Appoint an energy manager, 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 walkthroughs, conducted with a PSE Energy Management Engineer (EME). We offer walk-throughs of up to three sites (per customer).
- Track your utility cost and usage with PSE’s web-based software. (See a sample graph).
- Financial incentives based on performance.
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 incentive may also be earned through the Continuing Engagement Credit (CEC) pathway of earning credits for actions taken by the Energy Manager.
Training allowance
Each year of your program, you are eligible for up to $2,000 in reimbursement relating to educational courses or software pertaining to your energy usage.
(CSEM) Program Incentive Schedule - Year One


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$0.035/kWh saved beyond 3% of baseline electricity usage

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$0.25/therm saved beyond 3% of baseline natural gas usage





(CSEM) Program Incentive Schedule - Years Two and Three

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$0.035/kWh saved beyond 5% of baseline electricity usage

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$0.25/therm saved beyond 5% of baseline natural gas usage





* 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 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 135,000 therms (or a combination of both) 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
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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. - Annual meeting
You Energy manager must touch base with your PSE EME at least once a year at a PSE office or the energy manager site. The goal of this meeting is to manage your business's progress through the program and collaborate on ways to maintain your cost and energy savings targets.
- 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.

Have a project-specific question or want to know if the CSEM grant will work for you?
Or call, 1-800-562-1482
Bellingham School District: See how commercial customers can save energy and money with PSE’s Strategic Energy Management program.