Earn incentives for saving energy, lower your bill

Our Commercial Strategic Energy Management (CSEM) program helps commercial customers earn incentives for making low- and no-cost changes that reduce energy usage and energy bills. Changes are largely to operations, maintenance and behavioral practices. We provide the training and guidance you’ll need to begin your energy-management journey.

Case studies

Check out the carousel at the bottom of this page to see more case study videos. You can also read even more in our case study library about the successes our CSEM customers have had.

Kitsap Bank case study

With training and guidance from our CSEM program, Kitsap Bank saved more than $84,000 in energy costs and earned about $30,000 in incentives.

What you get

If you qualify for our CSEM program, we'll help you:

• Identify energy-saving opportunities during walkthroughs conducted with a PSE engineer. We offer walkthroughs of up to three sites (per customer).
• Track your utility usage and costs with PSE’s web-based software.
• Earn financial incentives based on performance. Current incentive rates are listed below.

Year 1 incentive schedule

$0.04/kWh saved, up to $70,000

$0.40/therm saved, up to $70,000

Years 2 and 3 incentive schedule

$0.04/kWh saved, up to $70,000

$0.40/therm saved, up to $70,000

* Maximum total for all incentive values based on annual usage of 20,000,000 kWh or 2,700,000 therms. Actual maximum incentive values pro-rated based on your portfolio's actual energy usage. * Performance incentives only eligible for documented energy savings from RCM program measures.

Start-up incentive

If all of the deliverables and task requirements listed below are completed within the first year of your program, you receive a one-time start-up incentive.

Performance incentive

For each year of your program where all tasks are completed and all deliverables submitted, you receive a calculated performance incentive using the rates in the table above.

Performance incentives can only be earned for documented energy savings from CSEM program measures.

Target incentive

Once per incentive cycle where all tasks are completed and all deliverables submitted, and your combined electric and natural gas energy savings meet the required targets above (9% of portfolio), you will receive a target incentive.

Milestone incentive

Complete program requirements and submit required deliverables to receive a milestone incentive. There are 3 milestone incentives available in each incentive cycle.

Training allowance

Each year of your program, you are eligible for reimbursement of educational courses or software purchases pertaining to your energy usage.

How you qualify

To be eligible for our Commercial Strategic Energy Management program:

• You must be a current PSE business electric and/or natural gas customer.
• Your business site must be within PSE's electric and/or natural gas service area(s) and use electricity and/or natural gas from PSE.
• Buildings targeted in your CSEM portfolio must collectively use greater than 1,000,000 kWh or 100,000 therms (or a combination of both) annually.
• You must hire, contract or designate an existing staff member as your energy champion. This person acts as a liaison between your business and PSE, and is responsible for completing program deliverables and tasks, communicating energy-saving initiatives to your staff, and managing your site's energy bills. This position must be filled for a minimum of three years.

Deliverable and task requirements

Energy Management Plan (EMP)
An EMP provides an organizational guideline for effective and efficient management of utility resources, including electricity and natural gas. At a minimum, your EMP must fulfil the requirements for the Clean Buildings Performance Standard. PSE has a template that they can provide to program participants.

Your energy champion must complete, implement and submit an EMP for your portfolio within the first year of your program contract in order to be eligible for the start-up incentive.

Annual meeting 
Your energy champion must touch base with your PSE engineer at least once a year at a PSE office or the energy manager site. The goal of this meeting is to manage your business' progress through the program and collaborate on ways to maintain your cost- and energy-savings targets.

Operations and Maintenance Program Plan
The O&M Program Plan provides a breakdown of each building system and the tasks required for efficient operations and maintenance of a building.

Your energy champion must complete, implement, and submit and O&M Program Plan within the first year of the contract in order to be eligible for the start-up incentive. PSE has a template that they can provide to program participants.

Opportunity Register
The Opportunity Register outlines specific action items to be implemented that will reduce energy use in each facility. These items are identified through energy assessment, walk-through audits and interviews with staff and occupants.

Your energy champion must populate the opportunity register with at least 10 energy savings opportunities and submit within the first year of the contract in order to eligible for the start-up incentive. PSE has a template that they can provide to program participants.

Questions? Get in touch with us at csem@pse.com.

Case Studies

JCPenney’s success with CSEM

See how CSEM supports JCPenney’s high-performance energy conservation culture.