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Northeast HVAC
News
Con Edison is enhancing its
incentives for commercial and industrial customers that make
HVAC upgrades with two program offerings.
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Con Edison is enhancing its incentives for commercial and
industrial customers that make HVAC upgrades with two program
offerings.
The first is the Prescriptive Rebate Program, which offers cash
incentives for the installation of standard energy-efficient
equipment, including HVAC such as furnaces, boilers and
chillers.
The second option offers incentives for custom upgrades of $0.16
per kilowatt hour saved plus an additional $600 for each
kilowatt of energy reduction. These HVAC upgrades will also
benefit from Early Replacement and Extended Life offerings,
designed to encourage owners to replace outdated equipment with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 and custom measures that would otherwise be too
expensive, Con Edison Program Manager Caitlin Prager said.
Unlike LED lighting, which is a more accessible, affordable and
frequent improvement, HVAC upgrades happen less often and at a
higher cost to property owners.
Incentives encourage owners to choose more efficient
equipment.
“Commercial customers don’t upgrade their HVAC equipment as
frequently as lighting, but when they do, it’s a major
investment,” Prager said. “We need to get the attention of the
customer and the market partners when the customer is ready to
make that investment.”
Con Edison’s Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Program
is for properties averaging peak demand over 100 kilowatts. All
large commercial customers, including office buildings, schools
and hospitals can benefit from the incentives. Multifamily
residential buildings are covered by a separate program.
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New Approach Means Greater Incentives
With Early Replacement and Extended Life offerings, owners can take
advantage of the former when HVAC equipment is replaced before the
end of its effective useful life. For chillers, which on average
last 20 years, the replacement age would have to be less than 19
years old. Useful life varies across equipment.
After receiving backup documentation, Con Edison will pay an
incentive on the difference between the existing chiller and the
energy savings achieved with a newer, more efficient model.
Extended Life has a similar policy. For buildings with HVAC
equipment 125% beyond its effective use life, owners who opt for a
more efficient replacement will receive an incentive payment on the
full spread of the savings.
The two offerings mark 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. This did not always represent the true savings
owners would earn by upgrading outdated HVAC and it limited
incentive payments.
“We are responding to feedback from our customers,” Prager said. “In
reality, they are taking equipment that is way below code and
looking for help to replace it with a more efficient product. We
want our incentives to fully reward customers for the energy savings
they’re achieving.”
Both offerings, and 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.
Incentives allow people to look at more efficient models, Prager
said.
By significantly increasing its HVAC incentives and offerings, Con
Edison is signaling it is committed to making energy efficiency
feasible and desirable.
“We’re making our HVAC incentives richer to make it more attractive
for these large customers to invest in new equipment,” Prager said.
“We all benefit from these investments. The customer gets lower
bills and contributes to a cleaner environment. We all have a role
to play in helping New York City and New York state meet their
environmental goals.”
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