2016 is Almost a Wrap!

As 2016 comes to a close it’s time to look ahead to 2017 and start planning your lighting projects. There are a few things to consider when thinking about your upgrades:

1. Don’t wait to do your lighting projects. In 2016, we saw a higher than usual participation rate with incentive programs. This caused many utilities to run out of funding very early.

Typically, we see funding issues in the third or fourth quarter, however, this year we saw programs running out as early as February!

I expect the participation rates to continue to increase in 2017 and expect funding may once again deplete much quicker than in years past.

2. Keep in mind that LED lighting incentives may be at their peak. Most incentive programs have shifted from fluorescent to LED and we’ve seen more LED technology get moved into prescriptive programs.

This tells me that LED incentives may be at or close to their peak. I anticipate 2017 to continue to offer high rebates for LED, but those numbers will eventually start to decrease. Take advantage of these rebates while they are high!

3. Expect a greater emphasis on controls. Advanced lighting controls have started to become more popular throughout the industry, which means utilities will hopefully start incorporating controls into their programs.

I still see controls mainly falling into custom programs, but now that DLC has an advanced lighting controls Qualified Product List, we may see this shifting to prescriptive programs in 2017.

The year 2016 was a strong one for incentive programs and I believe 2017 will be just as strong. Be sure to keep in mind the above points if you’re considering an upgrade next year.

If you have questions regarding program changes and how this may affect you project, please reach out to EMC.

Katie Quam is Energy Management Collaborative's Manager of Customer Incentives. In this role she utilizes her knowledge of incentive programs nationwide to expedite the application process and secure maximum incentive dollars for EMC customers.