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Tag: Announcement

EmPower+ Geo-eligibility Ending

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To: EmPower+ Contractors
Regarding Programs: EmPower+
Summary: EmPower+ Geo-eligibility Ending
Contact: Additional information will be provided in upcoming Program Announcements and on the February 2nd Contractor Webinar

Effective February 1, 2024, geo-eligibility will no longer be an option for determining EmPower+ income eligibility. Certain funding sources that support EmPower+ do not allow for geo-eligibility as an option for income verification. Below are estimated dates for the transition away from geo-eligibility:

  • Now through January 31, 2024- Program will continue to approve EmPower+ applications where the household was determined through geo-eligibility to be income-eligible.
  • February 1, 2024- geo-eligibility will be shut down in the online application and on the EmPower+ Application web page. References to geo-eligibility will be removed from EmPower+ web pages and program documentation.
    • Households that have been determined to be geo-eligible prior to the shut off will have until April 15, 2024, to have work completed. After the shut off of geo-eligibility, contractors will be given a list of customers who qualified with geo-eligibility.
  • April 15, 2024- Any EmPower+ project where the household was determined eligible by geo-eligibility will need to be completed and closed out. Projects that are not completed at this time will be closed by CLEAResult. When the customer reapplies, a new enrollment will be created for them. Contractors can enter the information from the previous enrollment into the new enrollment.

Households determined to be eligible for EmPower+ through geo-eligibility will be sent an email and letter from NYSERDA. They will be informed them that their project must be completed no later than April 15, 2024, or they will need to reapply to the program.

This change is only applicable to geo-eligibility in EmPower+; it does not impact the geo-eligibility determination for interest rates through NYSERDA’s Residential Loan Fund.

Additional information will be provided in upcoming Program Announcements and on the February 2nd Contractor Webinar.

Holiday Impacts on EmPower+ Program

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To: Participating Contractors
Regarding Programs: EmPower+
Summary: Holiday Impacts on EmPower+ Program
Contact: Reach out to your Account Manager

NYSERDA wishes you and your family a happy and safe holiday season. Please see below for EmPower+ program staff and implementation staff hours for the end of December and beginning of January.

CLOSURES:

  • Monday, December 25: NYSERDA & CLEAResult
  • Tuesday, December 26: CLEAResult
  • Monday, January 1: NYSERDA & CLEAResult

EmPower+

INVOICES:

CLEAResult will submit two invoices to NYSERDA the week of the 24th with payments expected to be dispersed within 2-3 days.

  • Wednesday, December 27 with an estimated payment by Jan 2
  • Thursday, December 28 an estimated payment by Jan 3

Participating contractors working in the field in need of an emergency approval may contact Michael Downing – 774-314-2220 on Monday, 12/25, Brendon Fox – 518-207-4512 on Tuesday, 12/26 and Pete Hoke – 518-207-4534 on Monday, 1/1. The Tech Services team also includes information in their autoreply and voicemail messages directing contractors on who to go to if they have an emergency or to reach out to contractor support for non-emergency matters and someone will get back to them after the holidays. If there is an emergency that requires assistance from Shared Services, please contact Lindsay Huba-Zhang at 518-598-3573, otherwise non-emergency matters will be responded to after the holiday.

NYSERDA Single Family Programs Update

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To: Contractors
Regarding Programs: EmPower+
Summary: February Monthly Contractor Check-in
Contact: [email protected]

NYSERDA Single Family Programs Update

Friday,  February 2, 2024

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. ET

Webinar number 2533 150 7874

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.

Implementation Contractor Updates

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To: NYSERDA Single Family Residential Program Partners
Regarding Programs: NYSERDA Single Family Residential Programs
Summary: Implementation Contractor Updates
Contact: [email protected]

At the end of 2023, the current Shared Services and Technical Services contracts supporting EmPower+ and Residential Energy Assessments will expire.  Effective January 1, 2024, these program implementation services will be transitioned to TRC and CLEAResult to provide programmatic and customer support as outlined below. Moving forward, NYSERDA’s expectation is to streamline and align implementation support across all Single-Family Residential programs.

Over the next several weeks, staff will be working to make the necessary system and internal process updates. While we expect minimal interruptions and impacts to the services provided, we appreciate your support and understanding as the Implementation teams work through the changes.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

Customer Engagement and Enrollment Contractor

TRC will assume the responsibility of customer support prior to, and through, the application enrollment process. Specifically, TRC will:

  • Provide call-center support for customers to answer questions about program offerings and assist with customer enrollment
  • Process customer applications for EmPower+
  • Provide income verification services for program incentives
  • Process low-income referral files and mailings or other outreach to referred customers

The customer application will continue to be in Salesforce and no changes to the application process is expected.

For questions on customer applications to EmPower+, TRC will be handling calls received through the 1- 866-NYSERDA number. For EmPower+ paper applications that will be mailed in, the updated address is:

TRC Companies

3 Corporate Drive, Suite 202

Clifton Park, NY 12065

The application address is being updated on the NYSERDA website and on the online and  paper versions of the application and will be available prior to January 1, 2024.

Program Operations and Technical Support Contractor

CLEAResult has been named as the Program Operations and Technical Support Contractor responsible for customer support once an application has been approved as well as programmatic and technical support for contractors in the EmPower+ and Residential Energy Assessment programs. Specifically, their role will include the following:

  • Contractor Assignment on Approved EmPower+ Applications
  • Provide technical and programmatic support to contractors through trainings, in-field and remote assistance, responding to support tickets and managing a call center
  • Provide customer support for in-progress work and post-completion inquiries or other issues
  • Process manual workscope and final project reviews for EmPower+, including incentive invoice processing
  • Process Residential Energy Assessment submissions, including incentive invoice processing
  • Provide assistance maintaining program participation agreements, updating program processes and other resources

For  project related questions following the approval of the audit application, please reach out to 1-800-284-9069, the current contractor support phone number. Workflow approval procedures and invoice submission processes will continue to be processed in the New York Home Energy Portal.

For Comfort Home, technical and operational support services will continue by the current TRC contract through 2024.

NYSERDA will be providing a more comprehensive overview of implementation roles as part of the January 5th Contractor Check-in.

Referring to the Program as EmPower+

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To: EmPower+ Participating Contractors
Regarding Programs: EmPower+
Summary: Referring to the Program as EmPower+
Contact: Please reach out to your Account Manager

Following the launch of EmPower+ in July, NYSERDA requested Participating Contractors review their literature and websites and change all references of EmPower NY and Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® to EmPower+ by September 1, 2023. In addition, marketing and promotional materials as well as forms with the EmPower or Assisted Home Performance program names should have ceased to be used by September 1, 2023, at the latest.

When discussing program offerings with customers, please refer to the Program as EmPower+, this helps create program awareness and helps eliminate confusion.  Also, moving forward, any marketing or media review requests with references to “EmPower” and not EmPower+ will be denied. In addition, please ensure any references to EmPower or Assisted Home Performance in your own literature or on company websites have been updated to EmPower+.

Please reach out to your Account Manager with any questions.