Rebates power biz lighting upgrades

And unless Boulder County businesses act by year's end, nearly a quarter million dollars in rebates aimed to

upgrade commercial buildings and improve energy efficiency will vanish as revelers welcome in 2012.

Since January, $217,000 in EnergySmart rebates have helped 230 commercial properties sport new, high-efficiency

lighting. Eighteen have upgraded heating, air conditioning and water heaters, and 16 boast improved

refrigeration.

The funding is part of $12 million awarded to Boulder County by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

(ARRA) through the Department of Energy's Better Buildings Program.

The grant runs through May 2013 and helps power the EnergySmart program, which targets both businesses and

residences for energy-efficiency upgrades.

Until Dec. 31, Xcel Energy is sweetening the deal with a 50 percent bonus rebate for businesses that retrofit

their heat-producing, halogen lights to high-efficiency T8 fluorescent lighting and high-efficiency electronic

ballasts.

"The biggest bang for the buck on the commercial side is to look at lighting and do a lighting upgrade,"says

Mary Wiener, an energy efficiency and sustainability specialist who advises business and commercial property

owners for EnergySmart. "In retail, 40 percent of your electric bill can be from lighting.”

The light bulbs are changing anyway. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will end production of the

T12s in July. "When we found out about [EnergySmart rebates], we were blown away,"says Wade Arnold of The

Colorado Group, a commercial real estate firm serving the Front Range. "I have three other partners, and we're

all looking at each other saying, 'What's the catch here?' You think it's too good to be true.”

Tenant Randy Patton of Wild Goose Engineering approached Arnold about improving the lighting in its space on

55th Street in Boulder.

"They weren't happy with the quality of the light in their space, and they were looking to try and save energy

costs,"Arnold said.

Arnold's decision to upgrade the warehouse's lighting cost him $13,654; he'll recoup $11,399 in rebates.

"We've had a significant improvement in the working environment as a result of the energy upgrade,"says Patton,

who directs business operations at Wild Goose Engineering. "We manufacture high-precision, detailed products, so

the improvement in the lighting was significant. The fact that our landlord was willing to participate is

another reason why we're staying with Wade Arnold and The Colorado Group.”

Since January, nearly 1,000 commercial decision-makers have sought guidance from Wiener and her colleagues.

EnergySmart's advisers perform an energy audit or analyze one already performed by the utility. They collaborate

to establish the clients' goals and priorities, budget and available rebates. They connect them with pre-

approved contractors, help them analyze bids and fill in any rebate paperwork. The advisers, in essence, help

folks flip the switch with one-stop shopping.