Program Announcements from 9/25/2025 to 10/8/2025

Program/s: EmPower+, Residential Energy Assessments, Comfort Home 
To: Participating Contractors 
Summary: Monthly Contractor Update 
Contact with Questions: residential.programs@nyserda.ny.gov  

NYSERDA Home Modernization Monthly Contractor Webinar   
Friday, October 3rd, 2025 
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. ET
 
Webinar number: 2538 916 5659
Event Password: Energy1

All attendees must register prior to joining the event. This process will allow you to add the meeting to your calendar and provides each individual with a custom link to join the meeting. Please do not share your link with anyone. To register, please click here.

All webinars are recorded and links to the recordings are available on the Contractor Support site. 

Program/s: EmPower+
To: EmPower+ Contractors
Summary: Program Permit requirements
Contact with Questions: Matthew Houle

Starting October 1st all projects with Electrical Panel Installations or electrical wiring upgrades must have a permit submitted with the project, if a permit is required by the local code office. If an inspection will be done after final project submission, a note should be added to the project indicating when the expected inspection will occur. After the inspection occurs, a photograph of the inspection sticker should be added to the project.

All other projects that require permits will need to have the permits added to the project document page in NYHEP after November 1.

The Participation Agreement that all contractors have signed to participate in NYSERDA Home Modernization programs requires contractors to follow all requirements of the local code office at all times, regardless of the dates required for permit uploads to NYHEP.

To: Participating Contractors
Regarding Programs: EmPower+
Summary: KEDLI HEAT Transition to EmPower+ Webinar
Contact: Contractor Support at (800) 284-9069 or support.residential@nyserda.ny.gov

A webinar will be held on October 17, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. to share information on the transition of National Grid’s KEDLI HEAT offering to NYSERDA’s EmPower+ Program. Participating Contractors and Regional Clean Energy Hubs working in the territory are encouraged to attend.

The KEDLI HEAT program will close by December 31, 2025. Concurrently, NYSERDA’s EmPower+ program will expand to serve eligible gas customers located in KEDLI’s service territory through its standard program offering. NYSERDA will begin taking applications for Long Island gas customers in EmPower+ beginning November 1, 2025.

Register for the webinar

All webinars are recorded and links to the recordings are available on the Contractor Support site.

To: EmPower+ Participating Contractors
Summary: EmPower+ Mass Media Approval Deadline
Questions: Uthman.Aziz@nyserda.ny.gov

Historically the Home Modernization team has worked with participating contractors to advance and promote the EmPower+ program through various advertising channels. Effective October 27, 2025, no new mass media advertising (TV, radio, print, social media, etc.) specifically calling out EmPower+ or its program offerings will be approved.  Any advertising approved prior to Oct. 27, may run through existing contracted completion dates. 

Flyers or similar materials distributed by contractors to customers will continue to be reviewed by NYSERDA on a case-by-case basis by submitting copies to uthman.aziz@nyserda.ny.gov for prior approval.

Program/s: EmPower+
To: EmPower+ Contractors
Summary: Additional Don’t Be Left Exposed – Spray Foam Training
Contact with Questions: Matthew Houle

Details: Numerous contractors have contacted Program staff regarding the need for an additional Don’t Be Left Exposed training. NYSERDA has scheduled one last live training for September 26th, Part 1 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. and Part 2 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. ET. This training is required for all spray foam contractors as part of the certification requirements.

Please see links below to register for the training. The recorded version of the training will be added to the program manual soon.

Part 1 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/1852496123200937822
Part 2 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/9142122975425646682

Program/s: Quality & Market Standards, Empower+
To: EmPower+ Contractors
Summary: QMS Nonconformance Training
Contact with Questions:  inspections@nyserda.ny.gov

Details: Training will be delivered live via webinar for the contractor network and will also be recorded for future reference. The recorded sessions will be divided into short, three- to five-minute modules that contractors can use for training or as a quick reference in the field.

Two presentations will be provided: one covering fire hazards and the other focusing on indoor air quality. Each session will run about 25 minutes and will be held during the EmPower+ monthly contractor network meetings, typically on the first Friday of each month at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The upcoming sessions are scheduled for October 3 and November 7, 2025 as part of the monthly contractor webinar.

Program/s: EmPower+
To: Participating Contractors, Clean Energy Hubs and Stakeholders
Summary: The Energy Affordability Guarantee Pilot
Contact with Questions: Please reach out to Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069 with any questions

The Energy Affordability Guarantee (EAG) is a Pilot being run by The New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) that will provide homes that have been or will be electrified through the EmPower+ Program with a utility bill subsidy to ensure the homes energy burden is not greater than 6%.​

The goal for the Pilot is to serve at least 100 EmPower+ Tier 1 (Low-Income) households in each of the utility areas. Based on current program production, additional projects are needed in the following areas:

• Central Hudson
• Consolidated Edison
• Orange and Rockland
• Rochester Gas and Electric

Homes that have had projects completed on or after May 1, 2023, will be eligible. ​

