Author: 17174pwpadmin

Chase Harris, Project Manager

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As a project manager in Idaho, Chase provides expertise on various programs and systems, including advanced network lighting controls (ANLC), advanced exterior dimming (AED), and lighting projects in general. Chase is the go-to person for energy efficiency questions in Idaho and Cache County, Utah. He also helps with pre- and post-project inspections in this territory.

Chase joined the Wattsmart Business team in 2022. Prior to that, he spent 12+ years as a trade ally in Utah and Idaho. He also worked in the following capacities: product development manager for Malouf Companies, VP of sales and director of product development for Harris Lighting Products, and VP of marketing outreach for RTC Marketing.

One of Chase’s favorite family vacation spots is Island Park in Idaho.

He can be reached at chase.harris@evergreen.energy.

Top Five Wattsmart® Business Trade Ally Benefits

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Above photo: the Wattsmart outreach team and award-winning vendors from 2023.

 

We know you are busy working on projects. We also know you want to be successful and have a “big” reputation in your field. Being part of the Wattsmart Business Trade Ally Network will not only add value to your brand but also help you grow in other ways.

Here are five great perks that come with being a Wattsmart Business contractor:

  1. Get quality leads resulting in increased sales.
  2. You are included as a top contractor in your state when customers use the Find a Vendor tool
  3. Our calculator tools help you put together projects and create custom proposals.
  4. Co-branding opportunities ─ your logo and our logo ─ will build credibility and trust with customers.
  5. Get cash bonuses/incentives!

Don’t leave money on the table. Take full advantage of the benefits of being a Wattsmart Business vendor. Contact your outreach team member with questions.

Co-Brand With Wattsmart and Increase Your Visibility

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Wattsmart vendors have a unique opportunity to market and co-brand their business. The benefits of co-branding include:

  • Greater credibility with customers
  • Rocky Mountain Power recognition and association
  • Better awareness of savings through program involvement

Co-branding opportunities can be customized based on your needs. The Wattsmart team can develop marketing materials and share them with vendors for their own implementation as desired. Marketing tactics available include co-branded:

  • Mailers/ postcards
  • Radio ads (example)
  • Social media posts
  • Flyers/giveaways
  • Short-form videos
  • Badges for Premium Vendors

Vendors who have participated in these co-branded marketing efforts have experienced success. If any of these tactics interest you and your business, contact your outreach specialist to get started.

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DesignLight Consortium

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Lauren Morlino, second from left, was a member of a successful team who used their lighting knowledge to “escape” during an NLC exercise. (Photo used with permission from the DesignLights Consortium.)

 

The Summit Summary

The commercial lighting industry continues to evolve rapidly to changing occupancy, regulatory policies and customer needs. Utilities, manufacturers and the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) met for the DLC Controls Summit in September. There, they discussed the importance of networked lighting controls while also acknowledging the low adoption nationwide. Some utility members even highlighted the opportunity for networked lighting controls to fill future savings pipelines, despite being faced with the sunsetting LED incentives.

The Summit took place in Detroit, Michigan. After welcome messages from DLC’s leadership, the morning panel focused on the additional savings enabled by integrating networked lighting controls with other building systems. A new report, Future-Proofing Energy Efficiency with Networked Lighting Controls, estimates a 30% reduction in HVAC when connected to a networked lighting control system. Utilities agreed that decarbonization and the reduction of LED incentives are major drivers of their interest in this measure. Evergreen’s Technical Manager, Lauren Morlino, was a guest speaker on this panel. Lauren presented some of the challenges utilities currently face in implementing rebates for lighting and HVAC integration, as well as a structured custom rebate solution that could increase adoption.

Attendees also tested networked lighting control systems in a hands-on, timed event where they had to re-commission a “buggy” lighting control system. This “escape room” activity was a fun and engaging way for attendees to empathize with controls contractors responsible for commissioning and re-commissioning. DLC also gathered feedback on the NLC-local pilot that aims to increase the adoption of networked lighting controls in small and medium-sized businesses.

Earn Post-Purchase Incentives

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Find more ways to save post-purchase and get more money!

