EmPower+ Launch
To: Participating Contractors and Vendors
Regarding Programs: EmPower+
Summary: EmPower+ Launch
Contact: Please reach out to your Account Manager
NYSERDA is announcing the launch of EmPower+ for Spring 2023 which will be the culmination of a years’ long effort to combine the EmPower NY and Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® programs into one program with a single application, single set of processes and requirements, and a consistent incentive structure. The coordination of these programs began with the launch of the combined income-eligible customer application in July 2021, continued with the alignment of program processes in March 2022, and will finalize with a rebranding and launch of the NY Home Energy Portal on July 10, 2023. EmPower+ will be a seamless experience for all – customers, contractors, and community groups, with customers accessing difference incentive levels based on their income level.
The Program will function very similarly to the current state, with incentive levels for low- and moderate-income households at 100% and 50% respectively. However, this will all be under the EmPower+ umbrella. Customers who have recently applied under the Combined Application will not need to reapply once the switch to EmPower+ has been made.
Name Change
To help assist with this rebranding, we ask that you please review your literature, scripts and websites and change all references for EmPower NY and Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR to EmPower+ by September 1, 2023. Please note the name is EmPower+, not EmPower Plus. If the use of + is prohibitive (such as within a software system), then the name EmPower should be used.
The URL for EmPower+ will be: nyserda.ny.gov/empower. Please review your materials and websites and make any necessary changes.
Retirement of EmPCalc
Over the past two years, processes and procedures have been changed to align EmPower and Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. With the official launch of EmPower+ and the NY Home Energy Portal, the use of the EmPCalc tool will be retired. All energy modeling and project submissions will be done within the NY Home Energy Portal. There will be no need to upload Excel documents to address versioning, as that will be done automatically within the new system.
Home Energy Assessments
The home energy assessment procedures and reports will align for customers across all income levels, and among the EmPower+ and Residential Energy Assessment Programs. All customers will receive a complete home energy assessment with a report that shows customers all opportunities for improvements in their homes, regardless of available incentives.
As previously announced, all staff who complete energy assessments must hold the proper certifications and submit that proof to the program.
Updates to Program Rules
Required minimum insulation levels required for heat pump installations will be aligned for Empower+, REA, and Comfort Home. Section 5.10 of the Program Manual will be updated with the table below:
| Area Required | Insulation Level |
| 1-4 Family Homes | |
| Attic Gable Walls | R-14 |
| Knee Walls | R-15 |
| Attic Roof Deck | R-28 or Fill to Capacity |
| Attic Floors/Open Attic | R‐38 Average1 or Fill to Capacity |
| Attic Slope Ceilings | R-38 or Fill to Capacity |
| Attic Hatches | R‐20 |
| Pull‐Down Stairs | R‐13 |
| Walls | R-14 or Fill to Capacity |
| Rim Joist | R-14 |
| Air Tightness | 7 ACH2 |
| Mobile Homes | |
| Walls | R‐6 |
| Attic | R‐24 |
| Belly | R‐21 |
| Air Tightness | 12 ACH3 |
The 5% Assisted Home Performance contractor modeling incentive will end for projects submitted for completion after July 7, 2023, as the energy modeling process is being streamlined by being built into the new platform.
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Name and Logo
The Department of Energy announced that the national Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program is sunsetting in 2023. This change will not impact NYSERDA running the EmPower+ program and taking a building-science forward approach to energy efficiency and clean energy improvements. However, the use of the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR name and logo will end. NYSERDA is retiring this use with the launch of EmPower+. Contractors and partners who use this name and/or logo should cease to do so by the end of 2024.
As you communicate these changes with your staff and customers, please emphasize that, although the program names are changing, the customer experience should not change; NYSERDA is still dedicated to reducing energy usage for low- and moderate- income households.
If you have any questions about these changes, please contact your account manager.