How to Participate in the Northern Virginia Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program
What is the Northern Virginia HPwES Program?
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR , a national program from the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE, offers a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency and comfort at home, while helping to protect the environment.
As a contractor participating in the Northern Virginia Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, you can help homeowners cost-effectively improve their home's energy efficiency using state-of-the-art equipment and recommend comprehensive improvements that will yield the best results. The program is available in Loudoun, Prince William, Fairfax, and Arlington Counties, and in the cities of Fairfax, Falls Church, and Alexandria.
What’s in it for you, the contractor? Position your company to fully take advantage of the rapidly growing demand for energy efficiency services.
- Associate your company with ENERGY STAR, the nationally-recognized symbol for energy efficiency.
- Company listing on the Northern Virginia Home Performance with ENERGY STAR website
- EPA/DOE-sponsored marketing campaign that launched in March of 2010, including radio and billboard advertisements
- Free sales and marketing training workshops
- Access to marketing toolkit on password protected ENERGY STAR website
- Access to resources such as forms, templates, "a pitch book," and lead forms
- Personalized business development services as part of BPI verification, including home performance contractor best practices
Who is Eligible? Contractors that meet the criteria below are eligible to participate. The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) has been selected to verify that contractors meet Program eligibility criteria.
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Registrations, licensing and/or bonding required by state, county or city.
- General liability insurance (minimum of $1 million), professional liability and workers compensation insurance
- Commitment to verification process through BPI, including a $1,500 annual fee for accreditation/3rd party quality assurance (reimbursement is available for 50% of the first year’s annual cost after ten comprehensive home assessments and improvements are successfully reported).
- Commitment and ability to perform comprehensive home energy assessments by certified individuals (BPI Building Analyst and at least one BPI specialty certification is required). 50% of training, certification exam, and mentoring costs (incurred via DOE sponsored training offered by Sentech) are reimbursable after 10 comprehensive home assessments and improvements are successfully reported.
Download the Participation Agreement
Contractor Participation Commitments:
Home Performance Assessment |
Home Improvements |
Job Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Provide homeowner with a Home Performance Assessment (HPA) summary report that includes the assessment findings and fuel-neutral recommended improvements that will save at least 20% on total energy use. | Ensure that all home improvements meet applicable state or local building codes and consensus-based building science standards. | Complete and report at least 20 home assessments and improvements according to HPwES guidelines (energy efficiency improvements must be completed). |
Reporting |
Whole-House Marketing |
Quality Management |
| Report information about all completed projects according to the terms of the Participation Agreement and BPI Accreditation process. | Use HPwES Marketing Graphic to promote a comprehensive whole-house process for improving energy efficiency of homes. Follow the HPwES Marketing Graphic Guidelines. |
Follow Quality Management practices as outlined in the BPI Accreditation process. Some of these practices include having a conflict resolution process and a system to archive and retrieve job files. |
Contractor Training
The following training and support is available to contractors that choose to participate:
- BPI certification courses and additional Program-related training
- Mentoring
- Job review
Training will be offered in the near future. If you are interested in being notified about future training opportunities, please email us HPwES@icfi.com
| Certification | Total Hours Required | Breakdown by week |
|---|---|---|
| Building Envelope | 20 | First week: Full day & Two half days Second week: One half day |
| Mentoring Session* | 4 | Half day at job site |
*Included as part of the Building Analyst certification.
Cost: Building Analyst $2,250 including training, exam and mentoring
Building Envelope $1,450 including training and exam
An individual company’s total available reimbursement will vary by the number of certified individuals who complete training provided by the program. At least ten improved homes must be reported under the auspices of the Virginia Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program to receive reimbursements for accreditation and contractor training costs. Fifty percent of all training costs (including both BPI Building Analyst and Specialty certifications) are reimbursable with Program participation after the completion of ten reported homes per trained individual. Further details of the training reimbursement will be provided at request. You may also view sample Registration forms to learn more details:
