New Jersey Commercial Lighting Incentives: Which Utility Runs Your Program

If your building is an existing commercial or industrial site in New Jersey, the lighting incentive program you use is run by the electric utility on your bill: PSE&G, JCP&L, Atlantic City Electric (ACE) or Rockland Electric (RECO). Each one runs its own business programs, its own application portal and its own paperwork rules. This guide walks through them utility by utility: the program names, when to use prescriptive, custom or direct install, when pre approval is needed, and the documents to keep from the job. Programs vary and change, so check your utility's current guide before you price a job on an incentive.

For the bigger picture of who runs what in the state, including new construction and local government programs, see our New Jersey commercial light fixtures guide. This post picks up where that one stops: you know the utility runs your program, and now you need to know how its program works.

Step one: find your electric utility

Lighting is an electric measure, so the program follows the electric account at the building. Three ways to confirm which utility that is:

• Read the electric bill. The utility named on the bill for that service address is the one whose program applies. JCP&L and ACE both ask for a copy of the bill with the application, and they treat the company listed on the bill as the applicant.
• Check the state's utility contacts page. The New Jersey Clean Energy Program (NJCEP) keeps a utility contacts page for energy efficiency programs listing the electric and gas utilities and how to reach each one.
• Look at the territory map. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection publishes an Electric Utilities Territory Map on its maps and tools page, and PSE&G lists its towns on its service territory page. The state map was compiled from utility paper maps, so treat the bill as the final word.

The programs below are offered by the investor owned utilities to their own customers. If your bill comes from a different electric provider, ask that provider what it offers.

The program menu, utility by utility

NJCEP lists the utility run business programs on its Utility Run Programs for Businesses page, which shows applications accepted by the utilities on a rolling basis. These are the business programs it lists for each electric utility, with the ones that matter for a lighting job in the second column.

Utility	Lighting paths	Other business programs listed
PSE&G	Prescriptive & Custom Program; Direct Install	Engineered Solutions; Engineered Solutions Tier 2 (Advance Custom); Energy Management
JCP&L	Prescriptive Incentives; Custom Incentives; Small Business Direct Install	Engineered Solutions Tier 1; RCx, VCx, SEM and VSEM; Building Tune Up
ACE	Prescriptive & Custom Program; Direct Install	Engineered Solutions Program; Energy Management Program; Building Decarbonization
Rockland Electric	Prescriptive Rebate; Custom Rebate; Instant Lighting Incentive Program; Direct Install	Listed on the RECO business incentives page

Prescriptive, custom or direct install

The four utilities use the same three basic paths, though the details differ.

• Prescriptive: a fixed incentive for equipment that appears on the utility's measure list, such as a qualifying troffer, high bay or area light replacing older lighting one for one. This is the usual path for a straightforward retrofit.
• Custom: for projects the prescriptive list does not cover. The JCP&L guide sends LED to LED replacements and listed LED products that are not on its incentive table to Custom, and the PSE&G guide groups LED to LED replacement, specialty lighting not listed and more than one for one replacements under its Prescriptive/Custom Lighting line. At JCP&L, ACE and RECO, custom projects need pre approval before you buy or install, so check your utility's guide for the exact sequence.
• Direct install: a turnkey path for smaller customers. A program contractor assesses the site, proposes the work and installs it. JCP&L, ACE and RECO describe the incentive as applied at the time of the work instead of paid later as a rebate check. All four utilities set a 300 kW peak demand line for direct install eligibility, worded slightly differently on each page, so check your utility's page for the exact test.

Some utilities also offer point of sale lighting discounts through participating distributors on their own lists. RECO calls this its Instant Lighting Incentive Program, the JCP&L guide has an Instant Discounts section, and the PSE&G prescriptive page mentions point of sale rebates. Those discounts apply only at the distributors the utility lists, so check that list before you buy.

PSE&G

The PSE&G Prescriptive Program page lays out four steps: find a Trade Ally and complete an online application, measure review and project implementation, proof of completion and final project review, then receive your incentive. It says customers may use their preferred contractor if that contractor meets the eligibility requirements, and that a facility that completed an upgrade within the last 90 days may still be eligible if it contacts the program. The page also notes on bill repayment for qualifying equipment and states the program is subject to change without prior notice.

The current PSE&G incentive rates and requirements guide (2026 programs, effective date August 3, 2026) sets the lighting rules:

• New fixtures, retrofit kits and components must carry the appropriate UL or ETL label.
• Installed fixtures must be listed under the DesignLights Consortium category shown for that measure.
• For the custom lighting line, documents supporting the energy analysis, including the measure data collection forms, go in with the application.

Smaller sites can look at the PSE&G Direct Install Program, which offers an on site assessment with a cost estimate and says projects typically involve lighting and commercial HVAC. Larger and institutional sites such as hospitals, colleges, schools and municipalities are pointed to Engineered Solutions. We will cover PSE&G Direct Install for small businesses in its own guide.

JCP&L

JCP&L publishes detailed written rules. The Prescriptive Incentives page on the JCP&L business program site and the JCP&L Commercial and Industrial Incentives Guide set out the timing:

• Pre approval first. The page says projects must be pre approved before purchasing equipment.
• Look back window. If prescriptive equipment was bought and installed without pre approval, you may apply no later than 90 days after completion, meaning all equipment installed and operable.
• Check the NJCEP tracker. Review the project against the NJCEP public project tracker. A project on the tracker is eligible for prescriptive pre approval only, with a pre inspection.
• Offer deadlines. Pre approved offers must be accepted within 30 days and look back offers within 15 days. Final documents are due within 90 days of offer acceptance for pre approved projects, or 15 days for projects that did not get pre approval.