When customers see Wattsmart®, they might think about lighting or variable frequency drive (VFD) incentives and other HVAC-related measures. But did you know we have a way to pay incentives on almost any energy efficiency project you can think of? There are many measures, ranging from variable kitchen exhaust fans to roof heat tape that offer high efficiency. If you find a measure that is not on our incentive lists, we have a team of engineers who can help create a custom project to reflect the project savings.

In many cases, the project may not even require pre-approval and can be submitted within six months of the invoice date without any additional exceptions. Measures that fit into our post-purchase category are pre-engineered (prescriptive/deemed) and have the easiest process to follow for participation. Often, it requires only filling out a simple PDF application with no special tools to navigate. The measures are designed specifically to not interfere with the sales and installation processes.

We have created a short video designed to help customers and specialized vendors identify some of the most common measures available.

So, whether you are interested in expanding your energy efficiency offerings as a company or are motivated by vendor referral incentives, check out the video to learn how to get started.

Need additional information? Our knowledgeable staff is here to help you. Contact us.

 

 

Brad Gilchrist, Customer Outreach

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Brad joined the Salt Lake City-based non-lighting outreach team in June 2023 on the customer outreach side of the program.  Brad comes from an executive sales role, most recently as the national sales manager for Dowdle Puzzles.  He brings great energy, new perspective, strategy and out-of-the-box thinking to the team.

Brad is a lifelong Disneyland fan, having recently returned from a four-day trip to the park where he showed his grandkids how many miles he could walk in a day.  Brad’s hobbies include University of Utah football, cooking and spending time with his family.

Brad can be reached at bgilchrist@resource-innovations.com.

Felipe Gomez, Field Specialist

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Felipe Gomez, Field Specialist 

Felipe is a new field specialist in the Utah area. He brings over 10 years of experience in professional sales, account and project management to the team. He has already jumped right in to help vendors and customers navigate and maximize the incentives from the Wattsmart Business programs. One of his first projects was creating personalized leave-behind cards containing a link to the Lighting Tool Tutorial video and each specialist’s contact information (see images above and below).  

Prior to Evergreen, Felipe was a senior account executive at Zidy.com, an account manager specialist at Acima and a business development manager at Micare Solutions. He is the founder of the Utah Latino Business Expo. In his free time, Felipe enjoys sports, traveling and collectibles. 

Felipe can be reached at Felipe.Gomez@evergreen.energy. 

HVAC Conference Highlights New Government Requirements

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At the 2023 HVAC Educators Conference in Las Vegas, there were several presentations on refrigerants and refrigerant changes. Significant pressure is being asserted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other governmental agencies on the HVAC industry that will impact production, innovation and energy codes moving forward. These changes have the potential to impact programs on the supply chain side as well.   

Here are a couple of examples of what was presented: 

Refrigerant changes

Over the years, we have seen changes in approved refrigerants due to global environmental impacts. In the 1990s, the most common HVAC refrigerant was R-22, referred to as HCFC or Hydrochlorofluorocarbon. The problem discovered was that the chlorine in the refrigerant was damaging the ozone layer. R-22 refrigerant has been phased out and replaced with HFC (Hydrofluorocarbon) refrigerant, most commonly referred to as R-410a.

In recent years, it was discovered that while this refrigerant didn’t damage the ozone layer, it does have high global warming potential. The EPA has recently issued guidelines for its use, which will restrict the production to 60% of current production by 2029 and 30% by 2034. Essentially, it eradicates using these refrigerants in HVAC equipment moving forward. The HVAC industry is now testing and pushing for the next generation of refrigerants, which will not be compatible with existing equipment. So, manufacturers have to redesign systems and adapt to the new refrigerants at a much faster rate.   

  

Efficiency standards

The federal government is setting standards of minimum efficiencies for equipment based on weather data. They will require furnaces in heating climates and air conditioners in cooling climates to have better efficiency than current minimums. As a result, minimum efficiencies are much higher, producing less savings from higher energy-efficient equipment.   

