CVPS/Manchester Program Concept:
Commercial Direct Install Refrigeration Program
January 10th, 2006
Quick Description of Opportunity
Manchester Village and Manchester Center Information
The Village of Manchester has only one commercial “grocery account” – Shaw’s – that
accounts for 443 kW and 2,465 MWh/yr. The size of this customer is greater than those
typically addressed by a direct install program. There are seven “groceries” in
Manchester Center, including Price Chopper (167 kW), Manchester Discount Beverage
(35.4 kW), Stewart’s (33.6 kW), AKM (23.5 kW), Kilburn’s Convenience Store (20.5
kW), Julep (15.5 kW), and Harrington’s (10.6 kW). A review of Efficiency Vermont’s
project tracking database indicates that these customers have not completed a DSM
project with paid financial incentives since 2000. These Manchester Center groceries are
more along the lines of “small commercial” customers typically targeted by a direct
install program.
The direct install program would target the six smaller Manchester Center locations for
installation of refrigeration energy efficiency measures, including:
o
o
o
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Outdoor air refrigeration economizers
Door heater controls
PSC evaporator fan motors
Evaporator fan controls
The contractor will also check for lighting and space conditioning opportunities in these
locations, and will contact the lighting DI program manager should any of these locations
be candidates for the efficiency measures covered in that program.
Program Strategies
Managerial Assistance
The program will significantly reduce any efforts required by the customer by providing
a turnkey service. Two contractors – R.H. Travers and NRM – will provide site
assessment, energy savings estimates, cash flow presentations, and installation for each
participating customer.
Marketing
Each contractor will be responsible for contacting and conducting a site visit with a
participating customer. Customers will be made aware of this opportunity through the
Manchester Daylight Savings activities.
Technical Assistance
Savings calculation tool developed for use by contractors to provide cash flow impact
analysis to customer for each refrigeration project.
Incentives
CVPS will cover 100% of the installation cost for each project.
Budget Estimate
The size of an installation will vary depending upon the installed refrigeration system. On
a mid-sized project (eight evaporator fan motors and a 5-hp compressor), a project could
cost $7,500 to install the economizer, circulating fans, evaporator fan motor controls,
door heater controls, and PSC evaporator fan motors. Smaller projects might not costeffectively benefit from the outdoor air economizer, although door heater controls and
PSC fan motors would work.
This analysis assumes that Price Chopper, Manchester Discount Beverage, Stewart’s,
AKM, and Kilburn’s would have a total of eight mid-sized economizer system installed
between them. If CVPS covered 100 percent of the installed cost, the incentive budget
would be $60,000.
CVPS could take advantage of Efficiency Vermont’s prescriptive-based savings
methodologies for these measures. As a consequence, the labor associated with this effort
would be minimal – perhaps 0.25 FTE through April 2006, with an approximate cost of
$10,000.
Energy Savings Estimate
For the stated number of installations, the energy savings would be about 200 MWh with
winter demand savings of approximately 60 kW. Summer demand savings would be
limited (perhaps only 10 kW).
Advantages/Disadvantages
The advantages of the DI program are:
o It is easily differentiable from Efficiency Vermont, because EVT does not offer a
DI program (the DI program and EVT would be assumed to be mutually
exclusive)
o Because it is differentiable, it will be easier to track spending and energy savings
for this program specifically
o It is feasible to implement within the allotted timeframe (provided that the
refrigeration contractors are willing to participate)
o The refrigeration measures are fairly cost-effective, persistent, and will provide
Winter kW savings
o The project will provide good information on the success of running a small
commercial DI program in Vermont
The primary disadvantage of the DI program is its cost – incentive levels are typically
much higher than normal to encourage participation on both the part of customers as well
as contractors.
IT Needs- Issues
To track spending and savings for these projects, the IT system will need to be able to:
o Track customers, installed measures, claimed savings, incentive spending.
o Incentive spending would need to be tracked in such a way to be able to invoice
CVPS for costs incurred.
o Capture savings and spending, possibly from the “refrigeration savings tool” to be
used by contractors to communicate energy savings to customer. This tool would
therefore need to be designed to facilitate data uploading as well, and have
safeguards on data quality (similar to the CAT).
o The savings methodologies in the lighting savings tool would need to be agreedupon by the Public Service Board. Starting with the EVT TRM would be the
logical choice.