Lighting
Xcel Energy Rebate Recap
Xcel Energy is continually updating their energy rebate programs. If your project saves energy, particularly if it cuts your electric demand, Xcel is bound to have a rebate program for you. This assumes you’re in Minnesota, New Mexico, or Colorado. If you’re in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, or Texas you’re out of luck. (We have offsetting lower rates and lower taxes.)
- Parking garage lighting retrofits
Effective July 1, 2009, Minnesota Xcel Energy business customers converting from 150W or 175W high intensity discharge (HID) lighting to two- or three-lamp T8s or T5H0s are now eligible for a rebate of $50 per fixture. Xcel has simplified the process with new rebate forms. See the Parking Garage Lighting Application for requirements and rebate incentive information. - Lighting Redesign Studies
A complete building-wide lighting system analysis of can show you the best approach to improve lighting design or to reduce existing light output while maintaining proper lighting levels for your needs. Xcel has increased lighting redesign study incentive to 75% of the cost of the study, not to exceed $25,000, and more than doubled many of our equipment rebates. - More Lighting Rebates
Every step to lower lighting use, from installing energy-efficient lighting to adding controls or offering in-depth photometric analysis can significantly lower your customers’ energy bills and earn substantial rebates.
A) $400 per kW saved for preapproved projects when they add their lighting system to a building control system or add microprocessor controls to lighting systems.
B) Custom Efficiency program now offers a method of analyzing lighting projects that yield greater rebate potential for your customers. - Boiler Rebates
New boilers, efficiency-boosting add-ons and tune-ups for boilers used for space heating and/or domestic water heating now can go through our Boiler Efficiency rebate program without preapproval. Xcel offers rebates for projects that improve the efficiency of existing equipment such as boiler tune-ups, steam trap repair/replacement and boiler add-ons.
Updated Minnesota Energy Code
The long-awaited Minnesota Energy Code for Commercial Buildings will take effect on June 1, 2009. The code itself adopts the ASHRAE 90.1-2004 Energy Standard with minor modifications.
The new code will have an impact on Energy Design Assistance, Cooling Efficiency and Variable Frequency Drives. Because the adoption of a new, higher energy code will result in increased minimum efficiencies.
For more information about the commercial energy code, please visit the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry construction codes and standards energy Web site.
Moorhead Energy Incentive Programs
Ray and I attended the introduction of Moorhead Public Service’s energy efficiency incentive program. The program is called Bright Energy Solutions: "a unique portfolio of energy efficient cash incentive programs that will help you reduce your electric energy costs and operate more efficiently."
The program is run through participating member utilities of the Missouri River Energy Services of which MPS is a member. Missouri River is a collection of municipal utilities operating in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. If you are a customer of one of these utilities this program is for you.
The meeting was well attended by the three partners of Bright Energy Solutions: Moorhead Public Service (MPS), Missouri River Energy Services (MRES), and Franklin Energy (Program administion.)
Ray, Chuck, and I arrived early to meet with the MPS staff. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres were served. Bill Schwandt, General Manager of Moorhead Public Service welcomed the guests and introduced his staff and those of MRES and Franklin.
Kurt Hauser, is Missouri River’s Energy Services Technical Coordinator. Kurt explained the constraints Missouri River Energy Service operates under. The Bright Energy Solutions program will help them satisfy Minnesota’s legal requirements and delay building new generating plants.
After the presentation, Ray and I had a one on one meeting with Kurt Hauser about the program, help we might need, and services we could provide including facility auditing. For a new program it is pretty complete. Looking at the application forms, the program should be as easy to deal with as Xcel Energy’s programs.
All three organizations reiterated they would be happy to help in anyway they can. Dennis Esienbraun (MPS, Energy Services Manager) asked to be contacted early in any project particularly if the project involved any custom incentives.
The plan is broke down into these sections…
Bright Energy Solutions Energy Efficiency Incentive Programs
- Lighting Retrofit Incentive
- Lighting New Construction Incentive
- Motors, Pumps, VFD Incentive
- Cooling, Chiller Incentive
- Food Service Incentive
- Custom Incentive
- Specialty Measure Incentive
- HVAC Incentive for Residential Customers
Lighting
The program offers a nice cash rebate to replace T12 Fluorescents with T8 or T5 lamps and electronic ballasts.
There is a larger rebate if you install new super efficient electronic ballasts such as the Sylvania PROStart. There is also a cash rebate for using 28 Watt T8 lamps if you already have 32 watt T8 lamps. The rebate pays for the cost difference so I highly recommend contacting us about these lamps.
