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Upcoming Events
Looking to increase your expertise? Join us for the webinars and in-person training opportunities listed below to enhance your knowledge of Express and Customized Solutions and learn about industry news and trends. We look forward to seeing you!
From the Authorized Participant Support team:
Express Solutions Webinar
Time: 8 to 9:30am
Date: Thurs., May 31
Customized Solutions Webinar
Time: 8 to 9:30am
Date: Fri., June 1
Click here to register for one or both of these upcoming webinars!
About these webinar trainings:
New to Express and Customized Solutions? Do you have new staff members who need to get up to speed? These Express and Customized Solutions webinars will provide an overview of the Express and Customized Solutions offerings, installation requirements and application processes, and the resources available to help you submit successful Incentives Applications.
From the SCE Energy Education team:
SCE's Energy Education Centers in Tulare and Irwindale offer in-person training on smart energy choices. This summer the centers will be offering classes on HVAC, LED and other lighting technologies, as well as other energy efficiency topics important to Authorized Participants and SCE customers. Click here to learn more and register online!
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Important Note on New Email Addresses
We've shared a few new email addresses with you recently, including in this edition:
APSupport-Training@sce.com - send training and education questions and RSVPs
APSupport-Projects@sce.com - send your pre-application submittal questions (e.g., is my project eligible for solution code X?)
With these new support emails in place, we ask you only use IDSMQuestions@sce.com for post-application submittal questions (e.g., where is my incentive check?). |
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The Contractor Connection E-Newsletter's Support Services edition focuses on Integrated Demand Side Management (IDSM) technology and solutions, as well as relevant and timely training and education events. Use this E-Newletter edition as a resource to become fluent in SCE's IDSM incentives offerings. |
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Answers From Your Technical Support Team
Since launching the Technical Support service in early March, the team has helped dozens of Authorized Participants with their pre-application questions. In our recent interactions, we've consistently heard a few specific questions. Below, we've gathered and answered them in detail.
Question 1:
I understand Express and Customized Solution incentives for the retrofit of T12 linear fluorescent lamps are expiring June 30, 2012. Does the project need to be installed by that date or do all application materials need to be submitted as well?
Answer:
All installations must be completed and application materials submitted to SCE by June 30, 2012. A complete application includes all required invoices, spec sheets, W-9 and CA-590 tax forms (one-time submission), and any other supporting documentation. For Customized Solution projects, the post-installation site visit may occur after the June 30 deadline.
Question 2:
Are there incentives available for the retrofit of HID or linear fluorescent lamps in overhead interior applications with LED lamps?
Click here for the answers to this and two other questions regarding incentives availability for high efficiency packaged HVAC units and T5 fixtures.
Have a pre-application question that's not answered above (or in the linked document)? Our Energy Efficiency Call Center customer service representatives will direct your technical questions to the Authorized Participant Technical Support team.
Phone: (800) 736-4777
On self-help menu, select Commercial and Industrial Programs, then "1," then "2" or "3," as applicable.
Email: APSupport-Projects@sce.com
For post-application submittal questions, call (800) 736-4777 or email IDSMQuestions@sce.com.
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| T12 Lighting Incentives Expire June 30, 2012
As a result of a recent federal mandate, T12 lighting will no longer be an eligible base case for Express and Customized Solutions lighting technologies. All remaining Express Installed Applications, Express Pending Installation Reports and Customized Installation Reports for T12 lighting must be received by June 30, 2012 to qualify for incentives. Even T12 projects that have received pre-approval for On-Bill Financing, Customized Solutions, or Express Pending Solutions need to be completed, with all paperwork submitted by this deadline. No exceptions or extensions will be granted.
For a detailed list of Express and Customized Solutions lighting technologies that are impacted by this change, click here. For a print-ready E-Newsletter you can use to explain the T12 base case expiration to your customers, click here. |
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Savings Don't Stop With T12 Incentives: Thinking Comprehensively About Lighting Projects
Veterans of the industry are well acquainted with the T12 lamp and ballast retrofit. This common and cost-effective energy efficiency project has historically been an excellent energy savings solution. With T12 incentives set to expire on June 30, 2012, as the result of federal regulation, an immediate question is raised: how should Authorized Participants react to the change?
The answer: get comprehensive!
Even in the absence of T12 incentives, energy efficient lighting will continue to generate significant savings and incentive dollars. By integrating new technologies and comprehensive project designs, you can continue to meet your customers' energy efficiency needs now, and into the future.
A comprehensive lighting project considers the whole lighting system by assessing the needs of the tenant, understanding the benefits of natural light, and incorporating new technologies. "Comprehensiveness," "deeper energy savings," and "holistic efficiency projects" have become common terms in this industry. But they aren't empty buzzwords; designing and implementing a project that encompasses multiple systems, and integrates many modes of energy savings, has many benefits:
- As an Authorized Participant, you can save time and money developing and selling efficiency projects that will meet your clients' needs for years.
- Your customer will realize lasting and significant reductions of their energy use that are not attainable from a simple 1-for-1 retrofit.
- Utilities will see more cost effective energy savings.
- Comprehensive projects also add flexibility that may allow for integration with other Utility programs and offerings, such as demand response or time of use pricing schedules.
- You can leverage changes to the space that have occurred since the building was originally designed - window replacements, reflective work surfaces, and lighter floor covering - and incorporate technologies that were not available during the initial construction.
- The retrofits can make the space more appealing and comfortable.
So, how do you make a lighting project comprehensive?
- Assess the needs and opportunities of the space. Measure lighting levels, interview staff regarding light levels and glare, define occupancy patterns and control needs, note the levels of natural light and the availability of task lighting. Look everywhere, and look close. Opportunities for savings are everywhere - storage rooms, bathrooms, elevators, etc. - and they all add up.
- Design for maximum impact. Use the information you've gathered to design a project which will make the most of the existing opportunity. Here are a few retrofit opportunities to consider:
- Does the space have high levels of natural light or issues with glare?
- Consider incorporating de-lamping and/or low Watt linear florescent technologies.
- Natural light can also be paired with dimming ballasts for daylight harvesting and participation in demand response programs.
- If the space has variable occupancy patterns, occupancy controls or time-clocks can be incorporated into the general space. Time-clocks are especially effective in conference rooms and offices.
- Accent fixtures can be replaced with LED technologies and dimming controls.
Remember to always check the existing system controls and schedules to ensure they are correctly programmed to meet the current needs of the space.
By taking a comprehensive approach to project design, your customers will see savings and advantages far beyond the simple lamp and ballast retrofit. A comprehensive lighting project can produce energy savings beyond 50% of the system's baseline energy use, and the functionality of the space can improve. Space with better light quality can lead to increased productivity, and daylight harvesting and occupancy controls can lead to customer awareness and engagement, which can lead to future efficiency opportunities.
For additional guidance on how you can support your customers with more comprehensive projects, contact SCE's Technical Support team.
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Energy Efficiency programs are funded by California utility ratepayers and administered by SCE under the auspices of the California Public Utility Commission. All rights reserved.
©2012 Southern California Edison. |
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