These devices are very effective in producing energy savings in pump and fan applications.
Commercial, municipal, institutional, and industrial customers can also receive incentives for installing high-efficiency gas water heating in their facilities. The incentives cover smaller devices (50 gallons or less) with energy factors of at least .62, larger units exceeding AFUE levels of 84% or 85% depending on MBH capacity, and gas-fired water booster heaters.
Most CHP systems include a natural gas-fueled combined cycle combustion turbine to produce both steam and electricity from a single fuel source located on-site. These highly efficient technologies recover the heat that would otherwise be wasted during the generation of electricity and make use of that heat for commercial or industrial processes. This thermal energy may be used for direct heating, as a source for producing hot water or steam, or even for space conditioning and dehumidification.