Utility rebates in the Golden State are due for a shake-up.
As service professionals in California know, rebate amounts on variable-speed pumps and energy-efficient heaters vary widely from district to district.
For those who work in areas served by different utility providers, it can be difficult to keep track of how much money residential customers will get back on the purchase of qualifying pool and spa equipment. In some cases, they get a lot. In other cases, zero. For example, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power currently offers homeowners $1,000 to upgrade, easily the most generous incentive going. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District gives a $250 kickback. Pacific Gas and Electric in San Francisco, one of the nation’s largest providers, recently pulled the plug on its pool pump program.
That will change under a new policy energy companies are hammering out right now. The California Public Utilities Commission is directing investor-owned utilities to establish a standardized rebate program that would apply statewide.
“The change will ensure customers participating in these [energy-efficiency] programs have the same program opportunities and incentives regardless of where they live in the state,” said Katie Allen, spokesperson for Pacific Gas and Electric, serving northern and central California.
The program will likely be administered by a third party and will, of course, cover a variety of energy-efficient appliances. It’s not a given that pool equipment will be included.
Allen says pool pumps will likely be part of the rebate overhaul, but one industry observer isn’t so sure.
Gary Fernstrom, an energy-efficiency policy consultant and one of the original architects of the industry’s first pool-pump rebate program, says there may be some debate about including VSPs. In 2021, a federal law will require pool-equipment manufacturers to meet new efficiency standards that supersede California’s Title 20.
Fernstrom asks: “Should we supplement something the customer would have done anyway?”
On the other hand, VSPs should be installed by service technicians who know how to calibrate the appliance for maximum energy savings. The Foundation for Pool and Spa Industry Education (FPSIE) in Sacramento certifies pros on the proper installation of VSPs and some utilities offer a kickback to certified trade professionals for each unit installed. Fernstrom believes a statewide program would be an opportunity to expand that incentive further.
Provided VSPs are included, professionals would likely welcome the change.
“For some of the guys crossing utility boundaries, it gets kind of confusing to market [rebates],” said Phil Gelhaus, FPSIE’s chairman of the board.
Allen said the statewide energy-efficiency program is expected to begin in 2020.
