NORTHERN ILLINOIS INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURERS CAN SAVE BIG WITH COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY INCENTIVE PROGRAMS FROM UTILITY COMPANY COMMONWEALTH EDISON
Northern Illinois industrial manufacturers can save thousands of dollars in energy bills in 2023 with compressed air energy incentive programs from Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), an electric utility company serving the Chicago metropolitan area and Northern Illinois.
Energy companies like ComEd offer offset programs and energy efficiency incentives to reduce the electric demand on the grid. Each power grid only has so much capacity, or so many power plants, to meet the electricity requirements of its consumers. The mutually beneficial relationship between customers and utility companies also forestalls infrastructure upgrades, reduces outages, and regulates supply and demand.
Large energy consumers such as manufacturers offer the most significant opportunity for energy companies like ComEd to decrease the load on the power grid and avoid fluctuations in energy demand.
Compressed air systems typically constitute a considerable portion of the overall energy consumption for many manufacturers. Inefficient compressed air systems can add substantial costs to a manufacturer’s energy bill and increase the burden on the power grid.
As a result, ComEd and other power companies provide incentive programs that specifically target compressed air users. Moreover, industrial manufacturers that are ComEd customers already pay for the energy incentive program through their electricity bills in the taxes and fees section. Therefore, every industrial manufacturer needs to take advantage of the available programs.
ComEd Incentive Programs for Industrial Manufacturers
ComEd offers prescriptive and custom energy incentive programs to help companies offset the expenses of energy-saving improvements to their compressed air systems. In some instances, these incentives may cover most of the costs, but they typically only cover the cost of new equipment.
The company’s Standard Energy Incentive Program includes prescriptive and custom incentives for energy improvements. Small businesses with peak demand under 400 kilowatt hours (kWh) can now qualify for special incentives that are usually more generous than those offered to other business customers. Pre-approval is a requirement for these incentives before purchasing and installing new equipment.
The Small Business Energy Incentive Program includes manufacturers with up to 400 kWh peak demand. This program now covers manufacturers, businesses, and public facilities and provides more significant incentives than previously available.
The company also offered a 25 percent bonus on incentives completed under the Small Business Program. The paperwork was due to be submitted by March 31, 2023, to qualify for the bonus. These incentives cover variable speed drive (VSD) air compressors and other compressed air system upgrades.
How Manufacturers Can Get Energy Incentives from ComEd
The Small Business Program provides incentives to assist manufacturers in making various other energy-saving upgrades to their systems. Manufacturers can request a facility assessment through a ComEd authorized Energy Efficiency Service Provider (EESP).
APenergy, an EESP, provides a detailed report with recommendations for energy efficiency projects and instant incentives for purchasing and installing recommended efficiency upgrades at every industrial manufacturing facility it audits.
Manufacturers need to check their energy bill from ComEd to see if their peak demand is less than or equal to 400 kWh to qualify for the Small Business Program. If a facility’s peak demand is higher than 400 kWh, ComEd has other programs available.
The next step is contacting APenergy, an authorized service provider for the ComEd Small Business Program. The APenergy team has helped numerous Illinois manufacturers gain pre-approval for ComEd’s energy efficiency programs and provides turnkey implementation on energy savings projects.
ComEd Incentive Programs
ComEd offers various incentive programs for energy upgrades, including both standard and custom options:
● The Standard Prescriptive Incentive Program covers defined incentives for energy-saving upgrades for compressed air systems, including VSD air compressors and zero-loss condensate drains.
● Upgrading to a VSD compressor is highly recommended, as it can save an average-size manufacturer $15-20,000 in annual energy savings when upgrading from a fixed-speed rotary screw compressor.
● The ComEd Standard Incentive Program covers new air compressors with integrated VSD, up to 200 horsepower (HP), when replacing an existing fixed-speed rotary screw compressor or installing a new one for a facility or expansion.
● VSD air compressors larger than 200 HP may qualify for incentives under ComEd’s Custom Efficiency programs.
● ComEd also offers additional Prescriptive Incentive programs for compressed air, with no pre-application required for projects costing under $1,000.
ComEd offers several other energy incentives for compressed air system upgrades for small businesses with up to 400 kWh peak demand. These incentives include high-efficiency air nozzles, compressed air refrigerated dryers, added compressor air storage, and compressed air pressure reduction.
Contact APenergy Today
APenergy, an EESP, has years of experience working with ComEd and helping clients implement incentive programs. APenergy helps companies set energy-saving goals, track progress, and achieve favorable ROIs through our incentive management service.
Our expert team is ready to assist companies in becoming energy-efficient with ComEd’s programs. For more information, contact the APenergy team, the leading energy efficiency consultants, at 740-862-4112 or message us at https://apenergy.com/contact/
