Energy efficiency pays. The less your business pays for electricity, the more money you’ll have to spend on other necessities or to add to your bottom line. With the New Construction Program, there’s no better time to add energy-saving features to your commercial construction process.

Projects with an active 2016 preliminary application are eligible for the 2016 program offerings.

Preliminary applications received on or after Aug. 15, 2018, in Idaho and Oregon are only eligible for 2018 program offerings.

We are committed to offering services and information to our customers to help them use energy wisely. Efficiency programs like this help offset the need to build new power plants and prevent the company from acquiring power from more expensive sources to meet customer needs.

Idaho Power’s energy efficiency programs are funded through the energy efficiency rider funding collected monthly from customers as approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission and the Public Utility Commission of Oregon.

Eligible projects are part of a new building, an expansion to an existing building or a major renovation.

A major renovation is a project that typically requires professional design services, review by code authorities or a change in space usage type.

Incentives are offered for lighting, HVAC, building shell, controls, appliances with electric water heating, refrigeration, office equipment and compressed air equipment. Any project can earn an incentive for as many, or as few, of those design options as you choose to install.

While the current list of eligible measures covers many of the most common energy-saving design options, if you have an additional design option that’s not on the list, you can apply for a Custom Projects incentive. Contact a custom engineer by emailing customprojects@idahopower.com to see if you qualify, or complete the Custom Projects tab on the New Construction application and a custom engineer will contact you after you turn in your New Construction preliminary application.

Street lighting may qualify for the L2 incentive. Contact  newconstruction@idahopower.com to verify if your project qualifies.

Talk to your team of design professionals about the energy-saving options that will work best for your facility. You can learn more, and acquire a project number by submitting a preliminary New Construction Application to newconstruction@idahopower.com.

The preliminary application must be submitted before the project is complete. We recommend submitting the preliminary application early in the design phase, as it is a great opportunity to create a dialogue between Idaho Power and the design team. This helps ensure all parties are familiar with the program offerings and requirements.

The final application and supporting documentation must be submitted within 90 days after the project is complete. Project completion is defined as the time an occupancy permit is attained or when all major construction is complete.

Design performance details (cut sheets) and equipment cost invoices for each measure are required.

Incentives are awarded on a per-project basis to assist in offsetting capital expenses for more efficient lighting designs, cooling systems, controls, building shell, appliances and refrigeration, office equipment and compressed air equipment in commercial or industrial construction projects. There is no incentive cap.

Idaho Power will provide you with a check after the work is completed and your final application for incentive payment is reviewed and approved. Idaho Power reserves the right to request additional details and/or inspect any project prior to issuing the incentive payment.

A Professional Assistance Incentive is available to the third-party architect or engineer working on the project that supports the participant with the technical aspects of the project and the required supporting documentation necessary to complete the incentive process. The professional is eligible for an incentive equal to 10 percent of the participant’s total incentive up to a maximum of $2,500 per project. This incentive is in addition to the owner/customers’ incentive.

Yes. Idaho Power offers incentives for many typical equipment retrofits in existing commercial facilities through the Retrofits program.

New Construction, Retrofits and Custom Projects incentives cannot be applied to the same design features, but they can be applied to separate measures on the same project. Custom Projects and Retrofits require a Preliminary Application in most cases.

Your team of design professionals is a great place to start, they may have designed other efficient buildings. For additional energy-related questions, contact an Idaho Power energy advisor in your area. To reach the appropriate representative, call 208-388-2323 or 1-800-488-6151 from outside the Treasure Valley.