Commercial Strategic Energy Management

Choose CSEM, earn incentives as you save

Our CSEM program can help you lower your bills by identifying and implementing energy-saving operations and maintenance improvements and behavioral changes at your facilities. You can also receive valuable incentives to help cover your costs.

For a summary of this program, you can view or download our CSEM one-pager.


What you get

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

  • Identify energy-saving opportunities during any of three potential portfolio walkthroughs, conducted with a PSE Energy Management Engineer (EME).
  • Track your utility cost and usage with PSE’s web-based software.
  • Analyze your energy usage patterns with advanced metrics such as 15-minute interval data for viable electric meters. (See a sample graph).
  • Develop your Energy Manager's skill set with free training sessions.

You also receive financial incentives at key points in the process, which are determined as follows:


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 of up to $10,000.


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 below.

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


Target incentive

For each year of your program where all tasks are completed and all deliverables submitted, and your combined electric and natural gas energy savings meet the required targets below, you will receive a target incentive.

Target incentives can be earned with energy savings from both CSEM and non-CSEM program measures such as PSE-incentivized lighting or HVAC upgrades.


Training allowance

Each year of your program, you are eligible for up to $2,000 in reimbursement relating to outside education courses.

  • View the CSEM incentive schedule
    Commercial Strategic Energy Management
    (CSEM) Program Incentive Schedule
    Incentive Description PSE Electric
    Savings    		 PSE Natural
    Gas Savings    		 Incentive Value*
    Year One
    Start-up incentive -- -- Up to $10,000
    Performance incentive** $0.02/kWh saved, up to 3% of baseline electricity usage
    +
    $0.035/kWh saved beyond 3% of baseline electricity usage    		 $0.15/therm saved, up to 3% of baseline natural gas usage
    +
    $0.25/therm saved beyond 3% of baseline natural gas usage    		 Up to $56,000
    Target incentive Combined energy savings of at least 3% of overall baseline energy usage Up to $10,000
    Training allowance -- -- Up to $2,000
    Years Two and Three
    Performance incentive** $0.02/kWh saved, up to 5% of baseline electricity usage
    +
    $0.035/kWh saved beyond 5% of baseline electricity usage    		 $0.15/therm saved, up to 5% of baseline natural gas usage
    +
    $0.25/therm saved beyond 5% of baseline natural gas usage    		 Up to $56,000
    Target incentive Combined energy savings of at least 3% of overall baseline energy usage Up to $20,000
    Training allowance -- -- Up to $2,000

    * Maximum 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.

  • How to 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 135,000 therms annually.
    • You must hire, contract or designate an existing staff member as your Energy Manager. 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

    • Resource Management Plan (RMP)

      An RMP provides an organizational guideline for effective and efficient management of all utility resources, including electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater, refuse and recycling. At a minimum, your RMP must address your lighting and HVAC operating schedules as well as your temperature setpoints.

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

    • Facility Action Plans (FAPs)

      FAPs or a Portfolio Action Matrix (PAM) outline specific action items to be implemented that will reduce utility usage in each facility. These action items are typically identified during building walkthroughs and interviews with your staff and occupants at each site.

      Your Energy Manager must complete, implement and submit FAPs or a PAM for all targeted buildings in your portfolio within the first year of your program contract in order to be eligible for the start-up incentive.

    • Site Quarterly Checklists (SQCs)

      Your Energy Manager must complete and submit a summary of energy related activities and changes that impact energy use in the building each quarter of your program contract for all targeted buildings in your portfolio that consume greater than 100,000 kWh or 5,000 therms.

    • Annual meeting

      Your Energy Manager must host an annual meeting with a PSE program manager, your dedicated Energy Management staff and your top management during each year of your program contract. The goals of this meeting are to manage your business's progress through the program and collaborate on ways to maintain your cost and energy savings targets.

  • How to apply

    To apply for our Commercial Strategic Energy Management program, click here.

  • Case study

    The Bellevue Collection

    When Alfonsus Tanoto became the Resource Conservation Manager for The Bellevue Collection, his PSE training helped him develop valuable operations and maintenance improvements based on its occupants' behavior.

    Read more to find out how much the Bellevue Collection saved on its yearly energy costs.

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