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. Budget on the 50% cost-share, not the headline cap: a $100,000 project earns at most $50,000, and the $100,000 ceiling is per project per fuel type. The pre-application deadline of July 31, 2026 is the binding constraint — submit well ahead of it to allow for pre-approval, procurement, installation and post-project M&V, since the case-by-case exception still requires post-project information by December 31, 2026. For the best per-dollar return, prioritize non-lighting measures (HVAC, VFDs, controls) at $0.13/kWh over lighting at $0.06/kWh. ECS enrollment (dedicated energy coach plus up to $30K in staff funding) closed to new participants on April 30, 2026.

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 9

• Projects at facilities primarily used for manufacturing, processing, or extraction
• Any measures related to the implementation of renewable energy
• Fuel-switching measures
• Emergency replacements, where the current equipment is deemed non-functional at the time of application
• 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

Rolling intake for CIS (Incentive Services) — pre-application deadline July 31, 2026. Energy Coach Services (ECS) new enrollment closed April 30, 2026. Post-project completion deadline December 31, 2026 (ECS incentive payments only for milestones completed by February 15, 2027). SaskPower publishes no program end date. Apply early in the cycle to ensure pre-approval, installation, and post-project documentation 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. Exceptions to that deadline may be considered on a case-by-case basis for projects that are completed with post-project information submitted by December 31, 2026; there is no published extension beyond that date. Energy Coach Services (ECS) new enrollment closed April 30, 2026 (this window has passed), and ECS incentives are only paid for milestones completed by February 15, 2027. 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.