Unlock Energy Savings Through Smarter Operations: Understanding TVA EnergyRight® Commissioning Incentives

For many facility owners, some of the most impactful energy savings come not from new equipment, but from optimizing what is already in place. The Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) EnergyRight® commissioning incentives help commercial and institutional facilities improve building performance, reduce operating costs, and extend equipment life through data‑driven operational improvements. 

Available to qualifying TVA customers across a wide range of facility types, these incentives encourage owners to focus on how systems operate, identifying inefficiencies, resolving control issues, and ensuring equipment performs as intended, often without major capital investment. 

What Are TVA EnergyRight® Commissioning Incentives? 

TVA EnergyRight® offers incentives for Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx), specifically retro‑commissioning and monitoring‑based commissioning (MBCx) projects, that improve the efficiency of existing building systems. Rather than incentivizing new equipment installation, this program rewards verified energy savings achieved through operational improvements. (Learn more about existing building commissioning.) 

Commissioning projects commonly address: 

• HVAC system optimization 
• Repair and/or replacement of failed control components
• Controls and sequence tuning 
• Scheduling improvements 
• Reduction of simultaneous heating and cooling 
• Integration of building automation system data into ongoing performance improvements 

Because incentives are tied directly to measured performance, owners benefit from improvements that deliver real, sustained energy reductions. 

Incentive Structure 

Under the current TVA EnergyRight® program: 

• Incentive amount: $0.05 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) saved, when minimums are met 
• Eligible projects: Non‑capital energy efficiency improvements that result in measurable, verified savings 
• Focus: Optimization of existing systems through EBCx and analytics 

This performance‑based model aligns incentives with outcomes—rewarding projects that demonstrate lasting operational value. 

Why EBCx Matters for Complex Facilities 

Facilities with long operating hours, critical environmental requirements, or complex mechanical systems are often ideal candidates for EBCx. Healthcare campuses, higher‑education buildings, and large commercial facilities can see significant benefits due to the scale and complexity of their systems. 

EBCx allows facility owners to: 

• Reduce energy consumption without disrupting operations 
• Improve system reliability and occupant comfort 
• Extend the useful life of existing equipment 
• Support sustainability and carbon‑reduction goals 

In many cases, EBCx measures can be implemented using existing infrastructure and staff workflows, keeping costs low while delivering measurable results. 

How to Participate in TVA EnergyRight® Commissioning Incentives 

To participate, facility owners must: 

• Receive electricity from TVA through a local power company 
• Work with a TVA EnergyRight® Preferred Partners Network (PPN) member, like SSR 
• Define the commissioning scope and estimate energy savings 
• Implement approved measures and complete verification 

Preferred Partners support the incentive process by assisting with project development, documentation, and application submission. 

Case Study: East Tennessee Children’s Hospital 

At East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, SSR partnered with facility leadership to identify energy efficiency opportunities within existing building systems and operations. Rather than relying on large capital upgrades, the focus was on data-driven building optimization strategies and improved system performance. 

A key component of the effort included refining how HVAC systems respond to real-time conditions. SSR implemented discharge air temperature and static pressure setpoint resets where feasible, reducing the amount of energy required to maintain proper space conditions while preserving comfort and system reliability. 

Within the central plant, SSR also developed and deployed a new sequence of operations to address functional issues that were causing short cycling of chillers. By eliminating unnecessary starts and stops, the updated sequence not only reduced energy consumption but also helped minimize long-term wear and tear on critical equipment, supporting more reliable operation over time. 

Following implementation, month-over-month electrical energy performance showed measurable improvement: 

• Estimated energy savings: 657,720 kWh/yr 
• Estimated cost savings:  $52,213/yr 
• TVA incentive: $78,496 

These results demonstrate the impact of targeted operational improvements across multiple systems. By focusing on how equipment operates the hospital achieved meaningful energy savings while maintaining the high-performance environment required for patient care. 

Case Study: Bristol Regional Medical Center 

Bristol Regional Medical Center (BRMC), part of Ballad Health System, is a 663,598 SF acute care hospital operating 24/7, making it one of the more energy-intensive facility types. Like many healthcare campuses, BRMC faced aging automation systems, inefficient HVAC and lighting performance, and increasing energy costs. To address these challenges, BRMC partnered with SSR to implement a monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) and building optimization initiative. 

With support from TVA EnergyRight commissioning incentives, administered in partnership with Bristol Tennessee Essential Services, the project reduced upfront costs while enabling a data-driven approach to performance improvement. SSR conducted a targeted system assessment and worked closely with facility staff to implement a range of operational and control-focused improvements, including: 

• Optimization of HVAC control sequences and system performance 
• Equipment tuning to improve efficiency and responsiveness 
• Enhancements to building automation system functionality 
• Ongoing monitoring and collaboration with facility staff to support sustained performance 

The result was a significant improvement in system reliability and long-term operational efficiency, along with measurable energy savings: 

• Estimated energy savings: 1,948,993 kWh/yr 
• Estimated cost savings: $175,409/yr 
• TVA Incentive: $136,430 
• Equivalent to powering approximately 273 homes for one year 

BRMC’s success highlights the value of commissioning strategies in healthcare environments. By focusing on how building systems operate and leveraging incentives that reward verified performance, healthcare facilities can achieve substantial energy and cost savings while enhancing comfort, reliability, and sustainability. 

How SSR Can Help 

SSR provides existing building commissioning and building performance services that help facility owners identify energy‑saving opportunities, optimize building operations, and navigate TVA EnergyRight® incentives. 

Our teams combine engineering expertise, data analytics, and deep operational understanding to: 

• Deliver effective retro‑ and monitoring‑based commissioning solutions 
• Support incentive qualification and verification requirements 
• Improve comfort, reliability, and operational efficiency 
• Align energy performance improvements with broader organizational goals 

Whether managing a healthcare campus or another high‑performing facility, EBCx remains one of the most efficient ways to reduce energy use—and TVA EnergyRight® incentives help make those improvements even more attainable. Reach out to SSR today to see how we can help.