CUSTOMER SAVINGS FOR 2007 AND 2008
  kWh
  Megawatt Demand Reduction
  lbs. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Reduction
$  Utility Rebates
     
 

FAQ's

Lighting Retrofit

LodgingSavers

Sub-Metering

Lighting Retrofit

Question: What is Retrofitting?
Answer: When older lighting systems were designed, energy conservation was not the critical issue as it is today. Buildings that were constructed/built prior to 2002 still use what Progressive Lighting refers to as “19th Century” lighting – the then available light fixtures. However, you’re paying today 21st Century electric bills.

Progressive Lighting’s retrofit is simply replacing existing T12 4’ or 8’ fluorescent tube lamps and inefficient magnetic ballasts with new T8 4’ Fluorescent Lamps with a new energy efficient Electronic ballast – in most cases delamping is done (reducing the number of 4’ or 8’ lamps in a fixture) while installing special reflectors that direct 95% of the light down to increase your light levels.

Conventional 4 Lamp Bulbs
with 70% light level
2 Lamp fixture with White
Reflector 95% light level

This simple application usually yields between a 50% to 60% energy savings coupled with very large Utility company incentive rebates.

Warehouse or plant facilities – in most cases have large doomed 400Watt HID fixtures that are easily replaced with 228 watt High Bay 6 – 4’ Fluorescent Lamps Fixtures

VS.
458 Watts
(w/ballast)		 228 Watt High Bay (w/ballast)


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Question: Why should I retrofit my business?
Answer: Simple. REDUCE YOUR FIXED OPERATING COSTS. With an average of 50% to 60% lighting energy reduction from a lighting retrofit – this coverts to 50% to 60% less on your lighting electric bill. This makes good business sense.

Trane Air Conditioning as well as Public Utility companies state that for every 3 watts of lighting reduction you get 1 watt of Air conditioning reduction – More bottom line savings.

Also, there is empirical data that shows that better lighting improves the personnel efficiency, better moral, lower absenteeism, higher productivity, greater emotional satisfaction at the workplace. This makes good business sense.
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Question: What is a Utility Incentive Rebate?
Answer: So in addition to lower energy bills while increasing your light levels, you can receive rebates for installing energy efficient lamps and ballast. Most Utility Power companies (i.e. Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, L.A. Dept of Water & Power, Anaheim Public Utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric) offer CASH payment rebates (not credit on your electric bill).

The range can be anywhere from 25% of the Lighting Retrofit to as much as 50% of the entire lighting project. This is separate from you monthly energy savings and the U.S. Federal EPAct2005 Tax Deduction.

All of this information will be provided to you after we have conducted a FREE Lighting Audit of your facilities.
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Question: Is there a cost to this “Free” Lighting Audit?
Answer: NO. This is no cost to you for this Free Lighting Audit provided you have a willingness to move forward if we can demonstrate that this makes good business sense and that you are prepared to make a commitment to make your company GREEN and energy efficient.
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Question: Who does the Lighting Retrofit Work?
Answer: Progressive Lighting & Energy Solutions provides a “Complete Turnkey Program” including labor, material and warranties. Click here for a full Turnkey description.
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Question: How much of an energy cost reduction will I see on my electric bill?
Answer: A typical Office and/or Warehouse lighting retrofit will yield about a 50% to 60% reduction in your lighting electrical bill portion. It’s important to note that the reduction only affects the lighting portion…if you have heavy Air Conditioning usage this will be reduced proportionally (see above Answer for “Why should I Retrofit”) but machinery, freezers, computers and other energy consuming products will not effect by the Lighting Retrofit reduction.
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Question: I only lease the building – does it make sense to do a Lighting Retrofit?
Answer: Yes, if you are paying the electric bill for your facility…of course, it makes sense to REDUCE YOUR FIXED OPERATING COSTS. Most lighting retrofit projects have an 18 month or less payback and YOU receive the rebate for implementing the Lighting Retrofit.
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Question: How do I know how much will be the Rebate?
Answer: You can determine that in two (2) ways:

  • Call Progressive Lighting for a Free Lighting Audit and we’ll “run the numbers” showing you the Lighting Retrofit cost, the REBATE and the U.S. Federal Tax Deduction available.
  • Or, you can simply click on the “Energy Saving Rebate Estimator” located on the HOME PAGE.

