Why Choosing EPA Certified is the Smart Choice for your Business

Save time, save money and future-proof your operations.

A few months ago, I was talking to a customer in a large investor-owned utility, who was interested in expanding their gas portfolio especially given their struggles with non-emergency use diesels. As the conversation continued, they mentioned that while they wanted to implement more power generation projects, they didn’t want to ‘go through’ the timely (and costly) efforts of frequent exhaust emissions testing to ensure they comply with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions regulations.

This was a light bulb moment for me: as my customer didn’t know that various OEMs offer gas generator sets U.S. EPA certified for both emergency and non-emergency use.*

So, if you also didn’t know, let me explain why opting for EPA certified products could be one of the best decisions you’ll make for your business or for your project.

Avoid The Extra Costs of Retesting

Manufacturers can sell — and you can buy — non-certified gas gensets. But utilizing them often requires you to take additional steps that can cause costly down-time, raise costs and increase complexity.

Non-certified gensets must be source-tested, ‘at site’ before use, then generally retested every 8,700 hours or three years of operation, whichever comes first. Each compliance test can be costly to the tune of $15,000 or greater, requiring contracting a testing company, renting equipment like aerial lifts and load banks, and may take several hours, up to a day, or longer to complete.  If this generator set is critical for the operation, this may also mean additional costs to rent temporary generator sets while certification is completed.

By choosing a gas genset that’s EPA certified from the factory this can streamline your initial installation and commissioning phase and in many cases, retesting is not required, as long as you follow the manufacturer’s service requirements, ultimately reducing what you spend on ongoing costs.

Simplify Your Project Development

EPA-certified products streamline your project development by minimizing permitting delays. Unlike non-certified generator sets that require costly air permitting consultants and detailed emissions data, EPA-certified options come with preset values from the factory. This turns a complex process into a simple "check box" selection, saving you time, money, and effort.

Interested in EPA certified products? Remember to Future-Proof Your Operations

Gas gensets with EPA certification also help you unlock opportunities — now and in the future — but only if you choose products certified for both emergency and non-emergency use.

Dual certification removes limits on applications and usage types, this extra flexibility allows you to use your assets how and when you want:

• Avoid peak utility charges: Lower your energy costs by using your gensets during high-demand periods.
• Participate in demand response programs: earn revenue from the utility by partaking in energy market programs which pay you to use your power assets when called upon.
• Stay ahead of change: Jump on new programs from utilities or independent system operators as they become available.

But What If I Prefer Diesel?

Diesel gensets have long been the trusted choice for many applications, and they remain essential in certain scenarios — especially in areas where natural gas isn’t readily available.   However, there are some additional requirements to meet EPA standards that don’t apply to gas gensets.

Gas gensets typically don’t need aftertreatment to receive emergency and non-emergency EPA certification. Thanks to advances in technology, gas gensets now closely match diesel gensets in performance, with many recent advances in sub 10 second start times and enhanced transient electrical loading. That, plus lower fuel costs, makes gas an increasingly attractive choice for many operations

Make the Smart Move Today

Nearly all Cat gas gensets — ranging from 125 kW to 3000 kW — are available with both emergency and non-emergency certification. Looking to simplify compliance, save money and position your operation for future success? Talk to one of our experts today to find out more about the full line of Cat solutions — available for small to large-scale needs — and how they can power your operation efficiently and effectively.

*Emergency use: Allows unlimited operation during power outages, plus up to 50 hrs “other non-emergency” annually storm avoidance, local utility demand response and up to 100 hours of testing and maintenance including “other nonemergency” hours.