Commercial and Institutional Sector

Energy is one of the most easily controlled costs in your business or organization. Through energy-efficient measures related to your building, equipment and operational practices, you can often achieve savings of 20% or more.

What are the benefits from Energy Efficiency?

· Lowers energy costs and improves your bottom line.
· Improves the comfort and satisfaction levels of building occupants.
· Adds building value.
· Shows environmental responsibility – energy efficiency measures can help reduce greenhouse emissions that contribute to climate change.


Energy Efficiency Incentive and Rebate Programs

Incentive Programs for New or Existing Buildings Only

Terasen Gas Efficient Boiler Program

The Efficient Boiler Program is designed to encourage the use of high-efficiency, natural gas hydronic space-heating systems in new construction and retrofit applications. If you're a building owner, developer, consulting engineer or contractor, Terasen Gas can help you select an efficient boiler configuration for your project. You can also increase the energy efficiency of your system and lower your costs by taking advantage of financial incentives for installing or upgrading to condensing or near-condensing boilers.
www.terasengas.com


Incentive Programs for Existing Buildings Only

Energy Innovators Initiative (EII)
The Energy Innovators Initiative encourages commercial businesses and public institutions such as universities, hotels and multi-unit residential buildings to invest in existing buildings. Organizations that join the EII can lower operating costs, increase comfort and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climatic change. EII members have access to the following funding opportunities:

Energy Retrofit Assistance or ERA (P)
Commercial and institutional EII members can apply for up to 50% of costs for energy audits, feasibility studies, energy management plans and other project facilitation measures that lead to energy retrofits.

For an energy retrofit planning project, EII members can receive up to 50% of eligible costs or up to $1 per gigajoule (1 GJ = 277.8 equivalent kilowatt hours) of annual energy consumption in the affected buildings, whichever amount is less, to a maximum of $25,000.

Energy Retrofit Assistance or ERA (3)
The EII provides eligible commercial and institutional members with Energy Retrofit Assistance. Funding can be used for project development, management, materials, labour, monitoring and tracking, staff training, awareness and for other retrofit implementation projects in your existing buildings. Measures for efficient lighting, the building envelope, motors, controls, heating, ventilating, air conditioning and other energy-saving projects are eligible.

For an ERA (3) project, EII members can receive up to $7.50 per gigajoule (1 GJ = 277.8 equivalent kilowatt hours) of annual energy savings or up to 25% of eligible costs, whichever amount is less, to a maximum of $250,000.

Link: http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/eii

BC Hydro Power Smart Partners

The Power Smart Partner Program provides eligible organizations with the opportunity to partner with BC Hydro and gain access to a variety of tools and resources to become more energy efficient.

An organization can become a Power Smart Partner if $50,000 or more was spent on electricity in the last year, and is willing to:

• Commit to improving the organization's overall electrical energy efficiency.
• Provide funds that match those provided by BC Hydro to identify energy-saving opportunities.
• Sign a Power Smart Partner Program agreement outlining a commitment, targets and the personnel who will be responsible for carrying out the plan.

Power Smart Partners provides access to funds to identify electrical energy-savings opportunities. Depending on the type of facility, funds may be used towards:

• Hiring an energy manager.
• Conducting an electrical energy study.
• Building recommissioning for existing buildings.
• Securing an energy performance contract.

Link: http://www.bchydro.com/business

BC Hydro Product Incentive Program

BC Hydro’s Product Incentive Program provides customers with incentives for replacing inefficient technologies with more energy efficient ones and/or adding on products to existing systems to make them more efficient. The application process is conducted online. There is a minimum $100 financial incentive per application and customers must submit an application for approval to BC Hydro before installing energy-efficient products. Incentives are available for a range of technology categories, including Lighting Products, Sensors and Controls, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning.
Link: http://www.bchydro.com/business

BC Hydro’s High Performance Building Program

The Power Smart High Performance Building Program provides incentives and tools to help developers and owners of new large buildings and their design teams create better, more energy-efficient buildings.

The High Performance Building Program is for large new projects that are at least 50,000 square feet or Energy-intense facilities having a potential annual electrical energy savings of 0.3 GWh/year.

The High Performance Building Program provides financial incentives and tools to help qualified projects:

• Identify energy savings strategies early in the building design process.
• Evaluate alternative design options and make a business case for the high-performance design.
• Offset the incremental costs, if any, of the energy-efficient measures in the high-performancedesign.
• Market the project’s high-performance design features and benefits.

BC Hydro offers assistance through two phases of the High Performance Building Program:
Design Assistance: BC Hydro will co-fund an energy study to develop a high-performance design that delivers energy savings, compared with a conventional building design.
Capital Incentives: If the energy efficiency measures in the high-performance design involve added costs, BC Hydro may also provide incentives to help qualified projects implement the improved design, based on the amount of energy savings the building will achieve. Also available are valuable tools to help to prepare a business case that demonstrates the benefits of the investment including:

• A spreadsheet for calculating the life cycle cost and return on investment of your high-performance design.
• A sample energy study report you can use as a model.
• Technical assistance from BC Hydro Power Smart.

Link:http://www.bchydro.com/business

Other Energy Efficiency Programs and Services

Terasen Gas Auditing Services

Although not advertised, Terasen Gas will audit your business if your gas consumption exceeds the benchmark for your sector. Contact Terasen Gas for information on this service.

BC Hydro e.Review

BC Hydro’s Power Smart e.Review is a free service that provides a detailed, customized profile of your facility's energy use to help identify opportunities to reduce energy use and save money. By providing data on your facility e.Review will provide you with:

• A breakdown of your facility's annual energy use
• A comparison of energy use against other facilities
• Low and no-cost measures for immediate savings
• Long-term energy-saving opportunities and an action plan

Link: http://www.bchydro.com/business

Building Owners and Managers Association of British Columbia (Boma) Go Green

The BOMA Go Green program is a national recognition and certification program for commercial buildings in Canada designed, developed and administered by BOMA Canada and by local BOMA associations throughout the country. The program provides the tools to enable building owners to reduce energy consumption and operating costs as well as improving waste management. Due to the growing recognition that the environmental friendliness of a commercial building is a key factor in the management of these buildings, performance standards have been developed by BOMA. These standards relate to energy consumption and costs as well as tenant safety, health, comfort and productivity.