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Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) offers rebates on energy efficient natural gas furnaces to its eligible commercial customers. New furnaces are eligible for a rebate incentive between $150 and $300, if the equipment meets program efficiency standards. Furnaces with AFUE between 92% of 95% are eligible for rebates if they are being installed as replacement units or as part of fuel conversion; systems within this efficiency range are not eligible for rebates if installed in new construction.

Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) offers several residential rebates on energy efficient measures and natural gas equipment. New furnaces, water heaters and programmable thermostats are eligible for a rebate incentive if the equipment meets program efficiency standards. New furnaces must be replacing a working model with an AFUE of 80% or less and be rated at least 92% AFUE. Customers converting electric service to natural gas are also eligible for the furnace and water heater rebates if efficiency requirements are met.

Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) offers rebates to customers who install energy efficient natural gas equipment in new construction. New furnaces and water heaters are eligible for incentives through this offering. All new eligible homes with qualifying furnaces will receive a $300 rebate and homes with an efficient natural gas water heater will receive a $50 or $100 rebate. See equipment requirements listed above for eligibility or visit program web site. MDU issues rebate payments in the form of a check, not a utility bill credit.

South Dakota’s interconnection standards for distributed generation, adopted by the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in May 2009, apply to customers of investor-owned utilities.* The rules provide for four levels of interconnection for systems up to 10 megawatts (MW) in capacity:

In South Dakota, wind farms constructed after July 1, 2007, are subject to an alternative taxation calculation in lieu of all taxes on real and personal property levied by the state, counties, municipalities, school districts and other political subdivisions. The definition of "wind farm" includes only facilities producing electricity for commercial sale that have a minimum capacity of five megawatts (MW).

In March 2008, South Dakota enacted legislation mandating the use of high-performance building standards in new state construction and renovations. This policy requires that new and renovated state buildings achieve the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver rating, a two-globe rating under the Green Building Initiative's (GBI) Green Globe rating system, or a comparable numeric rating from another accredited sustainable building certification program.

'''''Note: The first round of applications was due April 12, 2010. A new round of loans will be available once the loan fund has been replenished.'''''

South Dakota offers loans to nonprofits, schools, and government agencies located in South Dakota to pay for energy audits, energy efficiency improvements, and renewable energy installations. Loans must be repaid within 10 years, and carry a 0% interest rate. The loan program is available to all K-12 school districts, South Dakota Technical Schools, and community-based nonprofits.

Black Hills Power provides rebates for its commercial customers who install energy efficient heat pumps, motors, variable frequency drives, lighting, and water heaters. Custom rebates for approved measures are also available. Examples of measures that could qualify for the custom rebate program include: large scale geothermal heat pumps, industrial and agricultural equipment, and energy management systems. For more information on specific program requirements, guidelines, and applications, visit Black Hills Power's website or contact the utility directly.

Black Hills Power offers cash rebates to residential customers who purchase and install energy efficient equipment in their homes. Incentives exist for water heaters, demand control units, air source and geothermal heat pumps, and refrigerator recycling. In addition to the incentives offered for equipment, Black Hills also provides free energy audits and reports. For more information on specific rebates, program terms and guidelines, and to access application forms, visit the program website or contact the utility directly.

''Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the [http://www.energycodes.gov/states/ DOE] and [http://bcap-ocean.org/ BCAP] websites.''