SaskPower Commercial Energy Optimization Program (CEOP)

Insider Tip

The manufacturing/processing/extraction exclusion is strict and enforced at application review — if your primary business function is production, CEOP is not available regardless of how you're billed. The pre-application deadline of July 31, 2026 is the binding constraint — submit at least 4-6 months before the date to allow for pre-approval, procurement, installation, and post-project M&V within the window. For the best per-dollar return, prioritize non-lighting measures (HVAC, VFDs, controls) at $0.13/kWh over lighting at $0.06/kWh. ECS customers get a dedicated energy coach plus up to $30K in staff funding — if you're above 2 GWh, enrolling in ECS before April 30, 2026 unlocks significantly more value than CIS alone.

Success Profile

A Saskatchewan commercial customer (office building owner, hospitality operator, retail chain, healthcare facility, or multi-unit housing manager) with an identified energy-efficiency upgrade opportunity, annual facility electricity use between 100,000 kWh and 5,000,000 kWh, an engaged facility manager, and project execution capacity. A typical winner is a 50,000-150,000 sq ft facility planning a $100,000-$500,000 efficiency retrofit with 2-5 year payback improved by CEOP incentives.

Evaluation Criteria

Pre-approval evaluates: (1) customer account eligibility (SaskPower commercial, non-manufacturing); (2) technical eligibility of proposed equipment; (3) reasonableness of projected savings against baseline; (4) M&V plan adequacy; (5) project feasibility and customer execution capacity. Post-project verification confirms actual installation, commissioning, and realized savings through metered or calculated M&V. Incentive payment equals the product of verified savings and the applicable rate, capped at $200K per business.

Application Steps

Required Documents 9

Eligible Expenses 8

• High-efficiency HVAC systems (rooftop units, boilers, chillers, heat recovery)
• Variable frequency drives (VFDs) on motors
• LED lighting retrofits and controls
• Building envelope upgrades (insulation, windows, air sealing)
• Building automation and energy management systems
• Natural gas equipment efficiency upgrades
• Custom energy-efficiency projects upon pre-approval
• Commissioning and retro-commissioning costs (for certain projects)

Ineligible Expenses 6

• Projects at facilities primarily used for manufacturing, processing, or extraction
• Equipment installed before pre-approval
• Operations and maintenance costs
• Equipment that does not meet CEOP technical specifications
• Projects where savings cannot be measured or verified
• Double-claims against other SaskPower or SaskEnergy rebates for the same savings

Intake Periods

Continuous rolling intake through July 31, 2026 (pre-application deadline) and March 31, 2027 (program end, with case-by-case extensions to December 31, 2026). Apply early in the cycle to ensure pre-approval, installation, and post-project M&V complete within the program window.

Deadline Notes

CEOP Incentive Services (CIS) pre-application deadline is July 31, 2026 — applications must be submitted and pre-approved before project work begins. Post-project completion and documentation must be submitted by December 31, 2026; limited case-by-case extensions to March 31, 2027 may be available. Energy Coach Services (ECS) new enrollment closed April 30, 2026. Rolling intake until envelopes exhaust — apply early in the cycle.

Open Application Portal →

Ineligible Organizations

• Manufacturing facilities
• Goods-processing facilities
• Raw material extraction operations (mining, oil and gas production)
• Industrial customers on oil field and large distribution tariffs (served by separate SaskPower programs)
• Non-SaskPower customers (off-grid, on other utilities)
• Residential customers

Compatible Programs

Clawback Risk

Low Risk

If incented equipment is removed, decommissioned, or replaced with lower-efficiency equipment before the end of its persistence period, a prorated clawback may apply. Failure to cooperate with post-installation verification or program audits can also trigger clawback. In practice, clawback is rare for customers operating equipment normally.