Big Savings for Small Businesses

BayREN Business (the Program) is a publicly funded, energy efficiency program that offers free energy efficiency assessments, financial incentives, and expert technical support to small and medium businesses in all Bay Area Counties.

No, there is no obligation to move forward with your energy efficiency project after you get a free assessment and the proposal from the contractor.

Once you fill out the BayREN Business Interest Form, a program representative will contact you within five (5) business days to determine your eligibility to participate in the program. If you are eligible, the program representative will refer you to at least two program contractors who will contact you to schedule an assessment.

The Program is equipment agnostic and promotes a wide range of energy efficiency equipment including, but not limited to, lighting, refrigeration, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, hot water heating, building envelope, and controls-based technologies, as long as the energy savings can be measured at the utility meter.

The measures we offer also depend on our participating contractors and their area of expertise. If no contractor currently offers a measure you are interested in, we will do our best to refer you to another program that offers the measure you are interested in. In 2024, participating contractors offered lighting and refrigeration measures. 

Upgrades that are already in progress or completed are not eligible for the Program.

Installation time will depend on the scope of your project and the contractor’s availability.  The contractor will work with you to schedule the installation time that is most convenient for you.

• Free energy assessment
• Potentially little to no out-of-pockets costs
• New/upgraded equipment requiring less maintenance
• Lower energy costs/overhead. In 2024, businesses are expected to save an average of 6,400 kWh annually, resulting in an estimated average annual utility bill savings of $2,800.
• More comfortable environment for you, your customers, and your employees

Since incentive payments are paid directly to the contractor, installations must be performed by a contractor who has completed the required agreements with BayREN Business program. However, we can work with your contractor to become a participating contractor for the Program.

Yes. Project sites that have on-site generation (e.g. solar photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal systems, thermal energy storage, or battery storage system) are not eligible to participate in the BayREN Business Program. In addition, the Participant must agree not to install on-site generation during the 12-month performance monitoring period after project completion.

Yes. Project sites with electric vehicle (EV) chargers that are not separately metered cannot participate in the BayREN Business Program. However, if the EV chargers are separately metered, the site may be eligible to join the Program. In this case, the energy usage of the EV charger(s) must be included in the total energy savings for the project. Additionally, a site can install EV charger(s) during the 12-month performance monitoring period, as long as the charger is separately metered.

If your business is not eligible to participate in the BayREN Business Program, we will do our best to refer you to other programs that you may be eligible for.

Contractors receive the incentives directly from BayREN Business. They first receive one payment, which is 20% of the estimated incentive, once the project is finished. After that, the contractor could get up to four more payments over the next 12 months—one every three months. Each of these quarterly payments depends on how much energy is saved during that specific quarter.

The incentive amounts depend on the project size and actual, measured energy savings. These incentives are paid directly to the contractors, who have different ways of sharing them with their customers.

Most contractors choose to use the program incentives to lower the upfront costs for customers. In this model, the contractor takes on the risk that the actual energy savings may not match the estimates. If the savings aren't met, the contractor doesn't receive the full expected incentives. A review of past invoices shows that nearly all projects done by these contractors don't require any out-of-pocket costs from the customers.

Some contractors, however, ask customers to pay part of the upfront project costs. These contractors then pay the customer on a regular basis when they receive performance payments. In this setup, both the contractor and the customer share the risk that the energy savings may not meet the estimates. The customer and contractor will agree on the incentive payment amounts and payment schedule.

On average, the incentive per project is about $15,000, while the average project cost is around $8,100 based on contractor invoices.

The BayREN Business Program (the Program) is a separate, third-party offering intended only to provide qualifying financial incentives directly to the Aggregator (contractor) for eligible energy-efficient savings.

The agreement for goods and/or services provided in connection with this project is solely between the Customer and the Aggregator (contractor). All project costs, payments, promised rebates or other financial incentives, responsibilities, and outcomes are the exclusive responsibility of the Customer and Aggregator(contractor). 

The Program does not endorse, warrant, or guarantee the quality, performance, or conduct of any Aggregator (contractor), nor does it accept any liability or responsibility for:

•  Cost overruns;
• Delays;
• Workmanship issues;
• Contract disputes;
• Breach of contract; or
• Any other damages or grievances arising from the Aggregator-Customer relationship.

 Customers are encouraged to conduct their own due diligence before entering into any agreement with an Aggregator. This includes reviewing qualifications, checking references, and confirming licensing and insurance.

Please email your concern or issue to env-bayrenbpa@sfgov.org. We will respond to your inquiry within one (1) business day. We are also committed to helping you arrive at a satisfactory resolution.