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PA Home Energy

Energy Efficiency – Residential

In 2007, WPPSEF embarked on an ambitious undertaking – the rollout of PA Home Energy, which would serve as its primary delivery program to attract and deploy EPA’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes programs to Pennsylvania. It was a bold initiative that would have major impact on developing the Pennsylvania workforce to support major residential energy efficiency programs and a launch point for larger commercial/ community-scale energy assessment programs. PA Home Energy was launched on August 3, 2007 at Waynesburg University. The WPPSEF retained Performance Systems Development to run the day-to-day operations of PA Home Energy. In January 2008, WPPSEF implementation plan to conduct EPA’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR was approved and a few weeks later public marketing efforts were initiated.

At the heart of PA Home Energy is the whole house systems approach. Comprehensive, whole house improvements using Home Performance with ENERGY STAR or building new homes to the ENERGY STAR Qualified Home standards will improve home comfort and safety, reduce energy costs, and promote better indoor air quality. WPPSEF provided workforce development workshops that trained over 500 individuals on the whole house systems approach. PA Home Energy contractors were required to pass BPI Building Analyst I and RESNET program standards. In addition to co-funding the BPI and RESNET trainings, WPPSEF provided in-field mentoring to contractors participating in PA Home Energy. PA Home Energy impacted hundreds of homes. PA Home Energy contractors were well positioned to immediately participate in the utility ACT 129 program of 2008. The PA Home Energy program was transitioned to the private sector in June 2010 when it was integrated into AFC First Financial’s Keystone Home Energy Loan Program (Keystone HELP).

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