Customers of NW Natural in Washington may be eligible for cash incentives for qualifying natural gas equipment upgrades. High-performance equipment helps you save energy, which means reduced costs and a quicker return on investment.
Energy Trust provides cash incentives for a wide range of upgrades that help reduce natural gas consumption including HVAC equipment, water heaters, foodservice appliances, insulation and more.
See available cash incentives for natural gas equipment in the following table. Download the Washington Existing Buildings Incentive Application to review equipment specifications and requirements before purchasing equipment.
| Equipment | Incentive |
|---|---|
| Advanced Rooftop Controls (full retrofit) | $300 per ton |
| Infrared Radiant Heaters | $4.00-$5.00 per kBtu/h input |
| Commercial Smart Thermostat | $400-500 each |
| Commercial Condensing Gas Furnace | $8.25 per kBtu |
| Gas-fired High-Efficiency Condensing HVAC Boiler | $6.50 per kBtu/h input |
| Modulating Boiler Burner | $10 per kBtu/h of burner rated capacity |
| Steam Traps | $400 per repaired steam trap (50 psig or less) |
| $500 per repaired steam trap (psig more than 50, less than 200) | |
| $500 per replaced stream trap (less than 200 psig) | |
| Steam Traps at Dry Cleaners | $350 per replaced steam trap |
| Equipment | Incentive |
|---|---|
| Commercial Condensing Gas Tank Water Heater | $3.50 per kBtu/h input |
| Commercial Condensing Gas Tankless Water Heater (under 200 kBtu/h) | $140 each |
| Commercial Condensing Gas Tankless Water Heater/Boiler (at least 200 kBtu/h) | $1.40 per kBtu/h input |
| Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Recirculation Pump Controls | $180 - $1,400 per system |
| Equipment | Incentive |
|---|---|
| Commercial Swimming Pool Heater | $0.90-$5.00 per sq ft of pool surface area served by heater |
| Commercial Pool Cover | $6 per sq. ft. of pool surface area |
| ENERGY STAR® Commercial Laundry Washer, Common Areas | $100 each |
| Ozone Laundry System | $5,000-$30,000 per system |
| Two-stage Gas Valves on Clothes Dryers | $400-$700 per valve |
| Gas-fired Automatic Conveyor Broiler | $2,500-$3,500 each |
| Gas Steam Cooker | $1,000 each |
| Commercial Vent Hood with Demand Controlled Ventilation - Retrofit | $1,500 per controlled motor hp |
| Gas Griddle (single-sided) | $1,000 each |
| High Efficiency Gas Fryer | $1,500-$2,000 each |
| Equipment | Incentive |
|---|---|
| Doors on Open Freezers or Open Refrigerated Cases - Retrofit | $200-$350 per linear ft of door |
| New Cooler Cases with Doors | $150 per linear ft of door |
| Equipment | Incentive |
|---|---|
| Attic Insulation or Below Deck Roof Insulation | $0.90 per sq ft |
| Above Deck Roof Insulation | $1.00-$2.85 per sq ft |
| Wall Insulation | $1.30 per sq ft |
| Pipe Insulation | $18-$25 per linear ft |
Incentives are subject to funding availability and may change.
| Equipment | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Advanced Rooftop Controls (ARC) - Full Retrofit | • Business has at least 500 annual operating hours • Only gas-heated Rooftop Units (RTUs) qualify; gas heating must be provided by NW Natural • Existing system must have a nominal cooling capacity of at least 5 tons • Existing system must have a single speed supply fan or motor • Existing systems equipped with a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) or a CO2 sensor for Demand Control Ventilation (DCV) do not qualify. Existing systems with economizers do not qualify • Installed equipment must have a controller with digital, integrated economizer with either differential dry-bulb or differential enthalpy with fixed dry-bulb high-limit shutoff • Installed equipment must have a controller with DCV with proportional control based on CO2 sensor reading • Installed equipment controls listed on BPA qualifying product list |
| Infrared Radiant Heaters | • Must be natural gas-fired, low intensity, non-condensing and positive pressure system • Indoor area use only, no greater than 20,000 square feet • Site must receive gas service from NW Natural |
| Commercial Smart Thermostat | • Each thermostat must control a single-zone HVAC system with dedicated supply fan • Site must be heated by gas provided by NW Natural • Lodging sites, spaces with 24/7 operation, and semi-conditioned spaces do not qualify • Multiple HVAC systems serving a large open space (retail, grocery, etc.) can qualify if each system has a dedicated controlling thermostat • Self-installed thermostats may be subject to a post-install verification review before payment • A list of qualifying thermostats can be found here The following installation requirements must also be met: • Temperature setback in heating mode must be at least 10°F below the occupied heating setpoint • Temperature setback in cooling mode must be at least 5°F above the occupied cooling setpoint • Fan schedule set to ‘auto’ mode during unoccupied hours • Manual setpoint override must be limited to two hours or less If applicable: • If two or more HVAC systems serve the same open space, temperature setpoints, schedules and dead-bands must match. • If a site has existing heating systems with demand-controlled ventilation or advanced rooftop controls, thermostat installers must not disable these systems |
| Commercial Condensing Gas Furnace | • Must be primary heating source for the space • Input capacity must be less than 225,000 Btu/h • Must have at least 95% Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) • Must have either multispeed or variable speed Electronically Communicated Motor (ECM) supply fan • Gas heating must be provided by NW Natural |