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Question: How do I get this Rebate & how long does it take to receive?
Answer: Progressive Lighting & Energy Solutions, Inc. will do the entire application and submission to the appropriate Power Utility company as part of the Complete Turnkey Program…click on HOME Page “Our Services” to learn about this feature.

Generally, it takes about four (4) to six (6) weeks after the completion of the Lighting Project to receive your CASH rebate check in the mail.
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Question: Where does the Rebate come from?
Answer: From you and me. The Power Utility companies all collect a small amount on all of our electric bills. If you’re a S.C.E., SDG&E or PG&E customer you’ll find at the bottom of your electric bill a line item called “Public Purpose Program”. This money is collected and redistributed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) back through those utilities. Other Power Utility companies (i.e. L.A. Dept. of Water & Power, Burbank Water & Power, Anaheim Public Utilities and other privately owned companies) collect the money in some similar manner and redistribute themselves. But, it basically comes from you and me to incent residential and non-residential customers to become energy efficient.
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Question: Do I need to have permits or city approval for a Retrofit?
Answer: Any permits or permissions are covered by Progressive Lighting is covered in the “Complete Turnkey Program”.
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Question: How much will the work impact/interfere with my daily business?
Answer: None. As explained in the Complete Turnkey Program shown under “Our Services” – we work weekends, nights and hours of the day that best fits your working schedule without any interruption of business activity.
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Question: Can the Lighting Retrofit be financed?
Answer: Yes, financing is available for most lighting retrofits. In some cases, Utility companies provide ZERO financing and average the cost on your current electric bill
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Question: What type of insurance do you provide for the Lighting Retrofit?
Answer: We provide a Certificate of Insurance – click here to see full coverage.
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LodgingSavers

Question: What is the Lodging Saver Program?
Answer: It’s a program developed for Lodging Property Owners that delivers money saving energy efficient retrofits to your lodging property at near FREE costs.
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Question: Do I qualify for the Lodging Saver Program?
Answer: If your property is in the Pacific Gas & Electric company’s serviceable area that you very well may qualify.
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Question: Why should I participate in the Lodging Saver Program?
Answer: If you are interested in REDUCING YOUR FIXED OPERATING cost by lowering your energy electric bill, reducing maintenance costs while improving the value of your property with new improved installed energy saving measures, then participating makes good business sense. Here’s an opportunity for you to become California Green – reduce bad air emissions along with saving the future for our children…you owe to yourself and your children to participate.
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Question: Is the Lodging Saver Program completely FREE?
Answer: In most cases - YES. Other than a possible small participation costs for any new lighting energy saving measures – the large energy saving measures and devices are FREE. This means FREE for the installation, FREE for the actual devices and FREE for the total cost analysis.
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Question: How do I find out how much money this program will save me?
Answer: A FREE comprehensive Energy Survey of your property without any further obligation on your part is performed. It will be presented to you for your review in written form and will include what the normal cost of this program would be, what the rebate will pay for (in most all cases Everything) and what your actual estimated Annual energy savings will be along with any Payback period involved.
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Question: If I’m not paying for this FREE program – than who is?
Answer: This program is being administrated by the non-profit corporation, Ecology Action, through a grant that was given to them for the purpose of managing this LodgingSavers program.The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) collects funds from all electric bills which are then used to provide rebates for the customers that reduce their energy consumption through a retrofit.
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Question: What type of energy saving devices are you going to install in my property?
Answer: They’re devices especially designed for your property, devices such as Occupancy Sensors that control the Package Terminal Air conditioner or Package Terminal Heat Pump systems (PTCA’s), to Efficient Showerheads, VendMiser Soda Machine and Snack machine controllers, New Lighting measures plus many more. Click here to see a full list of LodgingSavers Energy Efficiency Measures.
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Question: Who is going to install the actual energy saving devices?
Answer: Installation for any measure that you agree to have installed is included. A qualified licensed contractor, Progressive Lighting & Energy Solutions, Inc. will handle the entire installation process and is paid directly by the administrator, Ecology Action.
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Question: What is my commitment and costs to this program?
Answer: Your costs are fully explained and GUARANTEED before you enter into any obligation. If you decide to go ahead with the project the next step will be to schedule a date of installation of these energy saving measures.

