Natural gas is an efficient, safe, and reliable fuel source. It costs less than heating oil, and is one of the cleanest-burning fuels available. If you are not currently using natural gas in your building, converting to natural gas is a wise choice for property owners who want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the air quality in your community.
For buildings already using natural gas, there are ways to minimize equipment replacement costs, lower operating costs and enhance the overall value and infrastructure of your property. One way is to commission an energy efficiency study to evaluate your property’s energy use and learn how to increase its energy efficiency. Regular maintenance and tune-ups to natural gas heating systems, as well as upgrading to high-efficiency furnaces, boilers and controls are often worthy investments.
Federal, state or utility rebates and incentives can offset the cost of energy-efficiency upgrades and provide an attractive return on your investment. In New York City and Westchester County, for example, commercial and industrial customers with a Con Edison natural gas account may be eligible for the following incentives from Con Edison’s Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Program:
• Payment of up to 50% of costs, with a cap of $67,000, for an ASHRAE Level 3 energy audit
• Rebates for high-efficiency gas equipment including furnaces, boilers, infrared heaters, heat exchangers, controls, process heating, system tune-ups, and pipe insulation
• Performance-based custom incentives for installing high-efficiency equipment or energy-saving solutions not eligible for equipment rebates
The Con Edison Green Team has an energy efficiency program available for almost every customer. To learn which program is right for you, call the Green Team at 1-877-860-6118 or visit www.conEd.com/greenteam.
David Pospisil is Program Manager of Con Edison’s Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Program, New York, N.Y. You can join the discussion on LinkedIn (Con-Edison-Commercial-Industrial), Facebook (ConEd Green Team C&I), Twitter (ConEd Green Team C&I) and YouTube (ConEd Green Team C&I).