News

It's now easier to access continuous optimization program funding

It's only fitting that a B.C. program that's all about making low-cost adjustments to increase the efficiency of HVAC and other systems has been updated to run more smoothly.

Gone from the continuous optimization program (C-Op) is the eligibility requirement that a large commercial customer requires a key account manager.

Gone is confusion around program options: it's now just the one offer focused on recommissioning.

Refreshed and expanded is the list of Alliance service providers [PDF 93.2 KB] for the program. "Now we need some assistance in helping identify customers," says Vinson Lee, who runs the C-Op program for BC Hydro. "While we now have regional energy managers available to assist large commercial customers without a BC Hydro key account manager, points of contact often come from vendors:

Ideally, Lee would like to see service providers educate customers about the program and then touch base with BC Hydro to confirm eligibility.

"The changes are going to open up funding to a lot more customers moving forward," adds Lee. "Chances are that if they're big enough, they will be eligible, even without a key account manager."

The C-Op program is a joint offer from BC Hydro and Fortis BC to help large commercial customers save energy and improve operations in buildings of at least 40,000 square feet through building retro-commissioning or recommissioning.

How it works

A customer's first step is to contact BC Hydro to confirm eligibility, either through a key account manager or through a regional energy manager via a referral set up by our business helpdesk at 866 522 4713. To be eligible, you must meet the specific facility requirements and be considered a large commercial customer, which means you have a combined site(s) energy consumption minimum of 2 GWh per year.

To apply for the continuous optimization program, the customer fills out an application form for each building, selects a service provider and requests a proposal. If the application is approved, the program follows three simple steps:

1. Investigation: A service provider visits and completes an in-depth assessment of the building. A report is compiled outlining all the opportunities they find. When the report is completed and invoices submitted, 75% of project assessment funding will be paid.
2. Implementation: The customer chooses which of the recommendations to act on, and a service provider implements them.
3. Completion: The service provider verifies completion of each recommendation, and the remaining 25% of project assessment funding is paid when all final documents and invoices are submitted.

Program funding is an across-the-board 15 cents per square foot

Lee says that, in most cases, the program's 15 cents per square foot funding (based on facility size), will cover the full cost of the investigation. For those not fully covered, we have seen that on average, the funding covers around 80%. And in general, the larger the facility, the more likely funding will cover investigation costs.

"The funding is exactly the same as it was before, still 15 cents per square foot based on a minimum of 40,000 square feet," says Lee. "We re-evaluated that recently, and that 15 cents continues to be very generous based on other programs across Canada."

What has changed is streamlining and consolidating the offer to focus on recommissioning rather than offering separate offers, with different per-square foot funding, for "refresh" and an unnecessarily complicated "real-time energy management" option.

"Very rarely did we do a refresh or real time energy management," he says. "Essentially, the recommissioning offer will cover everything."

Over time, many building systems no longer run optimally

Customers have found continuous optimization valuable because building operations often change over time, as factors such as occupancy and timing of occupancy shift. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular tossed a curveball into the way buildings are used.

"People are slowly trickling back into the office, and in some cases they may not," says Lee. "In many buildings, optimal settings are not based on new or changing occupancy rates. It's kind of like maintaining your car. Through the lifespan of a car, it's normal to bring it in for scheduled maintenance just to make sure it's running properly."

On average, buildings that have completed the implementation phase of continuous optimization show a 5.7% overall cost reduction, with a 1.7 year simple payback.

Key benefits of the program

The continuous optimization program provides funding to have an approved Alliance member investigate and identify low-cost solutions to improve the efficiency of HVAC and other energy-intensive systems.

Key benefits of continuous optimization include:

• Saving energy and operating costs when systems operate optimally.
• Increasing comfort through adjustments to match occupant behaviour.
• Extending equipment life when systems are in sync and operate as intended.
• Ensuring improvements persist over the building's life through periodic recommissioning. Customers may re-apply to the C-Op program four years after completing the program.
• Improving sustainability by working toward carbon emission reduction goals.

Related:

• Continuous optimization program results
• UNBC | Continuous Optimization Recommissioning
• Continuous optimization program sample proposal [PDF, 57.2 KB]