SUSTAINABLE IS ATTAINABLE To get businesses to buy energy-efficient equipment, utilities often will provide rebates as incentives. Photo by stock.adobe.com/ME Image GET YOUR SHARE OF UTILITY REBATES By Sam Milton Y ou may have seen headlines from cannabis businesses in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and elsewhere about sixfigure energy-efficiency rebates-or incentives-for grow-facility projects such as installing LED grow lights, dehumidifiers and advanced HVAC systems. Such programs are real, and under many circumstances, cannabis businesses can collect money from their local utility's energy-efficiency programs. WHY DO REBATES EXIST? Utilities will pay commercial and residential customers to install equipment that reduces strain on the power grid or the amount of power needed to supply its customers. In many cases, utilities budget tens of millions of dollars annually to incentivize their customers to support energyefficiency projects. The first place to go for information is your regional utility. 40 July-August 2024 | MJBizMagazine If you call, be sure to connect with someone from the energy-efficiency program who knows how cannabis growers can participate. REBATE PROGRAMS Incentive programs come in two flavors: prescriptive and custom. Prescriptive programs are for individual equipment types, such as LED grow lights or stand-alone humidifiers. The application process for prescriptive programs tends to be straightforward andhttp://stock.adobe.com/ME