EmPower+ Program Prior Services Check 

Program/s: EmPower+  
To: Participating Contractors 
Summary: EmPower+ Program Prior Services Check 
Questions: Please Contact Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069 

In May 2024, in conjunction with the launch of IRA incentives, NYSERDA removed the three-year look back requirement as part of the EmPower+ application process. The three-year look back was initially established to limit a household that had reached the Program incentive cap from participating in EmPower+ again until three years had passed. The removal of the look back requirement allows households to realize more energy savings in a shorter time frame by removing the three-year wait between EmPower+ projects.  

With the removal of the three-year look back, NYSERDA has implemented a prior services check. The purpose of this check is to ensure that the measures a participating contractor is proposing on an EmPower+ project are not duplicative of work that has been recently completed. Upon submission of an EmPower+ Application, TRC will note in the application file if an EmPower+ project was recently completed. When the application information is sent to NYHEP, CLEAResult will be notified that a recent EmPower+ project has been completed and they will ensure that the measures being proposed on the new project were not incentivized on a recently installed project.  

If a participating contractor is planning on multiple projects at a household, the expectation is that the projects will follow a logical progression. For example, if the initial project includes $3,000 in air-sealing measures to prepare the home for a heat pump, the follow up project should not include an additional $6,000 in air-sealing, it should be focusing on the heat pump equipment.  In addition, the participating contractor should not be charging for an additional audit. If the follow-on project is occurring within a reasonable time frame and there has been no significant changes at the residence, the contractor should be using the test-out information from the previous project.  Likewise, energy education and direct install measures should not be charged to the second project as these measures should have been covered in the first project.  

In addition, when multiple projects for the same address are to be submitted to the Program each individual project must stand on its own. Savings from the previous project cannot be leveraged to make the subsequent project meet Program requirements.  

Finally, there can be only one open EmPower+ project at a residence at any given time. If a project is open and an EmPower+ Application is received for the residence from either the existing participating contractor or a new participating contractor the application will be denied until the existing EmPower+ project is completed.   If there are any questions, please contact Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069.