Retrofit program news and events

Reminder of Retrofit program timelines

To be eligible for a project incentive through the Retrofit program, applications must receive pre-approval by December 31, 2020, and projects must be completed by December 31, 2021. While the IESO recently announced that certain timelines for Conservation First Framework projects have been extended, the current deadlines for pre-approvals and project completion dates in the Interim Framework (which began in March 2019) remain unchanged.  

Achieving pre-approval includes the IESO’s technical review process, which typically takes two to eight weeks to complete, depending on the size and complexity of the project and completeness of the project application. The IESO recommends that applications be submitted by the end of October to ensure there is sufficient time to obtain pre-approval.   

Applicants are encouraged to use fast-track processes where available for certain projects in the prescriptive track with incentives less than $6,000, as pre-approval can occur in one or two days. Contact your Save on Energy representative to see if your project is eligible for the fast-track process.  

Please contact Retrofit support with any questions and check out these helpful resources.

Prescriptive lighting and prescriptive exterior lighting worksheets updated

Revised prescriptive lighting and prescriptive exterior lighting worksheets for the Retrofit program have been uploaded to the website, effective August 31, 2020.

The changes include:

• language clarifying one-to-one replacements for prescriptive lighting,
• base case requirements for LED high bay, and
• dimming sensor eligibility under occupancy sensors.

For the exterior worksheet, clarifying language for one-to-one replacements and an additional area for existing baseline input have also been added. There are no changes to incentives or measure assumptions. Please review these latest worksheets when applying for these measures.

Update to horticultural worksheet

The Retrofit program’s horticultural lighting worksheet has been updated effective August 14, 2020. The new version should be used from this date forward.

Changes have been made to the worksheet to present peak demand savings; previously, the worksheet only displayed energy savings. The worksheet has also been updated to calculate incentives based on the greater of $800/kW or $0.1/kWh. The previous worksheet only calculated the energy incentive. Incentives are still capped at 50 percent of eligible project costs.

Additional functionality now available in the Retrofit portal

Updates have been made to the Retrofit portal that will now enable applicants to perform the following functions that previously could not be completed without the help of the Retrofit support line:

• Add an applicant representative at any point after creating a new application
• Update the applicant for my applications
• Update the applicant representative for my applications
• Accept an applicant update initiated by an applicant representative for my applications.

In addition to new functionality for applicants, applicant representatives can now perform the following functions themselves without requiring support:

• Update the applicant for my applications
• Update the applicant representative for my applications.

Guides for Applicants and Applicant Reps have been created to walk you through how to access and complete these functions. They are available on the Retrofit Resources and Support web page.

If you have any difficulties completing the actions above, please contact your Save on Energy representative or the Retrofit support line for assistance.

New materials available to ensure a smooth Retrofit program journey

New materials have been posted on the Save on Energy website to make it easier to ensure you have covered everything you need to do for your Retrofit program application.

Referring to the new pre-approval checklist and post-approval checklist will help ensure you have gathered all the information and taken all the necessary steps to ensure a smooth review of your application.

The new invoice guide and template can help you prepare your incentive invoice once your post-project submission has been approved (or for an advance incentive, if applicable). These resources tell your everything you need to know about creating and submitting an invoice for your incentive to the Retrofit program. Applicants are free to use their existing invoice template as long as it contains the required information.

Response to COVID-19

Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, the IESO has requested that its program delivery vendors refrain from any in-person interactions with new or existing customers of the Save on Energy programs. This includes site visits to customer facilities. 

Participants of the Save on Energy Retrofit program can follow up directly with the Technical Reviewer should they have any questions related to their application process or can contact Retrofit Support at  1-844-303-5542 or retrofit@ieso.ca. New project applications will continue to be accepted. 

This IESO is implementing these temporary precautionary measures in response to COVID-19 to safeguard the health of its employees, customers and vendors, and to continue to fulfill its responsibility to ensure the reliable operation of the Ontario electricity grid. 

As the situation with COVID-19 continues to unfold, the IESO is paying close attention to statements by the World Health Organization and government entities here in Canada.

The IESO will continue to provide updates and a list of FAQs can be found here.

Update to horticulture worksheet

The province-wide Horticulture custom worksheet has been updated to address a change to the base line design for energy-efficiency LED Inter-lighting design.  These changes are effective as of March 5, 2020. 

The LED Inter-lighting design will no longer accept a top-lighting base case.  The 40% allowance between top-lighting base case PPFD and an energy efficient LED inter-lighting PPFD have been removed. All base case PPFD and energy efficient PPFD are required to have a 10% maximum variance.  

An energy efficient LED inter-lighting design will now require a T5 or T8 inter-lighting baseline design otherwise an error message will appear in cell G43 of the “System Design Assumptions” tab.  

All existing pre-approved applications will not be affected.

Helping Greenhouses Grow

Ontario’s Greenhouses are a large consumer of electricity across the province, consuming more than 1.4 MWh per year and consumption is expected to grow to 3.9 MWh by 2024.  

The recently released Greenhouse Energy Profile Study summarizes how energy is used across the sector and provides insight into how greenhouses can utilize energy efficiency and innovative solutions to help their businesses grow. 

The energy it takes to power a greenhouse all adds up. Through incentives for equipment upgrades and replacements like switching out lighting or installing high-efficiency pumps greenhouses can significantly reduce the amount of electricity required to grow their crops. 

With opportunities available through the Save on Energy Retrofit program, there is plenty of energy savings potential. 

Visit saveonenergy.ca/Agriculture to learn more.

New incentives through the Retrofit Program

A series of changes to certain measures and incentive levels in the Retrofit program will take effect on August 12, 2019.

New incentives cover products on the market that were identified as a priority by the industry and offer customers more choice to meet their energy-efficiency needs. The additions include more options for LED lighting as well as some prescriptive compressed air measures. 
 
Retrofit changes also include reductions to incentive levels for some existing lighting measures, with the exception of exit signs and lighting controls.

In addition, the IESO has been working to reduce the processing times for Retrofit applications, and the timelines for review have been reduced to two weeks. With these faster turnaround times, customers are able to begin projects sooner to achieve more savings over the long term. 
 
For further details on the program changes and a listing of the new measures and incentives, please visit the Retrofit program update webpage.

Please note that the updated Retrofit worksheets will be available on the website on August 12, 2019.

Update on the Retrofit program

Starting May 13, 2019 the following changes will take effect.

• Increasing the minimum incentive levels. For a prescriptive project, the new minimum will be $500 (from $100) and for a custom project, the new minimum will be $1500 (from $500).
  • Customers can still bundle measures within an application to achieve the new minimum incentive level.
• Placing a cap on prescriptive incentives at the lesser of:
  • the prescriptive incentive amount as shown in the Retrofit Portal; or
  • 50 per cent of the eligible costs, which will now include installation and disposal costs.
• Removing the Tenant Sub-Metering Advance incentive, a rarely used program option.
• Performing minor patches and updates to the Retrofit Portal.

Changes will only affect new applications submitted on or after May 13.

If you have any questions about the changes or the Retrofit program in general, please contact retrofit@ieso.ca or call the Retrofit support line at 1-844-303-5542.