Seinergy has worked with plenty of utilities, in a number of states, for enough time to know a good thing when we see it. And right now that good thing is in Michigan. We hope all commercial cultivators in the state remember to engage with their utility, equipment vendor, or rebate expert to maximize facility-wide energy efficiency and cash back. Although Seinergy has secured over $4.8 million in rebates for Michigan cultivators, our data indicates that a huge amount of utility incentive potential remains.
The electric utilities in Michigan are committed to investing in energy efficiency while supporting business needs. And with legalization of indoor cannabis cultivation in 2018 and the associated electric load, an opportunity arose to demonstrate it. While some utilities were slow to embrace incentives for cannabis operations, most are now on board, with some even allowing retroactive rebates to make up for the initial oversight.
Michigan’s electric profile still includes carbon impacts from coal and natural gas sources. Regulators have been attempting to clean up Michigan’s power supply and understand that investing in energy efficiency is generally the quickest and most affordable way to reduce unwanted pollution and carbon. Although much of the state has some grow lamp rebate offerings, below are the utilities serving most of Michigan along with our “best of” summaries:
DTE – Best if you bought equipment before applying. DTE serves most of the Detroit area and offers the most flexible rebates. Standard commercial projects, requiring pre-approval offer 10+% back on new equipment purchases. In addition, Seinergy helped promote (see billboard!) a special retroactive program for Gavita and Quest equipment; growers can redeem rebates for any efficient purchases in 2019, 2020 or 2021 through November 23. Some restrictions apply but find out if you can get cash-back for equipment you already purchased at: www.seinergy.com/dte.
Consumers – Best overall lighting rebate. Consumers offers the most robust incentives in the state for industrial efficiency projects with 40%-90% cash back for efficient equipment upgrades. In addition opportunities exist for environmental controls and heat curtains as well. Per-approval is required, however, so plan ahead. Get an estimate for your project at: https://seinergy.com/for-growers/
City of Lansing – Best rebate for Dehumidifiers. Lansing recently introduced a prescriptive program for controlled environment agricultural operations, with an opportunity for businesses to receive up to $75,000 / year in incentives, or around 15% back for efficient LED and DEHU purchases. Pre-approval is required. https://seinergy.com/for-growers/
Other utilities in Michigan, such as Marquette, Sturgis, Cloverland Electric, AEP, Midwest Energy, Northern States, and Presque Island, also offer rebates to indoor cultivators.
As a business, Seinergy is committed to fighting climate change by helping growers thrive while using less energy. Michigan is an example of a state supporting industry and energy efficiency along with deliberate efforts to keep ratepayer’s bills down.Not sure where to start? Get an estimate today from our team of utility analysts: https://seinergy.com/for-growers/
