Programs Archives — Efficiency Manitoba

STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGER PROGRAM

STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGER PROGRAM

Our Strategic Energy Manager Program is designed to support the hiring of an onsite energy manager to provide focus, expertise, and a strategic approach to energy reduction within your organization. The program is delivered over three years and provides financial incentives to offset the salary of a full-time energy manager. This program is geared towards customers with facilities that consume approximately 20 GWh of energy or more per year.

We provide ongoing coaching for your in-house energy management team and funding for Certified Energy Manager Training. Your organization will benefit from collaboration with a growing network of energy managers, as well as tracking and reporting of energy savings.

PROGRAM OFFERS

UPFRONT FUNDING

We provide up front funding to off-set the cost of hiring an energy manager. The funding is available based upon an evaluation of a participant’s savings potential. This amount would be received at the start of the program and act as a credit for future incentives. 

TRAINING

We provide money towards pre-approved training courses that will build the energy manager’s knowledge and expertise. This includes the Certified Energy Manager course, along with other opportunities identified throughout the program.

STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

We cover the cost of a professionally lead Strategic Energy Management Workshop. This workshop is designed to bring your organization together as a team, allowing you to collaborate and work towards identifying and implementing energy saving opportunities. It also serves to ensure the organization tracks progress and recognizes achievements in saving energy. Success requires buy-in from the entire organization, and the workshop is an important first step to begin this process.  

STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGEMENT PLAN DEVELOPMENT & COACHING

We support the on-site energy manager with coaching to develop your organization’s Strategic Energy Management Plan (SEMP). The SEMP is a formal energy reduction plan that outlines annual savings targets, potential energy-saving projects, activities in progress, and completed measures. Additional coaching throughout the program will continue to build the energy manager’s expertise. 

INCENTIVES

Bonus incentives will be added on top of our standard program incentives that participants receive. These incentives are issued at $0.05 per kWh and $0.05 per m3 saved when participants submit regular reports verifying savings, up to a maximum of $200,000 per year. These incentives are also available for a broader range of measures than what our other programs cover, including low cost and no cost maintenance projects. This rewards participants for taking additional steps to optimize their energy use. All reductions that can be verified with supporting calculations are eligible. 

STEPS TO PARTICIPATE

  1. GET IN TOUCH

    Contact us to learn more about the Strategic Energy Manager Program. We’ll work with you to determine if the program is right for your organization.

  2. HIRE OR APPOINT AN ENERGY MANAGER

    Hire an energy manager or appoint someone from within your organization. You’ll also need to appoint a corporate sponsor from you organization.

  3. PARTICIPATE IN A WORKSHOP & DEVELOP YOUR PLAN

    Our consultant will guide you and key members from your organization through a Strategic Energy Management Workshop. They’ll also help you develop a Strategic Energy Management Plan. 

  4. IMPLEMENT ENERGY-SAVING PROJECTS

    Implement the energy-saving projects you’ve identified throughout your facility and start to see savings!

  5. RECEIVE INCENTIVES

    We’ll provide you with incentives for energy-saving projects you’ve completed through our programs, as well as incentives for a broader range of measures only available to our Strategic Energy Manager Program participants.

    Learn more about the Strategic Energy Manager Program.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

  • Your facility consumes approximately 20 GWh of energy per year
  • Your organization is willing to hire or appoint a full-time energy manager
  • Your facility and organization must be located in Manitoba

If you don’t use the suggested amount of energy, but you’re still interested in participating, contact us to learn about our Strategic Energy Manager Cohorts Program coming soon. One energy manager will be responsible for helping several companies reach their energy-saving goals. 

GET IN TOUCH

GET IN TOUCH

FEASIBILITY STUDIES

Please provide some basic information about the feasibility study you’re proposing. We’ll review it and get back to you with next steps.

GET IN TOUCH

GET IN TOUCH

STEAM STRAP PROGRAM

Please provide some basic details about your steam system. We’ll review it and get back to you with next steps.

FEASIBILITY STUDIES

FEASIBILITY STUDIES

Do you have a project or system upgrade in mind for your facility that you think will save energy, and need a better understanding of your options and potential costs? A Feasibility Study can quantify the technical viability, potential energy savings, and overall project economics.

This program is ideal for industrial, commercial, or agricultural facilities that rely on technologies such as the following: 

  • Compressed air
  • Pumps, fans, and blowers
  • Refrigeration
  • Variable speed drives
  • Steam and water boiler systems
  • Ventilation
  • Waste heat recovery
  • Other process equipment

We offer financial incentives of 50% of the study cost, up to a maximum incentive of $20,000. 

A third-party consultant of your choice will conduct a comprehensive study of your potential project, which will quantify the costs, benefits, and savings associated with the project. If you decide to move forward with the project, you can use the information from the study to apply for incentives through our Custom Energy Solutions Program for your energy efficiency upgrades. 

