Tag: Announcement

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:

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.

To: Contractors and Stakeholders
Regarding Programs: EmPower New York & Assisted Home Performance
Summary: New Date for Contractor Portal Launch
Contact: Please contact your Account Manager

NYSERDA would like to inform you that the launch of the New York Home Energy Portal (NYHEP) and EmPower+ has been delayed and will not be released on July 10, 2023. This modified timeline will allow additional time to address any remaining technology challenges and ensure an improved crossover experience from the current portal (Uplight) to NYHEP. Additional information will be provided on the June 2, 2023, monthly contractor check-in webinar.

We recognize this postponement may cause some inconvenience to participating contractors and vendors; however, it is necessary in order to ensure a smooth system transition. Prior to the transition, we encouraged you to close out as much in-progress work as possible to minimize the impacts of this transition.

To help ensure contractor staff are fully prepared for the transition, we will take advantage of the additional time to provide additional training opportunities and office hours in the upcoming weeks to allow contractors more time to experience the new system, to answer questions, and ensure all impacted contractor staff have sufficient time to become familiar with the new system before the transition. A sandbox version of the NYHEP will remain open through July, allowing contractors to practice on sample projects and attend open ended Office hours to address any issues that may be found. If additional support is needed, contractors are encouraged to reach out to their account managers for assistance.

We recognize this postponement may cause some inconveniences to participating contractors; however, it is necessary in order to ensure a smoother system transition.

Additional Training and Office Hours are scheduled in May to allow contractors more time to experience the new system and ensure all impacted contractor staff have sufficient time to become familiar with the new system before the transition. A sandbox version of the NYHEP will be available April 10 through June, allowing contractors to submit sample projects and attend Open Office hours to address any issues that may be found.

Our current NYHEP launch timeline is as follows:

For EmPower/Assisted Home Performance Projects:

• 6/23/23- Applications in Salesforce will be held for the new portal
• 7/7/23- Contractor Access to Uplight is closed- All projects must be updated by 5 PM
• 7/10/23- NY Home Energy Portal Opens, Applications previously held from Salesforce will migrate to NYHEP
• 7/12/23- Payment of all closed projects from Uplight
• 7/17/23- Projects from Uplight with status of project acceptance, audit claim or earlier will be available in NYHEP at enrollment acceptance step.
• 7/18/23- Payment begins of projects completed in NYHEP
• 7/28/23 Remaining open projects from Uplight available in NYHEP
• 9/1/23-References to EmPower and Assisted Home Performance on websites and printed materials must be updated for EmPower+
• 9/11/23- Last day for accepting the Combined Residential Application paper version.

For Residential Energy Assessments:

• 7/7/23- Contractor Access to Uplight is closed- All completed assessments must be submitted by 5 PM
• 7/10/23- NY Home Energy Portal Opens for new energy assessment submissions
• 7/12/23- Payment of all closed projects from Uplight
• 7/18/23- Payment begins for assessments completed in NYHEP

If you have any questions about this transition, please contact your account manager (for EmPower and AHP contractors) or [email protected] (for REA contractors).