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Tag: Announcement

Project Photo Requirements Update

Events, Training Opportunities and ConferencesArchive
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Program/s: EmPower+
To: Participating Contractors
Summary: Project Photo Requirements Update
Questions: Please contact Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069.

Effective for EmPower+ final project submissions on or after October 1, 2024, project photos will need to be time-stamped, geo-tagged and aggregated into a single document for submission to the program. A single PDF document for each project is required to be submitted and can be made using a commercial product such as CompanyCam or the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory  Quality Install Tool | PNNL. Alternately, a contractor can create a visible geo-tag for each photo individually and aggregate the photos into a single PDF.

EmPower+ project submission photo requirements were covered as part of the Single-Family Residential Program webinars on September 6, 2024, and October 4, 2024. Recordings of the webinars are located here. As a correction note, on the October 4, 2024, webinar, it was indicated that for heat pump projects, a geo-tagged photo of the existing plenum was required at project submission, this was an error, Program does not require photos of the existing plenum to be geo-tagged. The posted slide deck and any program materials will be updated to reflect this.

Section 8.2 of the Program Manual has been created to provide information on photo requirements for energy assessments and project submissions.

If there are any questions, please contact Contractor Support at 1-800-284-9069.

Introducing MyEnergy: Your New Tool for NYSERDA Residential Program Applications

Events, Training Opportunities and ConferencesArchive
EmPower+Archive
Residential Energy AssessmentsArchive
Comfort Home PilotArchive
Green Jobs – Green New York Residential FinancingArchive
General AnnouncementsArchive

Program/s: EmPower+
To: Participating Contractors
Summary: MyEnergy platform will go-live on October 25, 2024
Contact with Questions: Please contact [email protected]

We are excited to introduce you to MyEnergy, a platform designed to enhance residential customer engagement with home and building clean energy improvements. The initial rollout of MyEnergy will support New York households by enabling residents to find clean energy home improvement incentives and connect with a participating contractor. Over the coming year, we will be enhancing MyEnergy with new features and resources to better connect residents and contractors to a broader range of clean energy programs.   

With a MyEnergy account, residents can initially

  • Submit an EmPower+ and/or Appliance Upgrade Program application
  • Search for a participating contractor or retailer
  • Find a Clean Energy Regional Hub
  • View NYSERDA residential rebate and incentive options
  • Get help with the EmPower+ and/or Appliance Upgrade Program application process

Effective October 25, 2024, participating contractors can begin using MyEnergy to complete the following actions:

  • Submit an EmPower+ and Appliance Upgrade Program application on behalf of a resident 
  • Access submitted EmPower+ and Appliance Upgrade Program applications and projects to provide status updates
  • Determine a resident’s eligibility for EmPower+ and Appliance Upgrade Program
  • Submit Appliance Upgrade Program sales documentation
  • Get support by submitting questions regarding NYSERDA programs, applications, or support with the MyEnergy portal

Upcoming Training Opportunities: Training opportunities will be offered in October to ensure you can make the most of the MyEnergy platform. Stay tuned for upcoming communications with details on how to register.

Important Considerations:

  • Comfort Home Applications: Applications for the Comfort Home Program will be available on MyEnergy in 2025. In the meantime, residents eligible for the Comfort Home program will be guided to NYSERDA’s Find a Contractor page. From there, they can connect with a certified contractor who will assist in conducting an assessment and identifying potential energy-saving projects.
  • Multifamily Residential Program: Applications for the Multifamily Residential Program will be available on MyEnergy in 2025. A separate communication will be distributed for this effort.

MyEnergy Recorded Demonstration:

During our Contractor Check-In on September 9, 2024, we conducted a demonstration of MyEnergy where we highlighted the numerous benefits of the platform. The session covered essential topics such as navigating the interface, submitting applications, and more! To watch the demonstration, please follow this link: https://hpwescontractorsupport.com/webinars.

We look forward to your active participation in the upcoming training sessions. Together, we can ensure a smooth transition and continue to provide exceptional service to New York residents.

NYSERDA Single Family Programs Update – 10/4/2024

Events, Training Opportunities and ConferencesArchive
EmPower+Archive
Residential Energy AssessmentsArchive
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Green Jobs – Green New York Residential FinancingArchive
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Program/s: EmPower+, Residential Energy Assessments, Comfort Home
To: Participating Contractors
Summary: Monthly Contractor Update
Contact with Questions: [email protected]

NYSERDA Single Family Programs Update
Friday, October 4, 2024
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. ET
Webinar number: 2534 351 3591
Event password: Energy 1

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.

GJGNY Residential Financing – Interest Rate Changes

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To: Residential Contractors
From: Residential Financing Team
Programs: EmPower+, Comfort Home, Residential Energy Assessment Program
Summary: GJGNY Residential Financing – Interest Rate Changes
Questions: [email protected]

Dear Participating Contractors:

NYSERDA will be making the following updates to the GJGNY Financing Program’s interest rates to support the program’s objectives of increasing efficiency, reducing cost, and making GJGNY residential loans more accessible to low-income households and disadvantaged communities.

   1) Change eligibility for the lower rates to only customers that meet the New York State Disadvantaged Community Criteria or reside in a US Census Block Group identified as where 50% or more of the population of the group has a household income of less than or equal to 80% Area Median Income (AMI) (“Designated Areas”). Customers living outside these Designated Areas, and who can provide household income documentation to show their household income is less than or equal to 80% AMI, would also be eligible for the lower rates. Customers not in a Designated Area or unable to show household income of lower or equal to 80% AMI would only be eligible for the higher interest rates. NYSERDA will update the web based geographic eligibility map to reflect this change. We anticipate this update to be completed by November 1, 2024.

   2) Recalibrate interest rates to better reflect market conditions. Interest rates for customers within a Designated Area or with household income of less than or equal to 80% AMI will increase from 3.99% to 4.5%, with the option of a 0.5% discount for Smart Energy Loans (SEL) when using automatic payments (ACH). Similarly, for customers outside of Designated Area or with household income greater than 80% AMI, interest rates will increase from 7.49% to 8.00%, with the option of a 0.5% discount for SEL when using ACH.

   3) Remove the 0.5% interest rate discount for On-Bill Recovery (OBR) loans. OBR loans have several fees associated with filing documents and title searches, which up until now had been paid by the Program. To date, the Program has incurred fee expenses of over $6.7 million. Removing the 0.5% discount will allow GJGNY to offset some of these expenses and fund additional loans.

These changes will come into effect on November 1, 2024, and will apply to all loan applications received on or after this date.

New Rates Effective for Applications Received On or After November 1, 2024
 SEL paid by ACHSEL paid by check & OBR
<=80% AMI and DAC4.00%4.50%
>80% AMI7.50%8.00%

Thank you,

NYSERDA’s Residential Financing Team

Contractor Support Line Outage

Some contractors are experiencing an error message when contacting the Contractor Support phone line as a participating contractor. This is being worked on and updates will be posted as they become available. As a temporary workaround for calling the support line, please select the either approved or past customer IVR option (option 2 when calling 800-284-9069).

Other communication channels are unaffected: Contractors may submit a case by emailing [email protected], clicking the ‘Submit a Case’ button on the homepage of the contractor support website, or start a messaging session using the Chat bubble on the bottom right of the contractor support website’s homepage. Thank you for your continued support and patience.