Only studies that evaluate electricity and natural gas savings will be considered. 

See our Feasibility Study Guide for more information. 

STEPS TO PARTICIPATE

  1. TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROJECT

    Fill out our questionnaire and describe the energy-saving project you want to evaluate. Well review it to confirm your project is eligible.

  2. CHOOSE A CONSULTANT

    Once we’ve determined youre eligible, choose a third-party consultant to conduct the Feasibility Study for you. 

  3. SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

    Submit your Feasibility Study Financial Incentive Application form along with a Feasibility Study proposal (based on the outline in the Feasibility Study guide) to us. 

  4. CONDUCT THE STUDY

    Once weve approved your application, the third-party consultant youve chosen can proceed with the study. The study must be completed within 12 months from the time we approve your application. 

  5. SUBMIT PAPERWORK FOR PAYMENT

    Once the study is complete, submit the Feasibility Study Report prepared by your consultant along with your invoice to us. We’ll review your report and send you an incentive. 

BENCHMARK STUDIES FOR COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEMS

BENCHMARK STUDIES FOR COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEMS

Compressed air systems often consume significant amounts of energy. Improving your compressed air system can lower your energy costs. It can also help correct low air pressure, moisture in the air lines, poor reliability, and production outages.

As a free service, we’ll perform a benchmark study of your compressed air system to identify energy-saving opportunities. We work with pre-qualified compressed air specialists who will visit your facility and perform a baseline logging of your system. Our technical experts will analyze the data and provide you with a report that has valuable information about your system, helping you identify the appropriate size for replacement units and other areas for improvement. We’ll work with you to identify energy efficiency upgrades that qualify for incentives through our Custom Energy Solutions Program.  

On average, 10% of most industrial energy costs are related to energy use needed for compressed air systems. System optimization can cut energy consumption by an average of 30% and upwards to 85% in some cases. 

STEPS TO PARTICIPATE

  1. GET IN TOUCH

    Send us an email indicating that youre interested in a benchmark study for your compressed air system. We’ll contact you to determine if your facility qualifies for the program. 

  2. CHOOSE A PRE-QUALIFIED CONTRACTOR TO PERFORM YOUR BASELINE LOGGING

    Once weve determined that the program is right for you, choose a contractor from our list of pre-qualified compressed air contractors and contact them to start the project. The contractor will work with you to determine the logging requirements and submit a work order for approval. 

  3. GET YOUR BASELINE LOGGING DONE

    The contractor will perform the baseline logging of your compressed air system and provide us with the data. 

  4. GET YOUR REPORT

    One of our technical experts will analyze the data and provide you with a report that identifies energysaving opportunities. Most energy efficiency upgrades will qualify for incentives through our Custom Energy Solutions Program. 

STEAM TRAP PROGRAM

STEAM TRAP PROGRAM

GET AN AUDIT & REPLACE FAILED TRAPS TO SAVE ENERGY & MONEY  

Steam trap audits are ideal for industrial, commercial, and agricultural facilities that operate large steam boilers and distribution systems with many steam traps. On average, 15% to 30% of traps can be failing in steam trap systems that haven’t been maintained for three to five years.* A plant wide steam trap audit can identify those traps needing replacement, helping you save energy and money. 

We offer financial incentives for the audit and replacement of failed steam traps of $15 per steam trap tested to a maximum of $10,000 per audit.

*US Department of Energy 2012.

STEPS TO PARTICIPATE

  1. GET IN TOUCH

    Fill out the Steam Trap Audit Program questionnaire and we’ll help you get started.

  2. CHOOSE A CONTRACTOR

    Get in touch with a contractor that you’d like to perform the steam trap audit for you and have them provide a quote.

  3. SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

    We’ll work with you to fill out and submit a Financial Incentive Application.

  4. CONDUCT THE AUDIT & REPLACE FAILED TRAPS

    We’ll review your application and send your approval by email. After receiving approval, the contractor you’ve chosen can conduct the steam trap audit. Replace the failed traps identified in your audit and start saving energy!

  5. SUBMIT PAPERWORK FOR PAYMENT

    Submit a copy of your steam trap audit report to us along with an invoice showing that you’ve paid the contractor. Once we’ve reviewed the paperwork, we’ll send your incentive by mail.

COMMERCIAL ENERGY AUDIT PROGRAM

COMMERCIAL ENERGY AUDIT PROGRAM

An energy audit is commonly the first step in identifying key opportunities for building owners to reduce their energy consumption (and save money!). 

We offer financial incentives and technical support for building owners that complete ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Level 2 or 3 audits for eligible commercial buildings. 

