Save on Energy – Existing Building Commissioning Program
Save on Energy’s Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx) program is designed to help owners, operators and managers of commercial and institutional buildings in Ontario improve their energy management.
The EBCx program offers financial incentives to commercial building owners to hire qualified commissioning providers to undertake building recommissioning at their facilities, helping them realize energy savings from improved facility operations and maintenance (O&M) business practices.
Offered by Independent Electricity System Operator
Amount
Investigation phase: up to $0.06 per square foot of the building area, subject to a maximum of $50,000 per application or 75% of the costs paid by the participant to the commissioning provider; Implementation phase: $0.03 per kWh of confirmed energy savings, subject to a maximum of 30% of the facility’s annual electricity consumption or $50,000, whichever is lower; Persistence phase: $0.03 per kWh of persisting energy savings, subject to a maximum 30% of the facility’s annual electricity consumption or $50,000, whichever is lower
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
To qualify for this program, you must be the owner, operator, or manager of a commercial or institutional building and meet the following requirements.
Your facility/facilities must:
- have a minimum of 12 months of consecutive energy data
- have consumed a minimum of 750,000 kWh per annum, not including energy consumed by industrial and manufacturing processes.
- have baseline models meeting the minimum standards. You can refer to the Measurement and Verification (M&V) Guidelines or speak to your commissioning provider for more information
- not have undertaken a commissioning exercise in the last two years
- not be participating in a building accreditation system that requires EBCx as a pre-requisite
- be connected to, or behind the meter of, an electricity customer connected to the IESO-controlled grid or a distribution system
- meet any other eligibility requirements as outlined in the M&V Guidelines below.
And your project must include one of the following measures:
- occupant behavioural measures
- set point and scheduling optimization
- air and water balancing
- other operational and maintenance changes
- equipment repairs and minor replacements.
Please refer to the Program Requirements below for the full list of program eligibility requirements and program measures. All measures are subject to review and approval by the IESO.
About the funding
The EBCx program offers financial incentives to commercial building owners to hire qualified commissioning providers to undertake building recommissioning at their facilities, helping them realize energy savings from improved facility operations and maintenance (O&M) business practices.
The building commissioning process is carried out by an accredited building commissioning provider who will identify potential energy conservation measures and work with the participant to implement recommended building improvements.
The program also provides pay-for-performance incentives for savings achieved through implementation of these practices. The commissioning provider will train participants to engage in ongoing commissioning and to integrate this process into their standard management practices.
The EBCx program has three phases and incentives are available to participants who complete each one.
Show all funding details
- Investigation phase
Hire a CP to investigate your facility, prepare a report and draft a commissioning plan.
- Receive up to $0.06 per square foot of the building area, subject to a maximum of $50,000 per application or 75% of the costs paid by the participant to the commissioning provider to undertake the investigation.
- Implementation phase
Implement energy-efficiency measures identified in the commissioning plan.
- Receive incentive of $0.03 per kWh of confirmed energy savings, subject to a maximum of 30% of the facility’s annual electricity consumption (kWh) calculated using the baseline model or $50,000, whichever is lower.
- Persistence phase
Receive training from your CP to maintain and monitor systems for one year.
- Receive incentive of $0.03 per kWh of persisting energy savings, subject to a maximum 30% of the facility’s annual electricity consumption (kWh) calculated using the baseline model or $50,000, whichever is lower. Savings are calculated and verified after the 12-month period.
Similar programs
| Program | Type | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordable Multi-Family Housing Program | Grant, In-Kind Support | Energy assessments: up to $8,000 per building, to a maximum of $40,000 per housing provider per year | Open |
| Enbridge Gas Audits, Studies & Assessments: Energy Assessments and Meters (formerly: Audits, Studies & Assessments: Commercial Custom Audits & Studies) | Grant, In-Kind Support | Up to 50% of eligible assessment costs, to a maximum of $20,000 per project (institutions) or $10,000 per project (other commercial sectors), capped by previous-year natural gas consumption (up to $6,000 / $10,000 / $20,000) | Open |
| Enbridge Gas Audits, Studies & Assessments: Industrial Studies & Assessments | Grant, In-Kind Support | Complimentary site walkthrough, plus up to 50 percent of costs for energy assessments recommended by an Advisor, to an energy assessment maximum of $6,000 (300k – 3M previous year consumption) or $10,000 (3M – 10 M) | Open |
| Enbridge Gas Building Automation: Affordable Multi-Family Housing Program, Commercial Custom Retrofit Program, and Industrial Custom Engineering Program | Grant, In-Kind Support | Up to 50 percent of incremental project costs (Commercial Custom Retrofit Program | Open |
