Commercial, Energy Efficiency, Industrial, Utilities  -  February 13, 2018

Con Edison adds HVAC upgrade incentives for C&I

Con Edison announced two new programs offering incentives for C&I customers that make HVAC upgrades. The Prescriptive Rebate Program offers cash incentives for the installation of standard energy-efficient equipment, including HVAC such as furnaces, boilers, and chillers. Another program offers incentives for custom upgrades of $0.16 per kilowatt hour saved plus an additional $600 for each kilowatt of energy reduction.

Early replacement and extended life offerings will also be offered as part of these HVAC upgrades, according to a report in Biznow, as part of an effort to encourage owners to replace outdated equipment with more efficient models before they break down. 

The incentives will encourage owners to consider high-efficiency HVAC upgrades, which are more expensive and therefore happen less often.  "Commercial customers don’t upgrade their HVAC equipment as frequently as lighting, but when they do, it’s a major investment," said Caitlin Prager, program manager at Con Edison. "We need to get the attention of the customer and the market partners when the customer is ready to make that investment." 

The incentives are expected to encourage owners to choose more efficient equipment. All large commercial customers, including office buildings, schools and hospitals can benefit from the incentives. Multifamily residential buildings are covered by a separate program.

 The two offerings represent a change in the way Con Edison approaches HVAC upgrades. Historically, incentives were rewarded based on the difference between a baseline code for the equipment and the more efficient product without always considering the true savings owners would earn by upgrading outdated HVAC. "We are responding to feedback from our customers," Prager said. "We want our incentives to fully reward customers for the energy savings they’re achieving." Both programs, as well as the added custom measure incentives, are part of Con Edison’s plan to encourage customers and their market partners to consider HVAC replacement before equipment breaks down.

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