Emissions Reduction Alberta Funding
Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Strategic Energy Management for Industry (SEMI) program provides funding to help industrial businesses implement an energy management information system, invest in energy efficient retrofits, and build strategic energy management programming.
Deadline: August 30, 2024
What Activities does SEMI Fund?
The SEMI program is separated into 4 major categories aimed to help you enhance profitability by boosting your bottom lim, lowering operating costs, and implement energy management best practices.
The Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS) activity offers funding for participants to implement recognized energy management systems (EnMS), including ISO 50001-compliant and ISO 50001-certified systems.
- Receive up to $50,000 for facilities consuming less than 400,000 GJ annually or up to $250,000 for facilities consuming more than 400,000 GJ annually.
- Must select a SEMI registered contracted to perform the EAA
- EMIS must be implemented before March 31, 2027
- Must allow site access to the ERA to confirm EMIS installation.
- Edgecom Energy’s dataTrack™ platform is eligible for this activity.
For additional details visit: https://www.eralberta.ca/semi/energy-management-information-systems-emis/
The Energy Assessments and Audit activity offers comprehensive energy studies, including Computational Fluid Dynamics or Process Integration for more complex facilities to define energy savings opportunities.
- Receive up to $50,000 per facility.
- Must select a SEMI registered contracted to perform the EAA
- EAA must be completed before March 31, 2027
For additional details visit: https://www.eralberta.ca/semi/energy-assessments-and-audits/
The Strategic Energy Management (SEM) activity is a structured process to improve an organization’s energy performance through assessment, prioritization, and implementation of practices, processes, and policies that generate sustainable energy savings.
- Participate in training and receive up to $100,000 per facility.
- Appoint an executive sponsor to engage the executive team, provide organizational coaching for the energy manager, and champion the value of improving energy performance within your facility.
- Register an employee as the facility energy manager to actively participate in the SEM initiative. The energy manager must have access to the data and resources to assess your facility.
- Incorporate SEM principles, activities, and recommendations appropriate for your facility.
- Attendance record of 80% to the workshops and virtual sessions.
- Disclose if one of the program activities will be carried out on federal lands.
For additional details visit:
https://www.eralberta.ca/semi/strategic-energy-management-sem/
Industrial and manufacturing facilities can receive funding to invest in energy efficiency focused capital retrofits for their facilities if they meet the following criteria:
- The retrofits must be non-emitting.
- The retrofits must reduce energy usage and emissions by at least 5% compared to a baseline.
- The payback period for the retrofits must be greater than one year.
- You have completed a Facility Readiness Assessment (FRA) through the SEMI program.
- New construction is ineligible.
A wide range of cost-effective, high-efficiency systems and onsite energy generation technologies are eligible for incentives:
- Advanced Refrigeration Systems
- High-Efficiency Pumping Systems
- Water Conservation and Wastewater Treatment Systems Optimization
- High-Efficiency Motors and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)
- LED Retrofits
- Fan and Ventilation System Optimization
- Compressed Air System Efficiency Improvements
- Renewable Energy Integration (e.g., solar, geothermal)
- Electrification of the Production Process
- Waste Heat Recovery and Reuse Systems
- Smart Manufacturing and Automation Technologies
- Materials Handling and Process Efficiency Improvements
- Water and Resource Efficiency Measures
- Building Envelope Upgrades
- HVAC Systems Retrofits, including Heat Pumps
For additional details visit:
https://www.eralberta.ca/semi/capital-retrofits/
Program Eligibility
Below is a list of recipients and project activities that are eligible for funding.
Eligible Recipients
Industrial facilities in the following sectors are eligible:
- Industrial, commercial, or manufacturing facilities owned or leased by the participant, located in Alberta. You must obtain permission from your landlord for a leased facility.
- Eligible facilities may also include those involved in energy-intensive processes that physically or chemically transform materials or substances into new products.
- Facilities that have been in operation for at least one year with fixed equipment, buildings, or complexes for extraction, production, or manufacturing.
- Eligible industrial sectors defined by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.
- 11 – Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- 21 – Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
- 22 – Utilities
- 23 – Construction
- 31-32-33 – Manufacturing
- 48 – Transportation
- 56 – Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
Facility Readiness Assessment
All participants are required to first undergo a Facility Readiness Assessment (FRA) to help identify and recommend further eligible SEMI activities. The FRA will provide a detailed energy assessment that includes time series analysis, energy use disaggregation, energy modeling, and benchmarking of energy performance against industry standards.
By participating in the FRA, you will receive a report with the following from SEMI:
- Analysis of your facility’s energy use.
- Relationship of energy use to relevant variables (e.g., production rates, operating hours).
- Comparison of your facility’s energy performance relative to your expected performance, other facilities in your organization, industry metrics, and where possible your competitors.
- Assessment of controllable and uncontrollable energy use and energy variability analysis.
- Assessment of your energy management system.
- Recommendation on how to leverage SEMI aligned with your needs.