Through the Commercial Energy Audit Program, you’ll be able to select a consultant from our pre-qualified list to perform an energy audit at your commercial building. After the audit, you’ll receive a detailed report summarizing energy-saving opportunities for your building’s envelope, lighting, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as the Efficiency Manitoba incentive programs that are applicable to you.  

AVAILABLE INCENTIVES

For building owners interested in an immersive and intensive energy review process that includes the implementation of low-capital energy-saving measures, check out our Enhanced Building Operations Program. This program helps identify energy-saving opportunities and optimizes your facility’s daily operations by fine-tuning existing systems and equipment operations. 

For building owners interested in pursuing incentives for specific energy-saving measures related to process loads within their industrial building, you may also be eligible for our Custom Energy Solutions Program.

ASHRAE LEVELS 2 & 3

Having an ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit completed on your building can provide the following information: 

  • Energy savings and costs analysis of practical energy efficiency measures that are aligned with your constraints and budget criteria
  • Potential changes to your operation and maintenance procedures
  • Possible major capital-intensive upgrades that would require more rigorous engineering analysis through a Level 3 audit

Selecting an ASHRAE Level 3 energy audit would provide all the above information, plus: 

  • Greater in-depth analysis of the cost and energy savings results related to the proposed major capital-intensive upgrades

DOES MY PROJECT QUALIFY?

  • The building is used in a commercial capacity. 
  • The energy auditor is a pre-qualified consultant
  • The building owner is a current Manitoba Hydro customer paying a commercial service rate. 
  • The building is being heated primarily by electricity or natural gas supplied by Manitoba Hydro. 
  • The application must be approved prior to on-site assessment work.

Steps to Participate

  1. SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

    Submit an online application. Applications must be submitted by the building owner or building owner’s representative.  
  2. RECEIVE APPROVAL & SELECT A PRE-QUALIFIED CONSULTANT

    We’ll review your application and send your approval by email. After your application is accepted into the program, log into myEM and select your energy auditor from the list of pre-qualified consultants. You’ll have six months to complete the energy audit for your commercial building.
  3. COMPLETE THE ENERGY AUDIT

    Once the energy audit is complete and conforms to the Program Requirements guidelines, the building owner or energy auditor will log into myEM and upload the Draft Energy Audit Report.
  4. MEET TO REVIEW THE ENERGY AUDIT REPORT

    Once our team has reviewed and approved the Draft Energy Audit Report, the consultant will present the Final Energy Audit Report to the building owner and review the energy efficiency opportunities. After this meeting is held, we’ll require the Final Energy Audit Report signed by the energy auditor, meeting minutes, and a copy of a paid invoice to be uploaded via myEM.
  5. RECEIVE YOUR INCENTIVE

    Once we review and approve the program deliverables, we’ll issue the incentive payment to the specified payee.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

If you need help submitting your online application, selecting your pre-qualified consultant, or uploading program deliverables, check out our “how-to” videos for step-by-step instructions.

Heat Pads Incentive

Heat Pads Incentive

RECEIVE A $75 INCENTIVE PER CRATE

When it comes to keeping your swine and other livestock warm, consider upgrading to heat pads. We provide a $75 incentive per crate when you upgrade from heat lamps to heat pads. 

BENEFITS OF HEAT PADS

  • They use less energy than heat lamps.
  • They require less maintenance.
  • They provide more uniform heat distribution.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

  1. GET IN TOUCH

    Fill out our contact information form and one of our technical experts will contact you and determine your eligibility.

  2. SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

    We’ll work with you to complete an incentive application form.

  3. SUBMIT YOUR PAPERWORK

    Send us a copy of the invoice for your heat pads after they’re installed. Once we verify that your heat pads are operational, we’ll send you your incentive.

It’s Contest Time!

It’s Contest Time!

BDC SMALL BUSINESS WEEK 2022

October 16 to 22 is BDC Small Business WeekTM! We’re taking this time to appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit of Manitoba small businesses and the important role they play in supporting economic growth. 

We’re also celebrating over on our Instagram profile by giving FIVE winners a $100 gift card to a Manitoba small business of their choice! Here’s how to enter: 

  • Like and follow our Instagram page. 
  • Like the Small Business Week contest post pinned at the top of our Instagram grid.
  • Show one of your favourite small businesses some love by tagging them in the comments! One comment = one entry (and you can comment as many times as you’d like). 

This contest ends at 11:59 p.m. CT on November 6, 2022 and the winners will be selected by 12:00 p.m. on November 14, 2022. We’ll contact you via direct message if you’ve won, so keep an eye out for a message from us. 

Be sure to read the full contest rules and terms and conditions before entering. 

Good luck! 

Small Business Week is an annual celebration organized by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). Visit their website to learn more about how they’re supporting small businesses across Canada.

Small Business Week 2020

If you’d like the enter the contest and don’t have access to Instagram, please email us at energyteam@efficiencyMB.ca.