HOME ENERGY SOLUTIONS
Existing Homes
November and December trainings
Upcoming trainings include a free webinar on the Energy Performance Score, and trainings on Performance Tested Comfort SystemsTM Duct Sealing certification and Building Performance Institute Envelope Specialist certification. View dates and times for these trainings.
You can keep track of events for homeowners as well. For the latest Energy Trust community events, visit Energy Trust's events & education calendar.
Portland General Electric heat pump campaign ends November 30; encourage your electric utility clients to enter the heat pump sweepstakes
PGE customers can enter to win one of two heat pumps—one for a home with ducts, one for a home without ducts. The sweepstakes are presented in collaboration by PGE, Energy Trust, Carrier® and SANYO.
Winners receive a heat pump system suitable to their home. The winner of the ducted heat pump system will receive duct testing, sealing and a CheckMe! system check—a package worth up to $13,900. The ductless heat pump package is worth up to $12,500. Homeowners can enter to win by visiting the PGE website.
In addition, PGE offers a $200 rebate when homeowners replace their electric heating system with an energy-efficient heat pump. For all the details, visit Energy Trust's website. On the selected models, homeowners may also qualify for:
- $50 to $430—Oregon Residential Energy Tax Credit
- Up to $1,500—Federal energy tax credit
PGE customers can get a $100 bonus for making an energy-saving improvement by December 31
Do you have clients or friends who heat their homes with electricity provided by PGE? Energy Trust is here to help eligible PGE customers take the next step to greater energy cost savings by offering a limited-time $100 cash-back bonus—in addition to the standard Energy Trust cash incentive—when they install a qualifying improvement and postmark the appropriate form and bonus coupon by December 31, 2009.
For complete rules, instructions and details, visit www.energytrust.org/promotions.
Energy Trust heat pump incentives are for ducted systems only
The high-efficiency heat pump and premium-efficiency heat pump incentives are available for ducted systems only. Information on heat pump options for homeowners with non-electric heat or electric resistance heat can be accessed through the heating and cooling section of the cash incentives page.
Ductless heat pump pilot
Incentives for ductless heat pumps are only available in limited quantities through the ductless heat pump pilot. Trade allies participating in the pilot must have attended a manufacturer technical training, agree to Energy Trust quality assurance requirements and attend a Northwest Ductless Heat Pump Project orientation (if performing installations outside Energy Trust territory). If your company meets the criteria, contact us to be included on a list of pilot eligible contractors. The list will provided to homeowners wanting to participate in the ductless heat pump pilot. To be included in this list or to reserve a ductless heat pump pilot incentive, contact at 503.715.2418.
Incentive Form 320H can be used for water heaters and CheckMe!
Incentive Form 320H has been updated to accommodate water heater and CheckMe! measures, in addition to heating equipment. A field for CheckMe! cost (if applicable) has been added to the heat pump incentives section; an additional field has been added to the lower portion of the form to remind you to submit the CheckMe! heat pump commissioning data sheet with your customer's incentive application materials. PTCS heat pump commissioning is also recognized as an acceptable optimization protocol and may be included in the place of the CheckMe! requirements.
A water heater incentives section has also been added to Form 320H. The new section requests manufacturer, model and serial numbers, energy factor, install cost, capacity and heating fuel information. Qualifying water heaters, including conventional and tankless ("on demand") units, are also listed.
When submitting an incentive application, remember to include your signature and an invoice marked "paid in full." All Existing Homes incentive applications, including Form 320H can be found on the Forms and Resources page.
The purpose of adding new forms is to reduce the number of incomplete applications requiring extra attention at our contact center. If you have questions about forms, or suggestions for improvements, please contact , Home Energy Solutions trade ally coordinator, at 503.523.4837.
Reminder about responding to customer inquiries and requests for bids
The busy season is here and customers are eager to have energy-efficient improvements installed in their homes. To become an Existing Homes trade ally, you signed Trade Ally Network Addendum Form 371A, agreeing to respond to customer inquiries within three business days and to offer bids on all jobs. Make sure your sales and administrative staff understands the requirement of returning customer inquiries in a timely manner and of offering a bid, if asked. Home Performance trade allies can offer a comprehensive home assessment but cannot require a customer to agree to a test-in to receive a bid from your company.
Whether you are new to the Trade Ally Network or a seasoned trade ally, we encourage you to review the terms and conditions for participation section of the Trade Ally Network Addendum Form 371A to ensure your company's compliance and understanding of our requirements for participation.
2009 Weatherization Specifications installation tip: ground covers
Laying new ground cover in the crawlspace of a home is often an important first step when installing floor insulation. Experienced insulation contractors know the value of a good ground cover. A good ground cover keeps moisture and dirt from entering the conditioned space of a home. Additionally, good ground cover makes a cleaner, healthier work space for insulation technicians and homeowners that may access the crawlspace of a home.
When inspecting a home, quality control reviewers look for undamaged, six millimeter, black-polyethylene ground cover as part of a completed floor insulation measure. The cover must be black so that light cannot penetrate and cause germination. The ground cover must also be free of tears, all seams must overlap by a minimum of 12 inches and all exposed soil in the crawlspace must be covered.
The 2009 Weatherization Specifications Manual contains the complete requirements for installing under-floor insulation and ground covers.
For more information on our program, visit Energy Trust's Home Energy Solutions—Existing Homes program pages or call 1.866.368.7878.