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WI Focus on Energy Solar Hot Water Incentive Program
State Solar Spotlight: August 2010
Focus on Energy: Solar Hot Water Incentive Program
Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy program, offers one of the few solar hot water incentive programs in the U.S. targeted specifically at high-end commercial users. Incentives are available for high-volume hot water consumers such as hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and fire stations, and generally cover 20-25% of the installed cost of the system (30-35% for nonprofits) and are based on modeled savings.
Fort Atkinson High School Pool, Solar Hot Water System, 2009Bonus incentives are available for projects that incorporate efficiency, and adders may also be available from local utilities. Due to the maturation of and increased interest in efficiency and solar technologies in Wisconsin, the incentive levels and procedures for project approval are subject to change in 2011.
The levels of incentives provided are one factor in stimulating commercial solar hot water installations in Wisconsin, but other, non-monetary program elements are just as important. These elements include:
- Technology specificity: Focus on Energy has developed a program just for commercial solar hot water, meaning it is not in competition with other technologies that may meet different objectives (such as PV for electricity generation).
- Non-competitive, ongoing: As long as funds remain in the program and all elibility criteria are met, commercial solar hot water projects are assured funding in a first-come, first-served manner on a rolling basis.
- Simple paperwork: Focus on Energy provides a form with detailed instructions for the customer and his or her installer to fill out, requiring all the information that the program administrators will need to determine a project’s eligibility. The installer base has been well-trained to facilitate the submission of this paperwork for approval.
- Broad applications allowed: Focus allows for systems in situations ranging from hot water to process heating to pools heating, meeting the needs of most potential high-use customers.
- Assistance offered: Focus helps customers at both the front and the back ends of the process, from offering discounted site assessments, design review, a list of installation requirements, and a preapproved list of contractors to verifying systems post-completion and requiring monitoring systems on larger installations, so the program and the customer can track a system’s effectiveness.
The following chart illustrates the success of the program since its inception:
These incentives have served a wide variety of applications, including:
- Dentists’ offices
- Laundromats
- Landscaping firms
- Churches
- Health care clinics
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- Restaurants
- Schools
- Public pools
- Apartments
- Industrial applications
Special thanks to Kari Heinrich, Solar Hot Water Lead, Focus on Energy for her assistance in preparing this Solar Spotlight.
- A PDF file of this program summary can be downloaded by Clicking Here.