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2013 Rebate Programs Have Started

Electric utilities and government organizations across the nation have been busy updating their rebate programs for 2013. A majority have already released their new programs, with others to have them by the end of the month. While every program is different, some of the most common changes we have seen this year are T12 rebate amounts being reduced or removed and more programs adding new incentives for LED lighting solutions.

At this time, incentives for energy efficient commercial lighting cover 71% of the US. Click here to see a map showing how rebates have changed in the US

LED Rebates - More Opportunities Than Ever

As LED lighting solutions have continued to penetrate the market, rebate and incentive programs in North America have taken notice and revised their program offerings. Over the past few years, these programs have added new incentives for many types of LED solutions and worked to refine requirements for these products. In fact, according to our North American Rebate and Incentive Database, the number of rebate programs for LEDs has increased by 54% since January 2012!

While the growth in programs could have been expected, it maybe be surprising to learn that the average rebate amount has decreased over the same time period. For LED replacement lamps, the average rebate decreased by 7% since January 2012. For LED fixtures, the rebates also went down; high bay fixtures decreased by 8%, accent lighting by 12% and recessed down lights by 66%.

Click here to find out the types of rebates available for LEDs.

New Construction Can Get Rebates Too!

Although a lot of people are aware of rebates for installing energy efficient equipment in older facilities, few people realize that rebates and incentives may also be available for new construction projects. Unlike retrofit projects which base rebates on how much energy is saved compared to the old equipment, new construction programs often base the incentives on the savings over a building code, most commonly a version of ASHRAE 90.1. Programs can cover equipment such as HVAC systems, interior lighting, exterior lighting, refrigeration, and water systems.

Click here to learn more about new construction rebates

Don't Forget Your Rebate Pre-approval

When thinking about an upcoming energy efficiency project, most people want to take advantage of available rebates and incentives, but they forget to allocate an appropriate amount of time for the pre-approval process. Many rebate providers require pre-approval prior to installation to be eligible for program funds.

We analyzed the time required to get pre-approvals across the nation by looking at our project database that tracks the thousands of projects we complete each year. On average, it takes 30 days from the day you first submit paperwork until you get pre-approval for a project; an increase from the 26 days we recorded last year. That time does not take into account any time spent finding the correct rebate program, filling out paperwork, gathering spec sheets, getting the proper signatures, etc.

Click here to see the range of pre-approval times and learn more

It's not too late to get your EPAct deduction for 2012

Have you worked on a large lighting project in 2012? If so, that project may still qualify for a significant tax deduction thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Because the EPAct certification does not need to happen at installation, any lighting project put into service in 2012 can still qualify for the deduction. That means you can save money when filing your taxes for 2012. However, you have to act now or you will lose the opportunity.

Click here to see how EPAct can help you.

Rebate Programs Continue to Grow Dramatically

By providing valuable incentives and rebates to customers, energy efficiency programs have proven to be an effective way for utilities and federal/state/local governments to reduce electric demand. Funding for these programs has grown rapidly over the years and is now at an all time high.

A recent report from the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) shows that the budgets for energy efficiency electric programs was $6.8 billion in 2011. That's a 26% increase over the previous year's budgets.

Click here to learn more about the growing efficiency program budgets.

Last Call For T12 Rebates

As you probably already know, manufacturers will no longer produce most T12 bulbs after July 2012. How will the upcoming T12 phase-out affect lighting rebates? Currently, T12 to T8 rebates are available across the country and, in most cases, at levels that are designed to bring the payback period to 1-2 years. With the discontinuation of T12 lamps and ballasts, many of these rebates will quickly change.

Click here to learn more about what will happen to T12 rebates

Rebates For Equipment Affected By Legislation

In 2009, Congress passed legislation that established efficiency standards for general lighting. While the law did not specifically outlaw any technologies, it set efficiency standards that essentially phases out older technologies in use at many businesses today such as T12 fixtures and incandescent/halogen reflector lamps.

Rebates currently exist for many of the possible upgrades from the older products and can help lower the cost of the project. It is possible that due to the legislation, the incentive levels for the replacement products may fall or stop completely once the old technologies are phased out.

If you have old, inefficient technologies in your facilities, consider upgrading sooner than mandated so you won't miss out on any of the valuable rebates.

Click here to see the rebates available for replacement products

High Rebates for High-Bay Fixtures

Rebates for lighting in commercial buildings are available for a variety of products and solutions in the marketplace. They cover everything from standard A19 incandescent replacements, to linear fluorescents and metal halide fixtures. A category which has particularly strong incentives is high-bay fixtures.

Whether replacing antiquated T12HO systems or inefficient HID systems, installing fluorescent, pulse start metal halide or induction high-bay fixtures can save on energy costs, provide better light levels, and also bring in high rebates.

Click here to the types of rebates available for high-bay fixtures.

How Long Does It Take To Get A Rebate Check?

One question that we frequently hear from our customers is, "How long does it take to get a rebate check?" To answer the question, we looked at several thousand projects that took place across the nation last year and created a graph to illustrate how long it took to receive the final rebate check after the installation of the equipment.

Click here to see the graph and learn how long it takes to get a rebate check.

Maximize Your Rebate Dollars

When it comes to rebates and incentives for energy efficiency projects, it takes careful attention and planning to get the most money possible. Planning a project to get the most money involves optimizing timing, paying attention to bonus programs and negotiating rebates. The whole process is a daunting task for many businesses, but by doing it correctly, you can get a lot more money for your projects.

Click here to see how one customer maximized their rebates to achieve an additional $66,100 in rebates.

EPAct Reduces Payback To 1 Year

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) allows commercial buildings to claim a tax deduction for upgrading to energy efficiency equipment. While many types of buildings can qualify for EPAct, warehouses and distribution centers have a huge opportunity with EPAct because of their large area and ability to install very efficiency lighting systems. One retailer took advantage of this tax deduction for $66,332 in one of their large distribution centers.

Click here see how the EPAct tax deduction reduced the

payback period to 1 year.

Program Goes Through $6.5 Million In Four Days!

Rebate programs are wildly popular with businesses trying to reduce the cost of their energy efficiency projects. Often there's a frenzy to get the money when it becomes available. In fact, one program is so popular it just can't seem to keep its funds. This year, a program offered by the State of Virginia offered $6.5 million for energy efficiency projects. Customers could take advantage of the funds starting on March 22nd. Four days later, the program stopped accepting new applications and had a wait list of 3,200 applications!

Click here to see how you can make sure you're not missing out on programs like this.