Capitol Insights By Chris Czarnecki
DOE Guidance for IRA Rebate Programs Includes Requirements on Installation Standards and Qualifi ed Contractors
ACCA was pleased that DOE included requirements on installation and quali�ied contractors. This will promote energy ef�iciency and protect consumers and quality contractors alike.
states that want to participate in the Home Energy Rebate programs that were established by the Inflation Reduction Act--specifically the Home Efficiency Rebates Program and the Home Electri- fication and Appliance Rebates Program. In total, over $8 billion in funding is avail- able to states between the two. The guidelines establish minimum ele-
Y
ments that states must include in order to receive funds. This means that require- ments and program structures will vary from state to state, and there could be significant differences. Moreover, some states, like Florida, will opt out of apply- ing for the funds altogether. With that said, there are some highlights that we’re excited about. A significant requirement of the states’
applications is a ‘consumer protection plan,’ which includes two big priorities that ACCA promoted during the comment period for these programs. The first pri- ority included is regarding quality instal- lation and installation standards: States must identify installation stan- dards with which
installers must 12 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023
ou may have seen that the Depart- ment of Energy (DOE) recently released program requirements and application instructions for
comply, including, at minimum, stan-
dards designed to: ENSURE work complies with local and state laws, permits, codes, and industry
standards. ESTABLISH minimum quality installation
standards for rebated technologies. PROMOTE use of standardized and sequenced procedures for developing a detailed project scope of work. Establish processes to enforce installa- tion standards, including QA processes that allow the State to verify and docu- ment whether installation standards have been met. Another priority included in the con-
sumer protection plan focuses on quali- fied contractors and lists the following minimum requirements for states: States must describe how the program will initially develop the qualified con- tractor list. The plan must describe which qualification(s) contractors will be held to, potentially including but not limited to home performance industry creden- tials, training requirements, business insurance and licensure, skills stan- dards, and labor standards. States must describe the process by which contractors will be added to the
qualified contractor list, including
how imple-
menters will review and consider contrac- tors trained by IRA training grants. States must describe the process that would lead to a contractor being delisted and the process by which a contractor would be delisted. States must describe how the State program will ensure energy
savings are calculated using allow- able methods according to the statute, including how approved tools/software will be identified and how contrac- tors will be alerted to these tools and trained on proper use. States must describe how they will educate contractors and building owners to invest in envelope improve- ments before investments are made in mechanical equipment. Again, it’s worth noting that these are minimum requirements.
Some
states may opt to do even more. With that said, it does give us a general idea of what to expect. ACCA was pleased that DOE included
requirements on installation and quali- fied contractors. This will promote energy efficiency and protect consumers and quality contractors alike. The complete guidelines from DOE
can be found here:
https://accanow.net/ DOE-IRA-Guidlines.
Chris Czarnecki is ACCA’s Director of Government Relations & Advocacy and is responsible for government relations in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at
chris.czarnecki@
acca.org.
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