Small Business Direct Install

No. The lamps that the installers will remove from your site will no longer be compatible with your new equipment and must be removed. In addition, since the program’s intent is to save electricity and reduce costs, removal of inefficient equipment from future use is necessary to the program’s success.

Willdan warranties all installations to be free from workmanship errors for one year after the measures have been installed. If a failure occurs for any reason during this period, they will come back to your site and service the malfunctioning fixtures at no cost. If a malfunction occurs after one year has elapsed, all products installed have manufacturer warranties and this information is provided to customers upon completion of the installation.

Qualifying RG&E small business customers are eligible to receive a free energy assessment of their business that will identify the greatest opportunities for energy savings. Upon completion of the energy assessment, customers will receive a report detailing opportunities for energy efficiency improvements. The energy assessment will focus primarily on lighting improvements, specifically energy conservation measures with the greatest savings opportunities at the lowest cost. Refrigeration measures have been added for customers with walk-in coolers in their businesses.

The proposed equipment upgrades will qualify for subsidized installation - RG&E (whichever utility provides the customer’s electricity service) will cover up to 60% of the installation costs, with the customer responsible for the remaining 40%. Financing options may be available to qualified customers.

Participation in this program provides customers with economic benefits and environmental benefits for the local community.

This program is open to small business customers with NYSEG or RG&E electricity service that have electricity demand of less than an average of 110 kilowatts (kW) per month.

Interested businesses can enroll by contacting a program representative at 877.359.9814. Once enrolled to participate, an energy service representative will contact you within a few weeks to schedule your free energy assessment.

The Small Business Direct Install Program is being administered by Willdan, an implementation contractor hired by RG&E. Willdan's Energy Service Representatives (ESRs) have badges identifying them as RG&E contractors.

The installation of lighting upgrades typically takes less than one day, but may vary based on the size of the location and the number of fixtures or type of equipment being upgraded. Installers will contact each customer to schedule a convenient time for installation. It is important that customers allow the installers adequate access to all areas of the site or they will not be able to complete their work. While our installers will take the greatest care to ensure that customers are not inconvenienced by the installation, some areas may be temporarily unavailable during the time of installation. Communication with the installation crew is paramount to ensuring minimal disruptions.

Energy efficient lamps used in the program, such as T8 linear fluorescent lamps, LED lamps and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), can be found at most hardware stores and electrical supply stores. Although some of these lamps may cost more, they have a significantly longer life, and the savings over the life of each lamp justify the increased cost of replacement.

Customers are responsible for a 40% co-payment of all installed measures. The energy services representative who performs your free energy assessment will charge your credit card upon acceptance of the work to be performed. At this time, a 50% deposit of the 30% co-pay amount will be charged to the card and the remaining portion will be charged upon completion of the installation and customer acceptance. Financing options are also available to qualified customers.

Eligible RG&E customers include:

• All RG&E Service Class 2 general service-small use customers; 
• RG&E Service Class 7 general service customers (some customers in this class have electricity demand of more than an average of 110 kW per month and will not qualify);
• RG&E Service Class 9 general service time-of-use customers (some customers in this class have electricity demand of more than an average of 110 kW per month and will not qualify). 

If you are unsure of your service rate, please look above the table on page three of your bill. The service class is indicated in the electricity service line and can be found by looking for a number preceding the letters “SC.” For example, if your bill reads “Electricity Service - PSC19 SC2 - Commercial” you are in Service Class 2. (If you are in Service Class 7 or 9 you will also need to check that your electricity demand does not exceed an average of 110 kW per month.)