We hear about this scenario far too often when we do energy assessments and it breaks our hearts: Businesses deprived of thousands of dollars in energy efficiency rebates because their BC Hydro rebate application was declined. Missing out on rebates can lead to over budget, low ROI energy upgrades. In a lot of cases this is entirely preventable, so we wanted to share what we have learned about BC Hydro rebate process through our experience.
Three Common Reasons Rebate Applications Get Declined:
Starting upgrades before the rebate is pre-approved
All of BC Hydro’s rebate programs require pre-approval for rebate applications before starting the upgrades or even ordering the products. The pre-approval can take up to four weeks to process. It’s essential businesses do not touch a thing in their facility until they receive pre-approval.
Not using approved products and/or not working with an approved contractor
BC Hydro keeps an e-catalog of approved products that is constantly being updated, only projects proposing to install products from their e-catalog will be approved. All major upgrades must be completed by a BC Hydro Power Smart Alliance member.
Lighting configuration is not compatible with BC Hydro's eligible configurations list
BC Hydro keeps a Business Energy Savings Incentives Eligible Configurations List. This lists almost all existing lower-efficiency technologies and outlines the eligible retrofit technology. If a businesses proposed upgrades do not comply with this list, their rebate will not be approved.
Why Kambo Has a 100% Success Rate with Rebate Applications:
We are constantly checking for updates and changes to the program
Our rebate team works closely with BC Hydro so we can reach out for clarification whenever there are changes to the rebate program.
We'll tell you upfront if you're not eligible for rebates
After we complete an energy assessment we investigate all potential energy upgrades and prioritize them by ROI. We always use energy data to validate project savings after the upgrades are complete. Therefore, it’s critical we are upfront about rebates available to our clients and the financial viability for all our energy recommendations.
We are precise and thorough in our estimations
Some energy companies over-estimate rebates to make projects appear more lucrative. However, all BC Hydro rebate applications are subject to a site inspection which makes it absolutely critical to have accurate numbers when submitting the rebate application. We are always present during the inspection to answer questions for our clients who are the lucky recipients of a random BC Hydro site inspections.
We have learned first-hand that BC Hydro programs are constantly changing. Never assume a rebate will be there for you next year, next quarter or even next month. Certain rebate programs have already met their targets for fiscal 2016 and there is no certainty around whether the incentives will still be available next year or if the approval conditions will change. If you think your facility could be eligible for rebates we recommend you get in touch for a free energy assessment so we can help you through the process.
