Building Operating ManagementBuilding Maximizer Newsletter from Building Operating Management

Add buildingmaximizer@buildingoperatingmanagement.com to your address book to guarantee delivery.
To display this email with images, view online.

Building Operating Management
Xcel Energy, click here to get details >impressions

Look For Utility Rebates Early In Energy Efficiency Projects

By Maryellen Lo Bosco

Building Operating Management

HEI Hotels and Resorts has received more than $1.2 million in demand-side management energy rebates since 2005, reports Bob Holesko, vice president of facilities. But those funds haven't just landed on Holesko's desk. Rather, HEI has had to find ways to tap into programs from coast to coast. Doing that has paid off. Consider a rebate program called Efficiency Vermont, in which the state will allow companies to continually upgrade their systems, even on a small scale. Under that program, the facility manager at the Equinox Resort can buy $300 worth of lamps and get a check. "It's the only program of its kind that I know of where you can get a rebate at any time," Holesko says. This allows the facility manager to change out fixtures on his own time schedule, when he can fit them into the budget.

Utilities are investing heavily in rebates and other incentives for energy efficiency in buildings. But tapping into that pool of money isn't always easy for facility managers. A big challenge is learning about programs in time to qualify.

Read full article »