Applications go through the online portal with the latest Core Incentives Workbook attached, and the page says an application cannot be submitted without it. The guide's lighting rules are worth reading before you choose fixtures:

• A printout or screenshot from the qualified product list showing the manufacturer name and model number is required. A DLC logo on a spec sheet is not considered sufficient proof of current listing.
• The product's DLC primary use category must match how it is installed. The guide's example: an outdoor wall mounted area luminaire will not receive an incentive when installed indoors.
• Prescriptive LED incentives are for replacing existing HID, incandescent, halogen or fluorescent lighting. Fixtures are paid one for one on the lesser of the existing and proposed quantities.
• JCP&L owned streetlights and pole lights are not eligible.

Smaller accounts can use the JCP&L Small Business Direct Install program, which describes a turnkey process covering the assessment, installation and paperwork for commercial accounts with average annual demand of 300 kW or less.

Atlantic City Electric

The ACE Prescriptive and Custom Programs page is open to business customers regardless of sector. Prescriptive projects apply online or through an approved Trade Ally; custom projects for work outside the prescriptive list start with a call to the program team at (833) 223 7297. The ACE Prescriptive and Custom incentive brochure (updated April 8, 2026) lists the process and rules:

• Complete the Prescriptive and Custom incentive workbook and submit it as an application on the online portal, then receive a confirmation email and a pre approval letter.
• Prescriptive equipment bought and installed without pre approval can still apply within 90 days of completing the project. Custom measures must be pre approved before installing equipment.
• Projects needing pre approval must accept the offer within 30 days, and pre approved projects submit final documents within 120 days of offer acceptance.
• For lighting measures based on a DLC primary use category, only products listed under version 5.1 of the DLC Solid State Qualified Products List are eligible.
• Equipment that already received incentives from NJCEP or another New Jersey utility program is not eligible.

For smaller sites, the ACE Direct Install program is for customers whose average monthly peak demand does not exceed 300 kW, and working with a Direct Install Trade Ally is a program requirement. Public sector sites have a separate Direct Install for Public Sector program.

Rockland Electric

The RECO Prescriptive Rebate Program is for New Jersey commercial and industrial customers with an active Rockland Electric account at an existing facility. New construction goes to NJCEP instead. To participate, you complete the online application and attach the specification sheets, scope of work and invoice, and some rebates may require an on site verification inspection before payment. The page also lists lighting exclusions, including screw in LEDs replacing HID (with stated exemptions), fixtures that are not hardwired, retail display lighting and additions that are not one for one.

The RECO Custom Rebate Program says all custom projects require pre approval, an engineering analysis and a pre inspection, and it provides a Custom Lighting Tool for existing facilities. RECO also runs the Instant Lighting Incentive Program for point of sale discounts at its participating distributors, and a small business direct install program for customers with average peak demand under 300 kW, reachable at (800) 701 0952.

Documents to keep from the job

The four utilities ask for similar paperwork. Pulling it together before the old fixtures come down avoids a stalled claim:

Document	Where it is asked for
Copy of the electric bill for the service address	JCP&L guide, ACE brochure
Manufacturer spec sheets for the new fixtures	RECO prescriptive page
Proof of DLC listing for the exact model, such as a screenshot from the qualified product list	JCP&L guide; DLC categories also set eligibility in the PSE&G guide and ACE brochure
UL or ETL label on fixtures, kits and components	PSE&G guide
Material invoice with purchase date, model number, quantity and unit price, plus a labor invoice that separates labor from material	JCP&L guide, ACE brochure
Scope of work	RECO prescriptive page
Photos of the existing equipment before removal	JCP&L guide, which says photographs are the only acceptable proof of baseline
Payee W9 and a customer signed letter of attestation	JCP&L guide, ACE brochure
Utility workbook or application file	JCP&L Core Incentives Workbook, ACE incentive workbook, PSE&G data collection forms for custom lighting

Before you order, confirm on the product page and spec sheet that each fixture carries a UL or ETL listing and that the exact model is on the DLC list under your utility's category rules, and download the spec sheet from the product page for the application. Our DLC listed LED lighting guide explains how to read a listing. Programs vary and change, so check your utility's current guide for the measure list and amounts.

Frequently asked questions

Who runs commercial lighting incentives in New Jersey?

For existing commercial and industrial buildings, the electric utility on your bill runs the program: PSE&G, JCP&L, Atlantic City Electric or Rockland Electric. NJCEP lists these utility run business programs on its website.

Do I need pre approval before I buy fixtures?

It depends on the utility and the path. JCP&L says prescriptive projects must be pre approved before purchasing equipment, with a 90 day look back window if you did not get it. ACE also allows a 90 day look back for prescriptive equipment. Custom projects at JCP&L, ACE and RECO need approval before you buy or install.

Is a DLC logo on the spec sheet enough proof?

Not for JCP&L. Its guide asks for a printout or screenshot from the qualified product list showing the manufacturer name and model number, and says a logo on a spec sheet is not sufficient proof of current listing.

What about LED to LED replacements or added fixtures?

The JCP&L guide evaluates LED to LED replacements through Custom, and the PSE&G guide groups LED to LED and more than one for one replacements under its Prescriptive/Custom Lighting line. The RECO prescriptive page excludes additions that are not one for one.

How much is the incentive for my fixtures?

Programs vary and change, so check your utility's current guide or measure list for the amount on each fixture type. We do not quote incentive amounts.

Browse all fixtures to build your list, then send it for a job quote. Questions? Contact us or call (845) 681 2684.