Manitoba Hydro
Commercial Earth Power Program – for Geothermal Heat Pump System Installations
This program provides financial incentives to commercial customers who install a geothermal heat pump system to replace a conventional electric heating system.
Funding Available – For qualifying feasibility studies, assistance up to 50% of the first $5,000 and up to 25% of the remaining cost of the study (to a maximum grant of $10,000 per study) — on average, a feasibility study costs approximately $2,400 — the amount of the assistance will be limited to 20% of the potential system installation incentive.
The system installation incentive is based on a prescriptive structure, and is calculated as being the lesser of:
– $2.50 per sq. ft. heated by a geothermal heat pump system; OR
– $120.00 per MBH of installed geothermal heating capacity; OR
– $120.00 per MBH of the buildings eligible base transmission and infiltration heating load.
Eligibility – Visit website for eligibility details. Includes building eligibility and customer classification.
Commercial Network Energy Management Program
This program offers commercial customers a rebate to install network management software. The software program shuts down computers when they are inactive and allows network administrators to perform regular maintenance tasks, such as IT upgrades and installations.
Funding Available – A rebate is available to cover 100% of the cost of the eligible software program and installation costs up to a maximum of $15 per software licence.
Power Smart Bioenergy Optimization Program
This program helps industrial customers convert their company waste streams and by-products into fuel that produces useful heat and power. It offers technical and financial support to help approved customers install, operate, and maintain equipment that can deliver consistent and reliable savings and environmental benefits.
Funding Available – Incentives will not exceed 50 percent of the eligible project costs or a maximum incentive of $1,000,000 on electrical load reductions and $250,000 on natural gas load reductions.
Eligibility – Customers must:
– be billed at Manitoba Hydro’s general service rate
– have the capability to incorporate the following into their operations: their own on-site energy generation that supplies part or all of their energy needs; combined heat & power (CHP); renewable fuels, specifically biomass.
Power Smart Commercial Building Envelope Program
This program provides financial incentives to encourage building owners to improve the thermal performance of their building by upgrading insulation levels, installing energy-efficient windows, and investing in high performance glazing systems for curtain walls.
Funding Available – Visit website for funding details. Includes incentives for curtain wall system, doors, Insulation and windows.
Power Smart Commercial Building Optimization Program
This program helps improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings by identifying energy saving opportunities. Recommended strategies are identified through an investigation process with additional focus on documentation and training to realize persistence of savings. Program incentives help recover the cost of implementing approved energy efficient technologies within a short time. Typical projects can save up to 15 percent of total building energy costs with a simple payback period averaging less than 2 years.
Funding Available – Maximum incentive dollars are calculated based on the occupied and heated floor area of the building.
Power Smart Commercial Custom Measures Program
This program addresses energy-efficient projects that are not part of an existing Power Smart commercial program and provides financial incentives to identify, investigate, and implement system efficiency improvements in a facility.
Funding Available – The maximum eligible incentive is $250,000 for all electrical measures, and $100,000 for all natural gas measures included in the project.
Eligibility – Eligible technologies/measures include (but are not limited to):
– energy recovery systems to capture waste energy from refrigeration and drain-water systems;
– energy efficient hot water space heating systems to replace inefficient natural gas steam heating systems;
– variable speed drive systems to replace inlet vanes or discharge damper volume controls on existing variable volume fan systems;
– variable speed drive fluid pumping and refrigeration compressor systems to replace mechanical flow control systems;
– automated energy saving control strategies implemented into existing Building HVAC systems;
– higher efficiency (magnetic bearing) air cooled chiller systems instead of conventional air cooled chiller equipment at time of replacement;
– solar air and water heating systems;
– data centre air management measures to reduce cooling and fan system energy consumption.
Not eligible: Any measure that provides energy savings by switching to another conventional energy source.
Power Smart Commercial HVAC Program
Program is designed to encourage the use of higher efficiency heating and cooling systems in commercial buildings. Financial incentives are available for boilers, chillers and carbon dioxide sensors to help offset the added cost of efficiency upgrades and reduce the payback in energy.