Your Time is saved because a detailed measure specification, coordination and qualify verification is provided.
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Question: How much will the work impact/interfere with my daily business?
Answer: None. A complete installation procedure and schedule will be presented to your for your review and approval. It will be conducted to minimize any guest or employee interference.
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Question: How do I GET STARTED?
Answer: The first step is to schedule a date for the FREE energy saving measure survey to be conducted. Shortly after that a full detailed analysis will be presented to your for your review and approval, without any further obligation.

Once you have agreed to the analysis of your property, a consent agreement is signed by you to have the actual date of installation scheduled.
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Submetering

Question: What is Sub-Metering?
Answer: Sub metering is the measurement and billing of electricity use in separate units of a master metered building. The sub meters are owned by the building and the utility company continues to reach the building master meter and issue a single billing to the owner. 
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Question: How does E-Mon D-Mon sub metering work?
Answer: Submetering permits the measurement of electric use in individual units via a building-owned meter that is installed for each tenant. The building continues to purchase its electricity on the less expensive commercial or bulk rate basis, but now the owner is able to bill electricity to individual tenants on an actual consumption basis. The relationship between the building and utility remains exactly the same as before. The building continues to receive one bill from the utility and the owner allocates the utility costs based on the usage recorded by the unit submeters. 
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Question: What are the benefits of sub metering?
Answer: A number of studies and demonstration projects confirm both the short-term and long-term benefits of submetering, including:

  1. Submetering saves energy
  2. Submetering energy savings persist over time.
  3. Most tenants benefit from submetering. The only tenants who fare worse are those who use excessive amounts of electricity.
  4. Submetering is eminently fair. Submetering simply restores the "user pay" concept.
  5. Submetering benefits owners. Submetering largely eliminates a volatile, variable, and difficult-to-control factor from a building's operating budget.
  6. Submetering benefits Utility companies and California. 

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Question: How will sub metering affect the building utility bill?
Answer: The building's utility billing process and meter-reading schedule will not be affected by the implementation of submetering. The building will still be billed under the same rate as before and any changes in utility rates will not be affected by the presence of submetering in the building. 
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Question: What is Time-Of-Use?
Answer: Time-of-Use is when utilities charge a customer different tariff rates for power at different times during the day and week. Often there are on-peak hours, i.e. 7:00 am to 5:00 pm and off-peak hours for all other hours. TOU schedules can vary from utility to utility.  
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Question: What does the sub metering measure?
Answer: The submeter measures the electricity consumed within the building's separate units. The meter is connected to the circuit breaker, which is the single location through which all electricity flows to the tenant 
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Question: How are E-Mon D-Mon meters read?
Answer: The electronic meter can be read on site or remotely. The meter has a large Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) for on-site viewing, for remote reading the meters communicate via dedicated wiring or over the buildings Power Line Carrier. 
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Question: Who will read my E-Mon D-Mon meters?
Answer: Submeters provide monthly consumption reports and/or invoices as well as energy analysis information for many of our clients. The property manager sets the rates and collects the revenue. All of our meters are also equipped with a liquid crystal display for local meter reading.
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