Xcel Energy Rebate Program
October 30, 2019
Minnesota utilities are required to give customers rebates to encourage the installation and retrofit of high-efficiency equipment. The rebates are available for a wide range of appliances and fall into two categories—prescriptive or custom.
Prescriptive rebates are primarily for a piece of equipment and given for specific performance metrics. For example, a building owner can receive a $1,250 rebate for installing a 15hp variable frequency drive. Such rebates are applied after the equipment is installed and running.
Custom rebates cover everything not covered by a utility’s prescriptive programs, such as design and installation changes that might cost more but produce energy savings. The rebate is based on the projected savings over a full calendar year of operation and is negotiated and approved prior to construction.
One of the newest prescriptive rebate programs by Xcel Energy now available now available to Minnesota customers is for clean water pumps used in commercial HVAC, domestic water, irrigation, industrial, and municipal applications. Pumps that meet the Hydraulic Institute Energy Rating (HIER) program are eligible for a rebate of up to $165/hp. Rebates vary by type of application and how much the Pump Energy Index (PEI) exceeds the Department of Energy efficiency standards. Soon, pumps will be required to have a PEI of 1.00 or lower in order to be sold in the United States. A pump with a lower PEI is more efficient. A PEI of 1.00 is like par on a golf course—lower than par is better.
The program rewards users more for the installation of a variable speed pump vs. a constant speed pump. The pump supplier should apply for the rebate online after the pump system is installed and running.
Most Bell & Gossett pumps qualify for the rebates and are already listed in the public database available for end users to reference. Many qualify for the highest rebates available.
Bell & Gossett and its parent company, Xylem, has worked extensively to improve their product efficiency and Mulcahy Company is a proud partner. Please contact us if you have any questions about how we can help you take advantage of this new program.