Funding Available – The maximum eligible incentives are $250,000 for all electrical measures and $100,000 for all natural gas measures included in the project.
Incentives are available for the following technologies:
– boilers;
– carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors;
– heat recovery ventilators and energy recovery ventilators;
– water heaters.
Power Smart Commercial Lighting Program
Program offers guidance and financial assistance to commercial, industrial and agricultural customers to install energy-efficient lighting in new construction and renovation projects.
Funding Available – The maximum eligible incentive is $250,000 for all electrical measures included in the project.
Eligibility – To qualify for incentives, you must be a Manitoba Hydro commercial customer billed at the electrical general service rate and operate lighting for 2,000 hours per year.
Installations must meet all electrical code guidelines.
Power Smart Commercial Refrigeration Program for Retail Stores and Restaurants
Program promotes energy-efficient refrigeration equipment upgrades and no cost/low cost operation and maintenance measures.
Funding Available – There are more than 15 different incentives available for customers to take advantage of when making energy-efficient equipment and technology upgrades.
Eligibility –
To be eligible for incentives, you must:
– be a Manitoba Hydro customer eligible for the General Service electricity rate;
– be the end user of the refrigeration equipment (i.e. not a vendor, manufacturer, or installer);
– use the refrigeration equipment in a commercial capacity and not a residential (e.g. individual apartment suites, hotel rooms, senior citizen housing units);
– remain a customer of Manitoba Hydro for a minimum of 3 years after the date of the incentive payment.
Power Smart Natural Gas Optimization Program
Program provides industrial and large commercial customers with the technical support and financial incentives necessary to identify, investigate and implement system efficiency improvements throughout their facility. It promotes energy efficiency through the optimization of process-related natural gas-fired systems and equipment. The result is lower operating costs and improved system performance.
Funding Available – Steam Trap Audit incentive pays $15 per steam trap tested, to a maximum of $10,000 per audit.
Eligibility – To be eligible, projects must meet each of the following criteria:
– You must have an annual consumption greater than 100,000 m3 per year and projects must have a minimum energy savings of 10,000 m3 per year.
– The program applies to both new construction and renovation projects undertaken by industrial and large commercial customers.
– Projects must use proven measures with a minimum expected equipment operating life of 5 years, with the exception of cases in which the demonstration of a new technology/process has been approved.
– Products and equipment that are installed must be new and CSA approved or certified by an accredited independent organization to conform to CSA standards.
– Products, equipment and their applications and installations must meet or exceed energy efficient regulatory requirements in Manitoba.
– Projects that achieve energy savings by switching to other energy sources will not qualify under this program.
– Standby or backup natural gas equipment will not qualify under this program.
Power Smart New Buildings Program
Program provides technical guidance and financial incentives for designing, constructing, and operating new, energy-efficient buildings in Manitoba. Financial incentives are based on projected energy savings and proven building performance.
Funding Available – Visit website for funding details. Includes the energy modelling assistance incentive and performance path incentive.
Eligibility – Design professionals and building owners should contact early in a project’s design phase to determine eligibility for financial incentives and energy efficiency designation. During the design phase, energy modelling is used to see if the building’s design meets the program’s minimum requirements. Energy modelling uses computer tools to simulate energy use, and is a growing part of the construction industry.
Power Smart Performance Optimization Program
Program provides industrial and large commercial customers with the technical support and financial incentives that are necessary to identify, investigate and implement system efficiency improvements throughout a facility. The program promotes energy efficiency through the optimization of three phase electrical power end-use systems including compressed air, pumps and fans, industrial refrigeration, process heating, electro-chemical processes and plant-wide energy management systems. The result is lower operating costs and improved system performance.
Eligibility – To qualify:
– the project has a minimum energy savings of 25,000 kWh per year or 10 kW demand of 3-phase power;
– the project must use proven measures with a minimum expected equipment operating life of 10 years (new technology/process must be approved);
– products and equipment installed must be new, and CSA approved or certified;
– new equipment is for permanent use with power supplied by Manitoba Hydro.
Switching to other energy sources does not qualify projects for this program.
Visit website for eligible technology details.