Pilot Guidelines

• Only homes in the following electric territories will be eligible: Central Hudson, Consolidated Edison, Orange and Rockland, and Rochester Gas and Electric.  Households with Municipal Electric are not eligible.
• This pilot is only available to Tier 1 / low-income customers.​
• Homes that are served by all fuel sources including natural gas will be eligible. ​
• The maximum allowable ACH50 for homes will be increased to 10.​
• The home’s existing heating systems must be removed, and the heat pump should be sized to cover the full heating load. 
• The water heating system must either be a HPWH or electrical resistance if the electrical resistance heater was already present.​
• Projects participating in the pilot will have priority at provisional approval.​
• Contractor may return to a home that has a heat pump installed to install a HPWH, to qualify for the pilot.​
• Homes will have energy monitors installed on the electrical panel boxes.​

Pilot Process for New EmPower+ Projects

1. A Pilot application will be available on the contractor support site. This application must be filled out and submitted to Matt Houle matthew.houle@nyserda.ny.gov. Matt will review the application to ensure it meets program requirements and notify the contractor that they can proceed to submit the work scope. ​
2. CLEAResult will identify the project in NYHEP as eligible for the pilot.​
3. The work scope will be submitted per the normal EmPower+ Program processes and given priority at provisional approval.​
4. After the project is complete, NYSERDA will provide the data for the project to the Implementation Contractor at DPS so they can contact and enroll the customer.​
5. NYSERDA will be hiring a contractor to supervise the installation of energy monitors. ​
6. NYSERDA will provide a tracker on the contractor support site indicating how many projects will be eligible in each utility territory.​
7. The information from this pilot will be used to determine future utility bill subsidies and the viability of a gas to heat pump conversions in certain markets. ​
8. The goal of the pilot is to have the remaining projects completed by December 31, 2025. 

The EAG Pilot was covered on the July 11, 2025, Home Modernization Monthly Contractor Call. If there are any questions, please reach out to Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069.

Program: EmPower+ and Comfort Home
To: EmPower+ and Comfort Home Participating Contractors
Summary: Reminder of Required Spray Foam Training-Due October 2025
Contact with Questions: Contract Support at (800) 284-9069 or email at support.residential@nyserda.ny.gov

This is a reminder for Participating Contractors installing spray foam through EmPower+ or Comfort Home. NYSERDA is requiring training for individuals working on spray foam projects to be completed no later than October 1, 2025. A list of the required training for Field Employees, Applicators, Crew Leaders, and Auditors can be found on the contractor support site.

Contractors are required to keep documentation of the trainings, including the training title, staff names, and dates the training was completed.

Contractors will need to submit a signed attestation verifying their company meets the new training requirements. Once completed, contractors may submit the attestation form to support.residential@nyserda.ny.gov.

Information on the Spray Foam Training Requirements was provided as part of the November 1, 2024, Contractor Check-in Webinar, which was recorded.

If you have any questions, please contact Contractor Support at 800- 284–9069 or email at support.residential@nyserda.ny.gov.

Program/s: Residential Energy Assessment Program
To: REA Contractors
Summary: REA Program Sunset and Final Submission Dates
Contact with Questions:  homeaudits@nyserda.ny.gov

As mentioned during the April 2025 Residential Program Update Meeting, NYSERDA will be launching a Virtual Energy Assessment Program in the fourth quarter of 2025 and will be replacing the Residential Energy Assessment (REA) program. The final day to submit an REA enrollment in NYHEP will be Thurs. Dec. 18, 2025.    

We encourage all REA contractors to familiarize themselves with the Comfort Home Program as it will serve as the primary market rate program for assessments and incentives.​ By Q4 of 2025 all or most market rate audits should be completed through Comfort Home.  Please refer to this link for information on becoming a participating Comfort Home Contractor.  

Contractors should review their websites and other marketing material over the next few months to either remove the REA program or replace it with information related to Comfort Home, if applicable.  

All Comfort Home and EmPower+ audits completed through NYHEP will comply with GJGNY requirements and provide the necessary data needed for GJGNY loan applications.​  

The REA NYHEP portal will remain open for participating contractors to access their existing customer information.  In addition, the portal will also remain open if contractors need access to the Loan Proforma report for loan only projects.  A user guide for market rate loan use cases will be available in a future Program Announcement. 

For additional information about the Virtual Energy Assessment Program or the sunset of the REA program, please email homeaudits@nyserda.ny.gov.  

For additional information about the Comfort Home Program, please email support.residential@nyserda.ny.gov.​  

To: Contractors
Regarding Programs: Comfort Home
Summary: NYHEP Updates
Contact: Please reach out to Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069 with any questions

1. The document upload slot for the project contract has been added to the Assessment Started workflow step.  It’s an optional upload, however if the contract is uploaded to this document slot, it will remain with the enrollment including the Installation Started workflow step.

2. NYHEP has been updated to allow any incentive amount up to $3,000 to appear on Package B.  If there’s only $1,000 of Package A work and $4,000 of Package B work, then $1,000 incentive would be on Package A and $2,000 incentive on Package B.  The Package A price doesn’t need to be adjusted to take full advantage of the full $3,000 when doing Package A and B work.

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