AmerenUE is offering cash incentives to designers and developers who build energy-efficient structures and to customers who make energy-saving modifications to their existing buildings.

Pat Justis, AmerenUE managing supervisor of commercial and industrial programs, said the move will make businesses more competitive. He said the initiatives will allow customers to save on their energy costs in the long run.

"What we find is there are lots of opportunities for energy efficiency in businesses regardless of the incentives program," Justis said. "But the incentives allows businesses to make energy-efficiency retrofits more effectively."

Projects that would qualify under its New Construction Initiative include new commercial or industrial buildings, construction of an addition to an existing building and performing major renovations to a building.

Developers would submit an application for work and meet with AmerenUE representatives and would receive cash incentives based on milestones achieved. Design teams may also be eligible for incentives if their projects lead to more energy-efficient buildings.

For example, a new 70,000-square-foot building would be eligible for $10,000 for achieving a 20 percent electrical savings. Other incentives will also be available.

The other initiative, the Retro-Commissioning Incentive, is intended to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings. The initiative would provide a payment of 0.06 cents per kilowatt hour saved during the first year of the building's operation, among other incentives.

AmerenUE has providers customers must use to get the cash incentives. More information can be found at www.ameren.com/bizefficiency.

The initiatives are the latest energy-efficiency programs from the St. Louis-based utility, which plans to spend $77 million on such programs through 2011. AmerenUE recently launched several residential energy-efficiency programs that include purchase incentives for energy-efficient lighting and appliances. Company officials said this would reduce energy usage by 540 megawatts by 2025.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

Does this affect you?

Have a comment?

Log on to semissourian.com

Pertinent address:

45 South Minnesota St., Cape Girardeau, MO