Appendix G – RMLD
Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Programs
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programs:
The RMLD administers several energy efficiency programs that have proven valuable to our
customers by reducing overall energy use and mitigating rising electricity cost trends. The RMLD
has provided residential appliance rebates since 2005 and commercial rebates since 2008.
Starting in October of 2008, the RMLD began assessing an Energy Conservation Charge (ECC)
which is currently collected at a rate of $0.001 per kWh. The RMLD typically collects ~$700,000
per year through this charge and has collected over $3.7 million in total since the program’s
inception. These funds are primarily issued back to customers through energy efficiency &
lighting rebate programs. The remainder subsidizes RMLD’s energy audit services. To date, the
ECC has funded a broad range of energy audits and provided customers with significant energy
efficiency rebates and services:
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~1,600 home energy audits
~7,800 residential appliance rebates
~85 commercial audits
~150 customized, peak demand reducing efficiency improvement installations
~225 commercial lighting rebates
A preliminary energy assessment is available for RMLD’s municipal, commercial and residential
customers at little to no cost. During this initial site visit, an energy engineer will perform an
initial evaluation of potential energy savings opportunities and recommend a plan of action
based on the energy efficiency and conservation measures identified. An energy use baseline
can then be developed using a combination of customer history, building envelop details, data
obtained from specific equipment such as lighting, air conditioning, domestic hot water,
electrical appliances, etc. These services are provided by RMLD staff and/or subcontractors and
are funded by the ECC.
Energy efficiency programs for all three customer categories are briefly described below.
Municipal
The municipal facilities rebate program offers a one-time payment not to exceed $50,000 per
year for energy efficiency upgrades recommended through a professional energy audit. Rebate
amount is based on projected reductions of peak summer kW demand and requires the
customer to submit measurement & verification analysis prior to receiving the rebate. No more
than 50% of kW reductions can be attributable to lighting retrofits. Municipal customers can
participate in the CLRP Program and receive up to $15,000 per year, see below. All four
municipalities in the RMLD service territory have taken advantage of these programs.
Commercial
The RMLD offers two commercial rebate programs; the Commercial Energy Initiative Program
(CEIP) and the Commercial Lighting Rebate Program (CLRP).
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Through the Commercial Energy Initiative Program a commercial customer may submit
plans for energy conservation measures to be reviewed by an RMLD Energy Efficiency
Engineer and/or an assigned subcontractor engineer. These measures are verified to
determine if the proposed changes will generate power (renewable technologies),
reduce peak load (high efficiency HVAC, building systems/controls, process equipment,
etc.) and decrease overall energy consumption. This incentive is capped at a maximum
of 50% of a specific project’s cost and has a limit of $50,000 per customer, per year.
The Commercial Lighting Rebate Program offers an incentive to customers who retrofit
or replace inefficient lighting fixtures with higher efficiency units to reduce energy
consumption. The program offers rebates for all high efficiency lighting including, but
not limited to: T8/T5/Occupancy sensors and all LED applications for both interior and
exterior lighting. The program typically can fund up to a maximum of 50% of a specific
project’s cost and includes a yearly cap of $10,000 per commercial customer. Based on
funding from a Massachusetts DOER grant, the annual lighting cap has temporarily been
raised to $20,000 per customer for LED lighting equipment.
Residential
In addition to the residential renewable energy rebate program, the RMLD offers residential
appliance rebates for qualified EnergyStar appliances. These programs are generally offered in
conjunction with the free home energy assessment program, which makes comprehensive
recommendations for energy efficiency upgrades.
More information about RMLD’s energy efficiency programs is available at www.RMLD.com