Savings By Design

For new construction and major remodel projects

Energy efficient buildings happen by design. They happen because they make sense to the owner, to the design team, to the bottom line, and to the environment.

Savings By Design is a statewide program encouraging high performance nonresidential building design and construction. Sponsored by California utilities, the program offers building owners and design teams a wide range of services:

• Design assistance supports the integration of innovative design technologies into new construction projects.
• Energy design resources offers free information on efficient technologies, analysis tools, and case histories.
• Owner incentives help offset the costs of energy efficient buildings.
• Design team incentives reward designers who meet ambitious energy efficiency targets.
  

Benefits of Savings By Design

The benefits of participating in Savings By Design include:

• reduced long-term operating costs;
• greater comfort, health and productivity for occupants;
• and conservation of natural resources and cleaner air due to avoided power generation.

Two approaches to high performance buildings

Whole building approach

This approach is the preferred method of achieving energy savings because it considers integrated, optimized energy solutions.

Whole Building analysis uses computer simulation and provides reliable comparisons of various efficiency alternatives and quantifies the effect of improving the building's systems.

Detailed energy use projections and life-cycle costs demonstrate that the estimated incremental costs associated with energy efficiency strategies can be recovered quickly through reduced operating expenses.

Incentives up to $150,000 are available for projects estimated to exceed a Title 24 or standard practice baseline by at least 10% on a whole building performance basis. Design teams may be eligible for additional incentives up to $50,000. See incentives chart.

Systems approach

This approach encourages owners to look at the systems of a building rather than individual equipment or fixtures. Each building system can be designed to achieve greater efficiency as a whole rather than as a collection of components. See incentives chart.

Your Savings By Design representative can help you identify system options, quickly estimate the associated potential savings, and identify which systems qualify for incentives up to $150,000 including:

• daylighting
• interior lighting
• heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
• service hot water
• other systems and processes

Who to contact

Contact SMUD early in the design process to optimize your project's energy efficiency, to learn about program options, and to determine funding availability.

Call SMUD at 1-877-622-7683 or email savingsbydesign@smud.org.