There is large rebate for replacing high bay HID fixtures. This is an easy retrofit; with the rebate it pays for itself quickly.
There are also cash rebates for Compact Fluorescents, Ceramic Metal Halide Floods, LED lamps, Induction Fluorescent Lamps, and Lighting Control systems. These are all technologies we can help you will.
HVAC
(Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) They quickly covered these cash incentives.
The Cooling, Chiller incentive covers: package systems, split systems, PTEC units, Heat pumps, Ground Source Heat Pumps (with an optional incentive for Desuperheaters), Window AC, Wall AC, Setback Thermostats, Chilled Water Resets, and Window Film. Obviously there are stringent requirements for these incentives but if you’re replacing equipment or adding new equipment these incentives can help pay for better equipment.
There are incentives for Motors, Pumps and VFDs. In our experience these three items usually have very good paybacks and the incentives are just icing on the cake.
Food Services
Bright Energy Solutions offer cash incentives for Energy Star rated: Solid Door Refrigerators, Solid Door Freezers, Ice Machines, Steam Cooker, Holding Cabinets, Fryers, Griddles and Ovens. So if you have a commercial kitchen and are thinking of upgrading or adding commercial electric equipment these incentives can be a big help.
Residential
Many of the incentives listed above are also available for residential customers of MPS and MRES. This includes: Furnaces, Central Air Conditioners, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Air to Air Heat Pumps, and Compact Fluorescent Lamps.
Custom Incentive
Almost anything not listed above that cuts your electric demand in the summer months can be file under the Custom Incentive. Contact MPS or ourselves for assistance in calculating the potential incentive.
Effective Concepts has all the forms and expertise to help you maximize your energy savings, cost savings, and incentive, so if you’re a customer of Moorhead Public Service or another municipality that is a partner of Missouri River Energy Services we can help you.
Dimming and Daylight
Recently a customer asked about dimming ballasts. We handle the Sylvania Quicktronic Powersense ballast. This is the newest dimming ballasts in Sylvania’s line. It features two modes of dimming control: Line Voltage and 0-10VDC control. Line Voltage is common with wall controllers. The 0-10VDC control works well with control systems.
The light fixture in our office has a Quicktronic dimming ballast. Sylvania doesn’t sell a 0-10VDC controller but I had no trouble hooking up a 25-cent potentiometer from Radio Shack. The lighting can be smoothly dimmed all the way from 100% down to 5% for maximum savings. The best energy savings occur when you integrate dimming with a lighting control system. Additional savings include:
- Daylighting where electric lights are dimmed or extinguished in response to natural light.
- Small zone motion and/or vacancy detection where sensors see all occupants and extinguish lights when the space is unoccupied.
- Large zone motion and/or vacancy detection where sensors are combined with scheduling to provide night security and safety.
- User dimming where individual occupants can control lights.
- Tuning maximum light levels to be set to limit lighting power.
- Lights are switched on a fixed or programmed schedule.
- Adaptation compensation where interior lights are dimmed to ease adaptation of the eye and harvest energy savings at night.
- Demand management and response where building energy use is monitored and reduced in response to energy cost or grid emergencies.
Welcome
Ray Maas has over forty years experience running and managing wholesale distribution companies. He has experience selling to wholesalers and electrical contractors. Ray has an Engineering degree from North Dakota State University. Ray has experience with Lighting, Controls, Pump Systems, Heating and Air Conditioning.
Craig Maas has twenty-five years of wholesale experience. Craig has a Marketing degree from Moorhead State University and is responsible for developing one of the most advanced computerized marketing systems in the country.
Craig is also the webmaster for a number of web sites. We specialize in small company sites but have also done some large e-commerce sites and one page sites for nonprofit organizations. You don’t have to pay a lot of money to have a nice site. › Continue reading
Contact Us:
Recent Posts
- LED Lighting
- Outsmarting Your Building
- ACES Low
- Xcel Energy Rebate Recap
- Free: Advanced Energy Design Guides
- Motors, Drives, and Money
- Moorhead Energy Incentive Programs
- Wolfram Alpha, Wave, And Bing
- Your Building May Be Too Smart For Its Own Good
- Dehumidification
- Energy Modeling For Schools
- Joseph Lstiburek
- Dimming and Daylight
- Ashrae Journal January 2009
- Capitol Recovery Factor