When implemented and managed properly, co-promotion of weatherization (building envelope improvements) and high performance HVAC equipment is an effective strategy to achieve significant energy- and utility-cost savings in homes across the region. While these two home upgrade measures offer significant opportunities to reduce energy use and utility costs for homeowners and improve the resiliency of homes, there are a number of barriers that prevent consumers from making these improvements.
Though residential high performance HVAC and weatherization programs in the region have existed for years to help address the barriers to adoption, energy-efficiency incentive programs have historically targeted these two opportunities separately. Even within the same program, HVAC replacements and weatherization are often designed and operated independently of each other.
An increasing number of programs have begun to cross- or co-promote the measures in a more integrated way, with the aim of increasing uptake of both by leveraging initial interest in one of the two. Programs are now co-promoting the two measures through program requirements, financial incentives, education, and information exchange. Some programs view the inclusion of weatherization with high efficiency heat pump (HP) as a consumer protection strategy to maximize utility cost savings.
This guide was developed to serve two purposes: first, to describe how programs in the region are currently co-promoting high performance HVAC equipment, with a focus on high performance air- source heat pumps (ASHP), along with weatherization, and second, to present program best practices for how to design and implement programs that maximize the adoption of both solutions via co- promotion. ASHPs are the focus HVAC solution due to their cost savings for home owners, and current program focus across the region.
This guide provides a series of best practices that are currently being implemented by programs in the region and beyond. It also includes a few emerging practices identified as possible solutions to the challenges of existing programs. The emerging practices were identified during discussions with programs on how they could overcome common challenges. These best practices should be considered by existing program administrators when possible and be used to shape developing programs. These best practices are aimed at boosting program participation, enhancing program outcomes, and increasing customer satisfaction:
- Select and Implement Co-promotion Program Models
- Focus on program goals and co-promote as feasible
- Employ best practices related to program models requiring both measures
- Employ best practices relevant to program model offering bonuses for both measures
- Employ best practices related to information sharing program model
- Utilize comprehensive home energy assessments
- Avoid penalizing weatherization
- Link weatherization to heat pump programs to ensure energy affordability for all American households
