Commercial Buildings Retrofit Program

Overview of the Commercial Buildings Retrofit Program program:

NB Power is the delivery agent for New Brunswick’s energy savings programs, partially funded by NB Power and the Government of Canada through the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund and supported by the Government of New Brunswick. The primary objective of the Commercial Building Retrofit Program Guide is to assist owners and operators of commercial buildings to implement energy efficiency projects in order to reduce energy consumption, increase competitiveness, and produce a healthier and more comfortable workspace.

Benefits of the Commercial Buildings Retrofit Program program:

• Successful applicants could receive up to $3000 towards an audit to determine the potential for energy efficiency upgrades in a commercial building, and up to $75,000 towards the implementation of the energy efficiency upgrades chosen. Implementation funding is on a per gigajoule saved basis, and encourages multiple measures in projects that would not proceed or would proceed on a smaller scale without assistance.

Eligibility criteria of the Commercial Buildings Retrofit Program program:

• The following types of buildings are eligible:
• Commercial or institutional buildings such as, but not limited to: agricultural buildings, arenas, grocery stores, health care facilities, hotels, institutional buildings (colleges, hospitals, schools, universities, nursing homes), provincial buildings, office buildings, places of worship, recreational facilities, restaurants, retail buildings, stand-alone warehouses, water and wastewater treatment plants and pumping stations.
• Municipally owned buildings.
• Multi-unit residential buildings that have 3 or more units.
• Mixed-use commercial/residential buildings, including houses that have been modified for
• Commercial use.
• Multi-building/national accounts, NB Power will accept multi-building owners that have similar building types such as franchisees, drug store chains, food chains, etc.
• Occupancy changes within a building. NB Power will accept any building type where a change in occupancy will be occurring during the renovation. Special audit requirements for buildings changing their occupancy type are detailed in Section 4 - Audit Requirements.
• Added capacities within a building are acceptable as long as the addition will save energy in comparison to the current common equipment that would have been installed without an energy consult. An example of adding capacity: A building currently does not have air conditioning, but energy-efficient air conditioning will be added to the building post-energy
• Audit. Special audit requirements for buildings adding capacity are detailed in Section 5 - Audit Requirements.
• Mandatory Building Requirements
• The building must be 2 years old or more.
• The building must have a permanent address in New Brunswick.
• The organization must own, manage or lease the building.
• A one-year summary or baseline of the utility bills must be provided.
• A copy of one months electricity bill must be provided regardless of whether a tenant is responsible for the utility bills.
• If a building is connected to another structure, the following requirements apply:
  • If the space is connected to another structure such as through a pedway or if it is served by a district heating or cooling plant, it must be clearly distinguishable as an independent unit and have a separate utility meter or a detailed engineering analysis to support the current energy use and consumption profile.
  • A building consisting of two wings with a common wall and a common heating system will be considered as one building.
  • Multiple eligible buildings served by a central heating plant with the same owner are eligible.