2021 Mid-Year Incentives Update
June 16, 2021
It’s hard to believe that 2021 is almost halfway behind us. We’re at that time of year when it’s good to touch on incentive programs to highlight changes, bonuses and EV charging programs.
Bonus Incentives
Ameren Missouri: The utility’s Bizsavers Program is currently offering a 20% bonus for interior LED lighting projects replacing fluorescent and HID technologies. Projects must be pre-approved by July 31, 2021 and completed by December 31, 2021. Additionally, there is a 15% bonus for HVAC energy efficiency improvements. This is a great time to get projects done in this area!
ComEd – Northern Illinois: The LEEP (Large Energy Efficiency Projects) bonus expired due to the large response it received.
DTE – Michigan: DTE recently announced a 20% bonus for all linear LED measures for final applications submitted before July 31, 2021. Additionally, non-lighting custom projects will receive a bonus incentive offering of $.06/kWh saved for projects submitted by November 30, 2021.
NIPSCO – Indiana: Hot off the press: NIPSCO is offering a 20% bonus for prescriptive and custom projects after May 16, 2021, through December 6, 2021.
EV Charging Stations
There are plenty of EV incentive programs offered by utilities, but there are also opportunities for EMC’s customers to take advantage of state and federal grants/tax incentives. States with utility incentives and state grants include California, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Massachusetts, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
The largest, most lucrative EV incentive programs are in Massachusetts and New York, but California’s state/utility programs have committed over $2 billion to EV incentive and infrastructure programs over the next five years.
Program Changes
New Jersey: In 2018 the state passed the Clean Energy Act, which included creating a state organization called New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP). This program has administered all energy efficiency programs and incentives on behalf of the Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) up to this point. Changes have been approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to allow the IOUs to administer their own energy efficiency programs for the following measures:
- Existing buildings
- Efficient products (HVAC, appliance rebates and recycling)
NJCEP will still manage these program areas:
- New Construction
- Large Energy Users
- Solar
- Combined Heat + Power + Fuel Cells
- Energy Audits
This transition takes effect in July 2021, with PSE&G leading the charge with the launch of their program on June 1, 2021. The good news is PSE&G’s new commercial and industrial prescriptive and custom programs remain strong, with minimal changes to the previous NJCEP incentive offerings.
This change will allow utilities to build stronger relationships with customers and contractors implementing these projects. It will also allow for on-bill financing, an attractive option for businesses with limited capital budgets. An EV charging incentive program is still in development, but PSE&G plan to announce more details about the program soon. More information about the NJCEP changes can be found here.
California: San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) and Southern California Edison (SCE), two of the largest southern California utilities, launched new programs with funding available to commercial and industrial customers for lighting.
Previously, SDGE offered a distributor instant discount program that made it difficult for national account customers to take advantage of these dollars as they were limited to procuring material from only participating local distributors. SDGE’s program, which launched last April, includes prescriptive and custom offerings that will benefit national customers in addition to the instant discounts given at the point of purchase.
SCE also expanded their custom offerings for commercial and industrial projects, which were previously limited to a small territory with high demand Local Capacity Requirements (LCRs), to the entirety of their geographical territory. The SCE programs are still in the process of being fully built but should be fully functional by Q4 of this year.
While these are beneficial changes, they also come with some challenges, such as stricter cost effectiveness parameters and surprisingly long approval lead times. EMC’s expert incentives team is engaged closely with these program administrators and will continue to keep our customers updated.
With the end of the year in sight, let EMC know how we can help you make the most of the incentives available in 2021!
Jolene Fenn is EMC's Manager of Customer Accounts and 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.
