Heating, Cooling & Ventilation

Heating, cooling and ventilation account for a significant portion of a commercial building’s energy costs. Financial incentives for energy-efficient equipment upgrades can help save energy and lower operating costs.

Whether implementing simple upgrades or whole system replacements, HVAC enhancements can help manage energy usage, reduce costs and maintenance time, and increase comfort for building occupants. Upgrading your equipment to ENERGY STAR^® certified models could save you up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs.

Financial Incentives for Heating, Cooling & Ventilation

Ameren Illinois non-residential customers can receive financial incentives for the following HVAC equipment:

Air-cooled chillers
Gas furnaces
Gas air heaters
Gas boilers and boiler controls
VFD on HVAC motors
High Temperature High Volume (HTHV) direct fired heaters
Demand-controlled ventilation
Advanced rooftop controls
Commercial water heaters
HVAC tune-ups

Instant Incentives

Financial incentives on HVAC equipment are also available through the Instant Incentives program, which offers instant discounts for purchases through a participating distributor — no application or paperwork required! Qualifying equipment includes:

Variable Frequency Drives

Motors can use more energy than any other piece of equipment in a building — supplying ventilation, running pumps, and heating and cooling your space. But many motors run at a constant speed even at times of low demand — wasting energy and wearing out your equipment out more quickly. Variable frequency drives (VFDs) operate at a lower speed during periods of lower demand to help your pump and fan motors operate more efficiently and reduce wasted energy.

Financial incentives to install VFDs on existing pump or fan motors could cover up to 80% of your total project cost. Individual motors over 500 hp may be eligible as a Custom project.

Steam Traps

If your facility has steam boilers, it probably has multiple steam traps — automatic valves that release condensed steam while preventing the loss of live steam. Steam traps allow steam to flow at a controlled or adjusted rate for optimal energy efficiency.

But energy is lost when steam traps eventually fail. That’s why steam trap survey is recommended every six to twelve months, depending on pressure and energy consumption. With proper maintenance, you could reduce your losses by 50 percent.

Financial incentives are available for a variety of steam trap projects:

Steam trap surveys
Steam trap repair or replacement
Various HVAC and water heater upgrades
Replacement of monitored steam traps

Ground Source Heat Pumps

Ground source (or geothermal) heat pumps provide energy-efficient heating and cooling by exchanging hot or cold air with relatively consistent underground temperatures. In the summer months, warm air is cooled by lower underground temperatures, while the process is reversed when building heating is needed.

Not only do ground source heat pumps use 70% to 80% less electricity than conventional heating or cooling systems, they use no combustion and produce fewer emissions. They also have a longer life than traditional HVAC units, resulting in lower maintenance costs.

Financial incentives for ground source heat pumps are available at $500 per ton of cooling (up to $25,000).

Smart Thermostats

ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats allow you to easily adjust your business heating and cooling needs, creating a more comfortable space for customers and staff, while saving money on energy costs month after month.

Smart thermostats can be controlled remotely via a smartphone, tablet or laptop — so you can adjust the heating and cooling from anywhere. Some models can even detect when your business is not occupied and automatically lower the temperature to save you energy and money.

Financial incentives for smart thermostats can be obtained in three ways:

Shop Now

Business customers can purchase smart thermostats at a discount through our Online Store.

Instant Incentives

Get upfront savings by purchasing smart thermostats through a participating distributor.

Free Energy Assessments

Small businesses can receive a FREE smart thermostat with a lighting assessment from a Program Ally contractor.

To qualify for the incentive:

You must be a current electric or gas business customer using Ameren Illinois electricity to heat or air condition the facility.
The smart thermostat must be ENERGY STAR certified – view qualifying models.

By purchasing these products, you are committing to install thermostats to control at least 2 tons of mechanical air conditioning per thermostat. There is a limit of 2 smart thermostats per customer, per lifetime of the account. If your facility requires more than two thermostats, please email illinoisbusinessprojects@ameren.com.

Application Assistance

For application assistance or to see if your facility could benefit from financial incentives, request a FREE Energy Consultation with an Energy Advisor.