Snohomish County PUD said it has entered into an agreement with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) that will allow both utilities to better serve the small business customers that they share.

According to a PUD announcement, while the utility provides programs to help small businesses save energy and reduce their bills, until recently it has not been able to offer businesses a look at incentive programs for both electric and gas energy savings.

“Small business owners are concerned with reducing their utility bills, but they don’t have time to manage incentive programs with multiple utilities” said Sheri Miller, PUD assistant energy efficiency program manager. “By developing this agreement with PSE, we can simplify and streamline energy-savings programs to benefit our small business customers.”

The agreement that was recently signed by the PUD and PSE allows the PUD to sell therm (units of gas heat) savings to PSE, and PSE to sell kilowatt-hour savings to the PUD. These transactions occur behind the scenes, so that customers can focus on implementing upgrades that lower their bills, rather than navigating multiple utility incentives and rebate programs. The MSA creates a one-stop-shop approach for small businesses.

The Direct Install program for Small Businesses is the first program to fall under the agreement. This program provides a free energy assessment to eligible small businesses. Energy-efficiency upgrades such as interior and exterior LED lighting, occupancy sensors and advanced thermostats are then installed at minimal or no cost to the customer. Small businesses that participate in the program will now get to access all of the relevant incentives and energy-saving opportunities through one point of contact.

In the future, the agreement could be used to support other programs, including residential programs that could benefit both PUD and PSE with a streamlined joint approach.