Level up your energy management: Four energy solutions built for smarter operations.

From hospitals and schools to office buildings and public facilities, today’s energy decisions impact more than utility bills. They affect operations, budgets and how spaces serve the people who rely on them every day.

Level up your energy management game with these four takeaways for businesses and organizations looking to get more from their energy strategy.

1. Energy assessments make it easier to know where to start.

If you’re not sure where to start or what your biggest savings opportunities are, TVA offers free energy assessments for businesses using 1+ MW of energy. These assessments help identify energy savings opportunities, including equipment upgrades for lighting, refrigeration, compressed air and HVAC, process improvements and system optimizations. 

Not every organization has the time or internal resources to identify energy opportunities on its own. Energy assessments provide a clear path forward by helping you:

• Identify practical upgrades across lighting, HVAC and other systems.
  
• Prioritize projects based on impact and cost.
  
• Understand applicable incentives.
  

If you decide to move forward, TVA-vetted contractors from our Preferred Partners Network can support implementation, helping streamline the process from idea to execution.

2. Commissioning helps your building systems perform the way they should.

Even well-designed systems don’t always operate at peak performance. Over time, settings drift, equipment falls out of sync and energy use increases without anyone noticing.

Commissioning is a strategic process that focuses on optimizing what you already own. Instead of replacing equipment, commissioning focuses on fine-tuning how systems operate to reduce energy use, extend equipment life and improve operational performance. That can include adjusting system controls and schedules or calibrating sensors.

Get paid for optimizing your building’s performance with two commissioning options:

Retro-commissioning
One-time operational improvements such as scheduling changes, sensor calibration and control optimization.

Monitoring-based commissioning
Ongoing whole-building optimization that uses analytics and performance tracking to continuously improve energy performance.

With both options, you can earn measurable energy savings while improving building performance. The result is a building that runs more efficiently — often without major capital investment — while extending equipment life and reducing waste.

Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, improved energy performance by optimizing its building automation system. With expert guidance and a $19,118 Commissioning incentive from TVA EnergyRight, the hospital now saves over 382,000 kWh and $48,700 annually. 

The project also boosted its ENERGY STAR score and is projected to deliver $487,511 in cost savings over 10 years — savings that are being reinvested into future facility improvements.

3. Incentives help move upgrade projects from “on hold” to underway.

Energy upgrades often compete with other priorities. Incentives help close the gap by improving project economics and making it easier to move forward.

For hospitals, universities and commercial businesses, that can mean:

• Lower upfront costs for lighting, HVAC and equipment upgrades.
  
• Faster project payback periods.
  
• The ability to expand project scope or tackle multiple improvements at once.
  

Getting started doesn’t have to be complicated. Many common upgrades — such as lighting or HVAC replacements — are already eligible for available incentives, making them a practical entry point.

See how ‘Ole Miss’ (The University of Mississippi) partnered with TVA EnergyRight®, Northeast Mississippi Electric Power Association and Trane Energy Services to modernize campus energy systems — upgrading lighting and HVAC while using incentives to keep the project cost-effective and aligned with long-term sustainability goals.

4. Demand response turns flexibility into financial value.

Energy isn’t just something you use — it’s something you can manage.

Demand response programs reward organizations for temporarily reducing energy use during periods of high demand. For facilities with flexible loads, this creates an opportunity to earn bill credits or payments.

Get paid for reducing demand when it matters most. With Peak Rewards, you receive a seasonal payment for reducing energy use at your business, school or organization. It’s available to business and commercial customers with a minimum curtailable demand (deliberate reduction of energy use) of 50 kW.

For many organizations, it’s a low-disruption way to generate additional value from existing operations.

Ready to take the next step?

TVA EnergyRight helps businesses, schools and organizations turn energy goals into practical action. From energy assessments to identify your savings opportunities to incentives to reduce the investment in equipment upgrades to commissioning to optimize for systems, we want to support your business or organization in meeting your energy goals.

Connect with a TVA Energy Expert to get started.