The industry is struggling to shift to meet these requirements. These changes will begin to affect stocking practices and equipment availability in the near future. Along with other regulations and standards, the changes will need to be followed closely for our programs to adjust and succeed in the future. In the short term, these changes will likely mean product availability and supply chain issues. 

 

Block Heater Controllers Have an Attractive Payback

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In previous newsletters, we covered the engine block heater controller measure introduced earlier this year. It’s a low-cost, easy installation measure that can save energy in a way that will not affect customer comfort or cause an inconvenience. New block heater controllers are high-tech and use data sources like ambient temperature and pre-programmed schedules to ensure the motor is warmed up only when required. The savings come from not running it unnecessarily long or when it is not needed. Customers with large fleets of diesel vehicles in a cold climate would be ideal candidates. In most cases, this results in a payback of under a year. 

The low upfront cost also makes block heater controls attractive. Some manufacturers offer them at a price point that matches the current incentive of $125. In addition, the process is streamlined and simple. Here are the steps.   

Note: Exceptions may be available, so be sure to get pre-approval in those cases. Contact an outreach specialist if you have any questions. 

  • Install the product in a permanently affixed manner.
  • Submit the required documentation.

– General Application 

– W9

– Post-purchase form

– Invoice for both labor and materials

  • Schedule a Post-inspection, if necessary.
  • Receive the incentive!

Since this technology provides results and very quick payback, it can be a great ” foot-in-the-door” to help sell other energy efficiency projects to a new customer. It can also serve as a great touchpoint with an existing customer to see if they have any new project potential.

Advanced Network Lighting Controls Recommissioning

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ANLC RxCx

In the U.S., we have seen that some of the highest Networked Lighting Controls (NLC) adoption rates are in Utah. We would love to attribute this success to our amazing incentive offerings, but there are also other factors.

  • People in Utah love the outdoors, so they have a strong desire for conservation and taking care of their environment.
  • Utah is also home to the Silicone Slopes area and a general love for technology. That is evident by the number of lighting control companies headquartered in the state, offering local support for projects using this groundbreaking technology.

As a result, many NLCs that were commissioned years ago probably need a checkup. Our programs include the word “Advanced” to Networked Lighting Controls and generally refer to them as ANLCs. That is not just to be clever; it represents a superior system set to maximize savings. In the case of older ANLC projects, the “Advanced” term might be dropping off as commissioning gets out of date or sensors fail with time. That is why we created the Advanced Networked Lighting Controls Recommissioning (ANLC RxCx) incentive.

Timing

An ANLC RxCx project is eligible for incentives three years from when the project was initially completed. Pre-approval is not required. A vendor can revisit any ANLC project three years or older and offer a low-cost (or, in some cases, free)  recommissioning of the controls system. The incentive on these is quite lucrative and will likely cap at 70-100% of eligible costs, depending on the full project scope.

70% cost cap

If the recommissioning space would benefit from other lighting upgrades, this project would fall into the 70% cost cap category. Although the customer will have a co-pay, they can change out some of those lights that weren’t in the original scope. Because incentives carry over from the ANLC RxCx portion to the retrofit part of the project, it can make an area with less savings look attractive due to the increased incentives. This is a great option when there is the potential for additional scope to the project.

100% cost cap

Projects limited to only ANLC RxCx measures have a 100% cost cap. If anything more than RxCx is added to the lighting tool, it will revert to a 70% cost cap calculation. This may include any eligible cost related to the ANLC RxCx project.

Eligible costs

Although each project is unique , here is the list of items we expect to encounter on an invoice.

  • Time billed for the recommissioning agent
  • Reasonable travel costs (if out of territory)
  • Labor hours to replace failed equipment
  • Material costs for failed equipment if the manufacturer warranty period has passed (five-year minimum for DLC)

In all other cases, you must confirm with our staff before starting your project to ensure those costs are eligible.

Our team is working to make this process as simple as possible. We maintain a list of eligible projects by vendor and can provide this list at any time. To facilitate the process, we are working on importing previous lighting tools to get that portion done in advance.

The best part about this measure is that it can be repeated every three years. We recommend setting a calendar reminder to contact your customer to make sure their system is still working at 100%. While in touch, see what other projects they may have for you.