Exciting news about First Energy’s rebate incentive program that affects businesses all over Northeast Ohio who receive their power from Ohio Edison or The Illuminating Company. Although the program has been around since Spring of 2011 and has been reduced, because of the response it still is attractive.
T5 and T8 lighting technology, which have been around for a number of years, consume half the energy of older, HID metal halide high bay and T12 fixtures and qualify for First Energy's commercial energy efficient rebate incentive program. First Energy, as part of Ohio Senate Bill 221, is providing an extremely generous incentive program to encourage businesses to implement energy-efficient industrial lighting, warehouse lighting, factory lighting and manufacturing plant lighting, as well as for retrofitting commonly found commercial office ceiling troffer lighting.
Commercial businesses get rebate incentives when they replace or retrofit their existing light fixtures with these more energy-efficient technologies. T-5 and T-8 fluorescent fixtures commonly replace the older HID (metal halide) high bay fixtures found in industrial or office facilities.
In addition, the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct05), was put in place to prompt business owners, operations managers and maintenance managers to look for new ways to reduce lighting energy costs. Provisions of the EPAct05 opened up new opportunities in the lighting arena by creating tax benefits for organizations installing new or retrofit lighting projects. If a business meets the criteria of the provisions, the business can get a deduction of up to $.60 per square foot for installation of these measures. The provision applies to qualifying new construction, renovation ,and lighting retrofit projects put in service from Jan. 1, 2006, to Dec. 31, 2013.
We encourage businesses all over Ohio to consider replacing older T12 lighting with T5 and T8 energy efficient fixtures, in order to save energy and reduce their utility costs. Both T5 and T8 fluorescent fixtures are proven to help businesses reduce lighting energy costs by as much as 40% or more and may be eligible for the above tax benefits on the project costs.
