EDF Staff | July 23, 2011
By Kerry Downing, Intern, Corporate Partnership Program, EDF
**This is part of a series of blog posts EDF will run throughout the summer to disseminate energy efficiency tips from EDF Climate Corps fellows. We hope you will find these tips helpful and incorporate them into your organization's energy management initiatives.
When EDF Climate Corps fellows are building a business case for energy efficiency, rebates and incentives are critical to the financial analysis. As many fellows are finding, researching for these rebates and incentives at a state or federal level can be an unwieldy and time-consuming task. Here are some ways to work through it:
- DSIRE: A great place to start this research is DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy). They offer an abundant amount of data on state and federal rebates and incentives. Additionally, it is possible to build a customized incentive database or policy tracking program. These services are offered for rates ranging from $2,000 to $6,500 annually.
- Non-profits: Speak to regional non-profits that promote energy efficiency. After talking to many of them over the phone, I found that if they do not have the resources to help a fellow directly they can point, at least, them in the correct direction.
- Utility Companies: Utility companies can be very helpful in navigating the world of rebates and incentives relative to your company or region. Many fellows have found regional utilities to be a great resource.
- Contractors: Contractors (for lighting, HVAC, etc.) usually have a line into current incentives or rebates available – some even offer custom research for additional fees. Fellows have found by doing a small amount of internal company research, they are able to leverage current relationships to expedite the rebate and incentive process.
Once a company is eligible for incentives or rebates, there is still more work to be done. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, ACEEE, recently published a paper called Energy Efficiency Tax Incentive, 2005-2011: How Have They Performed? One of the main barriers identified in the paper was that tax incentives were based on single systems (i.e. HVAC, lighting, etc.) rather than whole building retrofits. In addition, it is necessary to manually report data, which can be cumbersome. ACEEE says it's hopeful that an automated data reporting system will be available in the near future.
Rebates and incentives are out there, but becoming more difficult to come by. It is important to realize the resources that are available through your company and then look to regional organizations to maximize the potential energy savings for your company's bottom line.