| Gas-fired High Efficiency Condensing HVAC Boiler | • Must have at least 94% efficiency, either Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) or thermal efficiency (TE) • Must have at least a 5-to-1 turndown ratio • Must not be a backup, redundant or lagging boiler • Must be used for HVAC purposes: boilers used for domestic hot water (DHW), pool heating and “heat adders” that serve water-source heat pump systems do not qualify • Boiler system design return temperature must be appropriate to condensing functionality • Cannot be combined with the Modulating Boiler Burner measure |
| Modulating Boiler Burner | • Must be installed on a natural gas-fired boiler used for hydronic heating (HVAC) • Must replace a dual stage burner or an on-off burner • Must have at least 5-to-1 turndown ratio • Boilers used for process heating, domestic hot water (DHW) or pool heat do not qualify • Cannot be combined with the Gas-fired High Efficiency Condensing HVAC Boiler measure |
| Steam Traps | • Must replace or repair a failed, open existing steam trap • Must be installed on a gas-fired steam boiler system served by NW Natural • All steam traps in the system must be tested for failure status prior to replacement or repair • All systems must be less than 200 psig • For repaired traps, invoices for steam trap repair parts are required |
| Steam Trap – Dry Cleaners | • Must replace steam trap(s) • Existing equipment may be operating or failed • Steam trap repairs do not qualify • Must be installed on a gas-fired steam boiler system served by NW Natural • Dry cleaner systems must have 75 to 125 psig • Dry cleaner properties must provide details of last steam trap replacement and previous incentives received for steam trap replacement |
| Equipment | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Commercial Condensing Gas Tank Water Heater | • Gas-condensing, storage-type water heater must have an integral tank volume at least 10 gallons • Water heater input capacity must be greater than 75 kBtu/h per water heater • Must have at least 94% thermal efficiency (TE) or recovery efficiency • All building types qualify except offices less than 5,500 sq ft and commercial gyms without shower facilities • Additional storage-only tanks may be present • Site must have water heating provided by NW Natural • Projects where existing water heater is functional, and not at the end of its useful life, do not qualify |
| Commercial Condensing Gas Tankless Water Heater (under 200 kBtu/h) | • Gas-condensing units must function as central source for domestic hot water (DHW) heating • Water Heater Uniform Energy Factor (UEF) must be at least 0.94 • Water heater input capacity must be less than 200 kBtu/h per water heater • Additional hot water storage tanks cannot be added • Approved models must be found here: www.ahridirectory.org • Projects where existing water heater is functional, and not at the end of its useful life, do not qualify • Site must have water heating provided by NW Natural |
| Commercial Condensing Gas Tankless Water Heater/Boiler (at least 200 kBtu/h) | • Gas-condensing domestic hot water (DHW) must not be used for space heating and must serve a central water heating system • Integral tank volume must be less than 10 gallons • Must have at least 94% thermal efficiency (TE) • Water heater input capacity must be at least 200 kBtu/h per water heater • All building types qualify except offices less than 5,500 sq ft and commercial gyms without shower facilities • Approved models must be found here: www.ahridirectory.org • Site must have water heating fuel provided by NW Natural |
| Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Recirculation Pump Controls | • Pump control types must be temperature, combined timer and temperature or learning controls • DHW recirculation system must meet applicable codes and regulations • Site must have domestic central water heating • Both retrofitted controls and integral controls qualify • Site must have water heating fuel provided by NW Natural |
| Equipment | Requirements | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Commercial Swimming Pool Heater | • Must be a replacement, gas-fired pool heater. Heater must not have a continuously burning pilot light • Must have at most 400 kBtu/h capacity per heater, not to exceed a total (or maximum) of 1,000 kBtu/h for all heaters combined • Must have at least 94% thermal efficiency for condensing heaters, or at least 84% efficiency for non-condensing heaters • Site must receive gas from NW Natural • Covered and not covered pools both qualify. Qualifying pool covers include solid track, bubble type, or foam type with storage reels • Pool must meet minimum area requirements as listed in the table below
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| Commercial Pool Cover | • Pool must be heated. Pool must not have had a pre-existing cover within 6 months of pool cover installation • Covers installed at residential pools do not qualify. Qualifying sites include commercial pools within lodging, fitness centers and municipal centers • Covers must be specifically designed for swimming pools, cover entire pool surface area and utilize a storage reel • Liquid evaporation suppressants, solar disks and mesh covers do not qualify • Pool heating fuel must be provided by NW Natural |
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| Commercial Laundry Washers, Common Areas | • Clothes washers must be front-loading machines and active on the current ENERGY STAR® list • Site must have gas water heater or gas dryer(s) with gas service provided by NW Natural • Leased equipment must be new. A signed lease agreement and documentation that identifies washer quantity, model number(s), and retail cost of clothes washer are required |
