Your Trade Ally is Your Partner

In the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program, there are a variety of players that make up the huge machine that delivers rebates and incentives to customers.

In my opinion, the most important player in the rebate game is the trade ally.  A “Trade Ally” is a partner that communicates the efficiency program to the customer.  In this case, we are talking about commercial customers, so businesses that use electricity and are eligible for rebates when they reduce energy.

Trade allies have a lot of requirements, and each program has their own levels of requirements for entrance.  The utility programs often offer this form of distribution of rebates, as it is easier to educate a pool of 200-300 contractors, as opposed to educated 200,000 – 300,000 commercial customers.

The most restricted program is the Small Business Program, which is a closed network of Trade Allies.  This means that any electrical contractor cannot just participate in the program – they need to respond to an RFP and be picked through a competitive bidding process.  The benefits of working with these trade allies are higher incentives and a higher expected level of customer service. Verde has been a proud partner and trade ally in the Small Business Program since their 5th program year – please let us know if we can meet you for a free energy efficiency assessment.

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The Instant Discount program also has a selected group of distributors that can offer their rebates and is not available to all companies.  Verde is fortunate to be a distributor in the Instant Discount Program.

The Standard Program is open to all Trade allies that meet a minimum level of training in the energy efficiency program.

The Multi-Family Energy Savings program also has a closed network of trade allies, which are carefully screened for those that can work in common areas of multi-family buildings.  Verde enjoyed participating in this pilot program in 2017, and have great hopes for the savings that can be found in 24-hour common areas. This program provides rebates in conjunction with People’s Gas and North Shore Gas Rebates and requires access to in unit improvement in lighting and reduced water usage.

The best part of the way this utility program operates is that if you don’t find a good fit with one particular trade ally, you can always reach out to more.  There are lists throughout the program web information, or you can call and ask for a referral from ComEd at 1-855-433-2700.