NEWS YOU CAN USE [NYCU]... growing the industry together

EEBC NEWSLETTER • JULY 6, 2022, WEDNESDAY | CONTENTS

| EEBC SEPTEMBER 15th QUARTERLY MEMBER MEETING • Register Today!

| SAVE THE DATES • UPCOMING ACTION GROUPS MEETINGS [VIRTUAL]

HVAC/HEAT PUMP ACTION GROUPS | RESOURCE HUB

JULY 7th @ 3-4:00 pm | REGISTER

HVAC/HEAT PUMP ACTION GROUPS | RESOURCE HUB

— CONTRACTORS / DEALERS | JULY 21st @ 3-4:00 pm | REGISTER

LIGHTING ACTION GROUP | RESOURCE HUB

— CONTRACTORS, MANUFACTURERS, & DISTRIBUTORS | JULY 13th • 4:00-5:00 pm | REGISTER

To refresh your memory view prior document links on EEBC’s website Lighting Resource Hub.

JOIN YOUR ACTION GROUP TODAY! BECOME AN EEBC MEMBER | APPLICATION

Colorado Voices: Building Better After the Marshall Fire 

Aired June 30 & July 3 | WATCH Building Better After the Marshall Fire

'Not just building back, but building forward...' As Colorado's most destructive wildfire ever, the Marshall Fire burned 1,084 structures to the ground and damaged another 149. Boulder County, where the fire ravished, counted six burn injuries and two presumed deaths. Six months later, here are images of the area 

Slideshow: Devastation of the Marshall File | Passive House Standards

Building Professional List on RebuildingBetter.org Website

In an effort to facilitate matchmaking between homeowners seeking to rebuild and professionals seeking to serve them, EnergySmart is maintaining a list of building professionals who have expressed interest in working on Marshall Fire rebuilds.

The sole requirement to be on this list is to ask to be on it or to have participated in one of the Marshall Fire builder expos. the list is a work in progress and will be modified on a weekly basis as additional information becomes available. If you would like to be on that list or update your information, fill out the survey. Contact: info@EnergySmartYes.com

Gov. Polis recently signed SB22-206 - Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Resources, a new law that provides landmark support for wildfire firefighting and establishes the Office of Climate Preparedness to take a long-term approach to wildfire mitigation and help Coloradans to build back with resilience to future natural disasters. The first offering from that law will be a grant program from the Colorado Energy Office for homes lost in the Marshall Fire and East Troublesome Fire that will provide $10,000 for high-efficiency electric homes or rental units. To earn this incentive, the rebuilt homes must use:

Incidental gas use for equipment like fireplaces or grills is allowed under the incentive. The incentive from the Colorado Energy Office may be combined with the incentive program offered by Xcel Energy for Marshall Fire victims, increasing the total amount of incentives available to each homeowner. To earn the incentive, homes must be built to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, Boulder County’s BuildSmart, or stronger standards. The details of timing and program administration are still being finalized and will be shared on RebuildingBetter.org when they are available.

| MEMBER RESOURCE

HP Contractor Sales Team Resource Tool • A summary of the heat pump (HP) and heat pump water heaters (HPWH) rebates are listed by Colorado utility on the EEBC website. The spreadsheet includes the HP rebate levels, requirements, and “add-on” city and non-profit rebates – a complete contractor and distributor sales tool summary all in one place for easy access.  Visit EEBC’s website to Download the complete rebate document or visit your utility webpage for the most up-to-date and complete list of rebate information. A 'Shout-out' and thank you to the Heat Pump Action Group members - Vista Sales, Scott Muhonen; GA Larson, Pete Perrett; and Daikin, Matt Baker for collaborating on this great sales tool, researching, and populating the document — and who have generously shared this tool with the HVAC/HP EEBC members.

Join EEBC HP Action Groups to identify more tools that remove barriers and make HP sales easier. 

A consumer resource list is located on Loveelectric.org. 

­Congress has provided stable ongoing funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program. But despite these strong investments, 10-30% of low-income homeowners nationwide are left out of weatherization assistance because their homes have issues like mold, asbestos, outdated wiring, and structural deficiencies. Your voice is needed to tell Congress to close this gap by passing new legislation, The Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act!

This bill would address the backlog of WAP-ineligible homes by creating a Weatherization Readiness Program, which would provide grants to address structural, electrical, and health issues in low-income homes to allow them to qualify for WAP. The legislation would also nearly double the limit on how much assistance households can receive under WAP to $12,000, helping the program keep up with rising costs of building materials and allowing for more improvements per project.

Sign on to this grassroots letter asking congressional leaders to support improving the home performance of low-income households through the Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act. Adding your name to the list of advocates is quick, easy, and an effective way to make your voice as stakeholders and taxpayers heard. 

The USEER analysis shows the energy sector experienced positive job growth, increasing 4.0% from 2020 to 2021, outpacing overall U.S. employment, which climbed 2.8% in the same period. Overall, the total number of energy jobs increased, from 7.5 million in 2020 to more than 7.8 million in 2021, after a steep decline in 2020. 

There are more than 3 million jobs, 40% of total energy jobs, that support reducing U.S. emissions to zero across several sectors—underscoring the pathway to success in reaching President Biden’s goal of a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. President Biden’s leadership, vision, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help grow clean energy jobs at a remarkable pace, delivering good-paying opportunities to America’s workers in communities across the country.  

Going forward, President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides significant investments in clean energy infrastructure, including $62 billion for DOE to expand access to energy efficiency; deliver reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans; and build the technologies of tomorrow. The Law also supports transitioning energy communities with investments of $750M for manufacturing in coal communities and $500M for clean energy demonstrations on mine lands. Complete Article

COLORADO SPRINGS — Higher Utility Prices Starting July 1st

Residential customers can expect to pay an average of $27 more on each bill. On Tuesday, Colorado Springs City Council, which serves as the utility board, approved the rate hike for customers. On the table were two possible resolutions, both increasing utility prices, but at different rates. The council approved the plan with a lower rate, which increases both electric and natural gas prices. READ ARTICLE

Continuing Education | Energy Codes 2022 will feature several continuing education options for energy code professionals. Sessions will be submitted for American Institute of Architects (AIA), International Code Council (ICC), and Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) approval. REGISTER TO ATTEND

But, Shouldn’t | Wednesday, July 20, 1:40 p.m. ET • VIRTUAL

The keynote speakers are Paul Snyder, EVP of Stewardship Tillamook County Creamery Association and Janelle Meyers, Chief Sustainability Officer Kellogg Company two experts from top packaged food companies who come together to discuss sustainability challenges the industry faces and explore how their companies are facing these challenges head-on. Paul and Janelle will talk about the initiatives their individual companies are engaged in, detailing the steps they have taken to achieve their goals while sharing some of the lessons they’ve learned along the way. MORE ABOUT THE SUMMIT & REGISTER

RENEWABLES POWERING FORWARD | AUGUST 6, SATURDAY • 9:00 am

It is hard to overstate how much has changed on the energy front in the past decade. This conference will show how key elements in this evolving energy landscape fit together and why we stand a real chance to solve climate when we solve energy. REGISTER

EEBA's annual High-Performance Home Summit showcases cutting-edge research and educates building professionals, with the goal that they leave our events inspired to effectively build and sell high-performance homes at a far greater pace. Together, let's bring sustainability home! REGISTER