CEC Grant funds may be used to fund building upgrades that are not specific to heat pumps. These may include:
Lighting upgrades and lighting controls - indoor and outdoor
High-efficiency motors, motor controls, variable speed drives
Building shell
Energy management / building management systems (EMS/BMS)
Demand Control Ventilation
Solar thermal
Water and Wastewater Treatment Process Improvements
Any upgrade recommended by a CEC Energy Study or ASHRAE Level 2 or 3
CEC Grant funds can also be used to fund a CEC Energy Study, which is a building energy use audit that can provide cost and energy savings data for various projects.
A CEC Energy Study or ASHRAE Level 2 or 3 audit must be completed before a community can use grant funds for this project type.
The CEC Energy Study includes:
A comprehensive walk through of the facility
Site staff interviews
Equipment nameplate and operational data collection
Utility bill analysis of no less than 12-months of use data
Energy study report with recommended energy efficiency measures that can be circulated among elected officials and staff
A debrief with municipal officials to review the findings and recommendations presented in the report
The cost of the CEC Energy Study depends on how many full-time employees (FTEs) work in each building:
10 or less $3,400
Between 11 and 50 $4,600
Over 50 $6,800
Municipalities can qualify for a free CEC Energy Study by completing the Benchmarking - Advanced Reporting action.
How to Get Started
Municipalities with an up-to-date energy study can begin engaging contractors to receive quotes and/or estimates.
Municipalities that do not have a current energy study, but know which building they may want assessed, can submit the grant workbook and indicate that they would like an energy study and will use remaining funds to implement recommendations.