Save on Energy New Program Information

Save on Energy’s flagship Retrofit program offers businesses a more customer-friendly experience through an expanded list of energy-efficient measures, faster application review processes and quicker incentive payments. The custom track has been removed in the new program to help reduce the administrative burden for participants. New measures are available under three streams: lighting, HVAC and manufacturing and other equipment. Measures focus on the many of the most commonly used products and technologies, including some popular measures from the custom track, to continue to help businesses save on energy costs and to help increase their competitiveness. 

Incentives and measures will be updated throughout the course of the four-year framework, based on marketplace feedback. A new process is available on the Save on Energy website to accommodate such suggestions.

Please see the complete list of new measures and incentives, and visit the Contact us page to get in touch with a Save on Energy representative. 

In response to feedback and to support more customer-focused solutions, the Process and Systems Upgrade (PSU) program was discontinued as of December 31, 2020. It will be replaced by a new offering in 2022, that will focus on supporting participants to get larger, more complex projects off the ground. This shift in programming will reduce the administrative burden for participants and will help address the unique and specialized needs of industrial consumers. 

The IESO will engage with the marketplace throughout 2021, to seek feedback on their energy-efficiency needs in order to support the design of the new program. In the meantime, opportunities continue to be available through Save on Energy programs, including Retrofit, the Energy Manager program and the Energy Performance Program. Industrial consumers are also eligible to participate in the upcoming IESO Energy Efficiency Auction Pilot set to launch in March in 2021. 

Please contact your IESO representative for more information. 

The award-winning Energy Performance Program will continue to be available for businesses to achieve continuous whole-building energy improvements under the pay-for-performance model. The program will be available for commercial and institutional facilities and eligibility will be broadened to include industrial consumers in 2021.

Enhancements have been made to the program to provide stability for participants and to ensure sustained energy savings over their contract terms. Changes include new payments for achieving annual peak demand savings in addition to annual energy savings. The contract term will be extended to three years, and upfront incentive payments will be included to support initial capital investments. Technical requirements have also been streamlined to improve the customer experience and to reduce administrative burden.

Incentive Information: 

Energy Incentive:

• $0.04/kWh paid annually over the term of the contract for all metered savings compared against the facility baseline energy model developed prior to the first performance year.

Peak Demand Incentive:

• An additional $50/kW paid annually over the three-year term for metered savings compared against the facility’s average peak demand over the summer months in the baseline year.

Visit Contact us to speak with a Save on Energy representative. 

The Energy Manager program has been instrumental in building a highly skilled network of energy professionals in various sectors across the province. Since the program was introduced, more than 150 Energy Managers have been supported. The program continues to be offered and will evolve over the course of the four-year framework.

Companies interested in hiring an Energy Manager will have the opportunity to apply through an application window in 2021. Funding opportunities will be based on the customers’ ability to achieve savings and peak demand reductions. Companies approved will receive an upfront payment of $20,000 annually upon the hiring of an energy manager and up to $150,000 per year to compensate their energy manager based on their performance – this will be at a rate of $300 per kW of peak demand reduction. The first application window closed in February 2021; a second application window will open in Fall 2021. 

In 2023, the program will evolve from the current Embedded Energy Manager model to a strategic energy management model. This will shift the incentive from providing direct funding to support the salary of an Energy Manager to providing an enhanced level of technical support and resources to companies with a dedicated energy management professional. This will provide greater flexibility to organizations and empower them to achieve additional cost savings through increased training opportunities, to access industry tools and resources to support their energy-efficiency projects.

The IESO will engage with the marketplace over the next year to ensure a smooth transition and to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to provide feedback on the support and opportunities to for companies to effectively manage their energy use.

Visit Contact us to speak with a Save on Energy representative. 

The Small Business Lighting program continues to be available under its one-stop-shop approach for the direct, no-cost replacement of existing inefficient equipment up to $2,000. The program will expand in mid-2021 to offer more opportunities for small businesses to reduce their electricity costs, help their businesses grow and recover from the potential impacts of COVID-19. 

The expanded measures will include the addition of common non-lighting opportunities, such as HVAC and refrigeration. The IESO will continue to engage with stakeholders on the rollout of these new energy-saving measures and will communicate through Save on Energy channels when they become available.

Visit the Small Business Lighting web page for more information on eligibility and the Contact us page to get in touch with a Save on Energy representative. 

The new Energy Affordability Program offers expanded eligibility to continue to support income-eligible electricity consumers in lowering their monthly electricity costs and in increasing their home comfort. Participants most in need may qualify for a free energy needs assessment conducted by a trained energy professional that will help identify energy-efficient upgrades available for their homes, such as replacement appliances and weather stripping. Some participants may also qualify for free energy saving kits customized to meet their energy needs that could include energy-saving LED lighting, timers, faucet aerators and/or a clothes drying line.

Interested participants should contact a representative at 1-855-591-0877, or email eap@saveonenergy.ca directly to discuss eligibility and opportunities.

Targeted local programming helps to maximize value to electricity ratepayers and customers, demonstrating the ability to use energy efficiency as a resource to help manage local electricity demand, and to avoid or defer costly infrastructure investments. Opportunities for local program initiatives will be deployed in targeted areas across Ontario based on needs identified through the IESO’s existing regional planning process. Beginning in 2021, the implementation of local programs will leverage competitive mechanisms to provide targeted energy and demand savings for specific areas, while encouraging innovation and energy cost savings. 

Save on Energy continues to offer all residential consumers information and tips on how to save energy and to better manage their electricity costs. This includes resources available on the Save on Energy website to help consumers make smart buying decisions on energy-efficient equipment, and tips for improving the comfort of their living and working spaces. Helpful content and tools will be refreshed throughout the four-year framework to reflect seasonality and societal needs and to help ensure consumers are equipped with the information they need to make energy-efficient choices and adopt energy-efficient behaviours.

Specific residential needs may also be addressed through the Energy Affordability Program or First Nation programming, as well as through regional program opportunities that may be brought forward in communities to help address local electricity needs.  

Courses and workshops continue to be available for energy professionals to empower them with the necessary skills to make energy-efficiency improvements and to implement energy- efficient behaviours in their companies. Training incentives will be available throughout the four-year framework for energy management, specialized skills training for systems and technologies, and opportunities for professional development through various industry certifications. Foundational energy-efficiency educational content such as sector-specific information guides and project-based case studies will also be made available to business consumers.

Visit the training and support web page for more information and to keep up to date on opportunities.

Programs continue to be available to assist on-reserve First Nation communities to benefit from energy-saving upgrades to help improve on-reserve homes and buildings and to help residents and communities save on energy costs. Programs that were suspended due to COVID-19 in 2020 will be relaunched in January 2021, and will provide time for committed projects to be completed. Visit the First Nation Conservation Program web page for information on eligibility and how to apply. 

The new Energy Affordability Program is also available to eligible grid-connected First Nation residents. In addition, the remote First Nation pilot serving residential customers in communities soon to be connected to Ontario’s electricity grid will be expanded as part of the new framework. A new program targeting on-reserve commercial and institutional buildings is also being developed based on recent feedback from Ontario’s First Nation communities.