Commercial New Construction
Unfinished interior walls

Overview

Whether you’re constructing a new commercial building, planning an expansion or undertaking a major renovation, our team of experts can help you incorporate energy-efficient design features to optimize the building’s performance and minimize energy use. The Commercial New Construction Program provides support for whole-building energy modeling as a design tool and offers incentives to help offset the capital cost of efficient construction. Suitable for commercial, institutional, and multi-unit residential building new construction projects.

Benefits of Commercial New Construction

  • Optimize energy performance and occupant comfort
  • Benefit from advanced design practices and leading technologies
  • Enjoy reduced operating costs compared to a code-minimum building
  • Reduce the building’s equivalent CO2 emissions
  • Incentives to assist in constructing a more efficient building

Features of Commercial New Construction

  • Gain an understanding of the different energy efficient technologies suitable for your project
  • Establish performance goals for your building
  • Use Energy Modeling to evaluate design alternatives
  • Eligible projects receive a modeling incentive of up to $15,000, applied to consultant fees
  • Upon completion of construction, projects receive an implementation incentive proportional to total electricity savings

Common Measures for Commercial New Construction or Major Renovation

  • Envelope insulation higher than code requirement
  • Ventilation air heat recovery systems
  • High-performance heat pump technology
  • ENERGY STAR appliances (residential buildings)
  • Solar PV (some restrictions apply)

Getting Started

Contact us by completing the form or call 1-877-999-6035 to talk to an Energy Solutions Advisor.

Eligibility Requirements

Project must be in design phase (pre-construction)

  • Total conditioned area must be at least 15,000 ft²;
  • Project must be located in Nova Scotia and save electrical energy;
  • Project must be defined as one of the following:
    • A new structure;
    • An addition to an existing structure;
    • A major renovation of a building 15,000 ft² (1,394 m²) or greater;
  • Project must implement at least two energy efficient measures
  • Project must achieve a reduction in total building energy consumption of at least 25% and at least 100,000 kWh of electricity savings.

Incentive rates for New Construction or Major Renovation Projects:

Incentives are applicable to total electricity savings as determined through energy modeling.

 

TierCriteriaIncentive Rate
Tier 1Total performance 25-50% better than baseline$0.13 per kWh
Tier 2Total performance 51-60% better than baseline$0.14 per kWh
Tier 3Total performance 61-99% better than baseline$0.15 per kWh
Tier 4Total performance 100% better than baseline (Net Zero)$0.18 per kWh


Not-for-profit (NFP) & charitable organizations: additional $0.02/kWh, subject to ENS approval.