Lighting Rebate Trends for 2014

Rebate organizations have been busy updating their rebate and incentive programs for 2014. While not all of them operate on a calendar year, BriteSwitch, LLC still sees a lot of changes and trends in the industry. Right now, 71% of the country is covered by an active commercial lighting rebate. BriteSwitch has also noticed a few other trends:

Programs are getting new funding. Last year, quite a few rebate programs, such as Consumers Energy in Michigan and SureBet Nevada, exceeded their budget, ending the programs earlier than planned. This year, they have new funding again and are accepting applications for 2014 projects. Click here to see a map with how lighting rebates have changed in the past 5 years.

More prescriptive programs for LED products. More organizations are now offering prescriptive rebates for a larger variety of LED solutions such as LED high-bay fixtures, LED outdoor pole lights, TL fixture replacements, and even some LED T8 replacements. In 2014, LED rebates have continued to expand with 16% more prescriptive rebates than last year. The dollar amounts have remained relatively stable compared to last year, which is surprising given the falling prices of LEDs. Click here to see the average rebate amounts for LEDs.

T12 rebates continue to decline. As expected, T12 to T8 rebates took a tumble this year compared to 2013. Because it is becoming harder to find replacement T12 lamps and ballasts, many rebate programs feel they don’t need to offer incentives anymore for people to upgrade. Between this year and last year, the number of rebates available for T8 installations decreased by 18%. While the dollar amount of the rebate remains relatively stable from last year, many programs are requiring the use of high performance or reduced wattage T8 lamps. In fact, 60% of T8 rebates require lamps and ballasts that satisfy CEE specifications. Click here to learn more about T12 to T8 rebates.

Craig DiLouie

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