Businesses can save money, increase equipment reliability, and create more comfortable and productive workplaces by making energy-efficient choices when installing, renovating, or replacing HVAC equipment. By upgrading to an efficient electric HVAC system, a business can move towards beneficial electrification, or the transition of electric systems in a way that reduces overall emissions and energy costs.
Incentives for these HVAC systems are designed to encourage the installation of primary whole building heating and cooling systems. Installing electric heat pump equipment can help a business’s operating systems become fossil fuel free.
Buildings heated with natural gas are ineligible for HVAC incentives through the Commercial and Industrial Prescriptive Initiatives.
Click here for more information on incentives for HVAC solutions.
Heat Pump Solutions
Mini-Split Heat Pumps (Air-to-Air)
- Single-zone mini-split heat pump units can be used by businesses for both your heating and cooling needs while saving energy and money. They’re common in light commercial applications like restaurants, offices, and retail spaces.
- Heat pump retrofits are available for small businesses that have an electric account labeled “Small General Service” (SGS), “General Service” (GS), or “Medium General Service” (MGS) with an average monthly electrical demand under 50kW. Click here for more information on small business opportunities.
Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps
- Packaged terminal heat pumps are heating and cooling systems used for individual rooms, typically seen in the hospitality industry. These “through the wall” systems are self-contained with a permanent electrical connection. Outdoor air is used as a source of heat in the winter and cool air in the summer through a distribution fan.
Vertical Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps
- Vertical packaged terminal heat pumps are very similar to the typical packaged terminal heat pump technology, except they offer a different option for installation space. The vertical units are self-contained heating and cooling systems with a permanent electrical connection. Outdoor air is used as a source of heat in the winter and cool air in the summer through a distribution fan.
Single-Packaged Heat Pumps (Splitless)
- Single-packaged heat pumps, with through-the-wall outdoor air exchange, are self-contained heating and cooling systems with a permanent electrical connection. These systems, also called ‘splitless’ units, are similar to PTHPs and VPTHPs but allow for different installation strategies. Their operation is similar to that of a mini-split heat pump but they do not have a dedicated outdoor unit.
Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Systems
- Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems use heat pump technology to offer heating and cooling to a building space. They differ from typical heat pump because they can connect to more indoor distribution systems to condition large spaces with fewer outdoor units. One benefit is that they can simultaneously heat and cool different parts of a building. These systems can be very efficient because they can take waste heat captured in one part of the building (e.g., a server room, or the face of the building exposed to the sun) and deliver it to spaces requiring heat.
Ventilation Solutions
Heat Pump Rooftop Units (RTUs)
- Heat pump rooftop units are highly efficient electric HVAC systems that provide heating, cooling, ventilation, and dehumidification in commercial spaces. They can significantly lower energy consumption while increasing comfort.
Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems (DOAS)
- A dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) is an HVAC system specifically designed to precondition the outside air brought into a building. A DOAS system can be installed as an addition to existing HVAC equipment using heat pump technology.
Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) Systems
- In a commercial setting, ERVs are used to condition outside air that ventilates into a building, taking the load off of a heating or cooling system and making them more efficient.
Other Electric HVAC Solutions
Electronically Commutated Motor (ECM) Circulator Pumps
- ECM circulator pumps can modulate their speed and use permanent magnet motors that don’t require any electricity to have magnetic properties. ECM circulator pumps provide a number of advantages.
Variable-Frequency Drive (VFD) Systems
- Variable-frequency drives are retrofit systems used to help heat buildings in a more efficiency manner. A VFD system controls an electric motor through changes in frequency and voltage, allowing the heating systems in a building to run more efficiently.
Other HVAC Solutions
Biomass Boilers and Furnaces
- Biomass boilers and furnaces are heating systems that are powered by local, renewable fuels. These systems burn pellets or cordwood and distribute heat through a heating distribution system. Click here for more information on biomass solutions through Efficiency Maine.
Get Started
Ready to upgrade your facility with high-efficiency equipment and appliances? Work with an Efficiency Maine Qualified Partner in order to be eligible for these incentives.
Click here to find a Qualified Partner working near you. If you work with a contractor that is not yet a Qualified Partner, urge your contractor to find out more information here. As part of the project approval process, you will accept the C&I Prescriptive Program’s Terms and Conditions. If you’re interested in becoming a Qualified Partner, click here to see our Become A Qualified Partner page.
If you’re interested in getting started with an energy efficiency project in your business but don’t know where to start, you can sign-up for a virtual customer consultation here.
