Increasing the rate of building envelope improvements for homes in the Northeast holds the potential for significantly reduced energy use and costs to homeowners. The U.S. has had decades of experience in retrofitting building envelopes through various programs. Still, data suggests that most single-family houses in the Northeast region can realize important energy cost savings from improved envelopes. Homes with adequate envelopes are also ideally suited for the installation of high-performance HVAC equipment, and they allow for any new HVAC equipment to be appropriately sized for maximum performance.
Fortunately, the region is home to a broad base of promotional program and market activity. All states offer some form of program to help homeowners adopt envelope improvements, some providing thousands of dollars in incentives for a range of envelope improvement measures.
This report characterizes the current regional envelope retrofit market by examining the key stakeholders and market actors and offers background and perspective on envelope retrofit measures. It then discusses program-specific topics in the Northeast and includes a summary of programs being offered to promote adoption of envelope improvements.
This discussion of the envelope market is intended to guide the reader’s understanding of the weatherization market in the Northeast and to inform future market development efforts including program strategies, contractor development, and consumer outreach. Regional market actors should collaborate on implementation of these opportunities to achieve maximum market impact.