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| Ozone Laundry Systems | • Each ozone laundry system must be new and installed on either new or existing programmable commercial washing machine(s) • Each ozone generator may serve one or more washers • All existing/new washers at a facility must be reprogrammed and connected to work with the new ozone laundry system. Partial conversions do not qualify • Water heating for clothes washing must be provided by gas-fired boilers, or gas water heaters with gas service provided by NW Natural • The ozone laundry system(s) must transfer ozone into the water with either the venturi injection or bubble diffusion process |
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| Two-stage Gas Valve on Clothes Dryers | • Valves must be installed on commercial gas-fired dryers • Dryers must have 200 or fewer pounds of dry clothes capacity or 65 or fewer cubic feet of dryer drum volume • Valves can be installed on new or existing gas-fired dryers |
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| Gas-fired Automatic Conveyor Broiler | • Broiler must have an automatic conveyor with catalyst • Input rate must be below 80 kBtu/h or dual stage or modulating gas valve with a capability of throttling the input rate below 80 kBtu/h • Qualifying broilers may be gas or hybrid gas/electric |
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| Gas Steam Cooker | • Gas steam cooker must be active on ENERGY STAR certified product list (version 1.2) and meet efficiency requirements below • Steam cookers must hold at least three pans • Steam cookers may be boiler-less or steam generator type • Site must receive gas service from NW Natural
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| Commercial Vent Hood with Demand Controlled Ventilation | • Motor speeds must be controlled by a programmable controller, with scheduling, occupancy sensing, and heat sensing capabilities • Variable speed control must be installed on both the make-up air unit motor and the hood exhaust motor. Both motors must be functional • Make-up air must be tempered • Total controlled motor horsepower must be at least 1.0 hp and cannot exceed total existing horsepower of make-up air unit and exhaust fan motor • Must be installed in gas-heated spaces with gas service provided by NW Natural |
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| Gas Griddle – Single-sided | • Must be active on ENERGY STAR certified product list (version 1.2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High Efficiency Gas Fryer | • Gas fryer must be on the Qualified Product List and must be active on ENERGY STAR certified product list (version 3.0) • Standard vat must have at least 54% efficiency and idle energy rate must be at most 8,000 BTU per hour • Large vat must have at least 56% efficiency and idle energy rate must be at most 10,000 BTU per hour • Site must receive gas service from NW Natural |
| Equipment | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Doors on Open Freezers or Open Refrigerated Cases - Retrofit | • Must be installed in gas-heated spaces with gas service provided by NW Natural • Must add doors to existing, functional open freezers or refrigerated cases • Self-contained refrigeration cases (integrated condensing units) do not qualify • Low temperature is at or below 0°F. Medium temperature is between 1°F and 35°F |
| New Cooler Cases with Doors | • Must be a new refrigerated display case with doors: either additional cases are being added or existing cases are being replaced • Doors must be transparent. Cases with solid doors do not qualify • Refurbished cases do not qualify • Must be installed in gas-heated spaces with gas service provided by NW Natural |
For attic, roof and wall insulation, all projects must meet these requirements:
| Equipment | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Attic Insulation or Below Deck Roof Insulation | • Existing condition must be R-9 or less • Insulate to at least R-25 efficiency rating or fill cavity |
| Above Deck Roof Insulation | • When existing condition is R-0, insulate to at least R-15 efficiency rating. No existing insulation, unless existing is damaged or missing • When existing condition is R-5 or less, insulate to at least R-30 efficiency. If R-30 insulation requirements cannot be met due to existing site restrictions, a minimum of R-15 must be achieved |
| Wall Insulation | • Existing condition must be R-6 or less • Insulate to at least R-20 efficiency rating or fill cavity |
| Pipe Insulation | • Must insulate bare pipe with no existing insulation or replace insulation that is aged, wet, or damaged/torn in multiple locations. Ineffective insulation must be documented as such by the installing contractor • Insulation must be at least one inch thick • Jacketing must provide an appropriate level of protection for the insulation under the given environmental conditions to maintain the life of the insulation. This will commonly be All Service Jacketing (ASJ) or PVC in indoor applications and aluminum or stainless-steel jacketing for outdoor projects • Piping must be part of a system using electricity or natural gas provided by NW Natural |
To qualify, you must:
We can help you get started.
Note: A post-installation verification may apply.
$52,700
$96,000
Whether you’re just starting out or ready to apply, here are the next steps to get you started.
Review the steps to upgrade
Fill out all required forms below. Your trade ally contractor can help you.
Download the Washington Existing Buildings Incentive Application
Download W9
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