November Utility Programs Update

With only a few months left of 2022, we want to recap some of the programs we’ve been working on throughout the fall. It’s been a busy few months with new program launches, program updates, and updating the app to accommodate industry changes. Here’s a quick overview of some of the larger projects we’ve completed since August. 

Duke Energy Carolinas Program Launch

We launched a new program, the Duke Energy Carolinas program, on August 1st. Currently only projects in North Carolina can participate and they can receive up to $6,000 in incentives. The program requirements are very similar to the existing Duke Progress program, so hopefully it has been an easy adjustment for raters in the area. We added a new submission button, unique QA checks and an incentive calculation, as well as a custom OIT. 

Washington Gas Virginia Program Launch

Moving into September, we launched the new Washington Gas Virginia program on September 15th. There are a handful of prescriptive rebates included in this program, so the raters can mix and match the different rebates. We added in a submission button, custom QA checks, and an OIT that is shared with the current Dominion Virginia program.

Updated PNM/NMG and El Paso Electric Program QA Checks

We removed a handful of the QA checks and modified others so that they are only warning checks, rather than blocking checks. The goal of such was to make it easier for raters to submit to the program without as many restrictive QA checks in place as the program continues to grow. For a recap, we made the following changes:

• Both programs: removed the requirement for Community and Lot Number information

• El Paso Electric: removed the requirements for Submission Status, Expected Start Date, Expected Completion date, and passing IECC 2018 with 4 ACH50.

• PNM/NMG: Updated the following to be warnings:

  • Requirement to pass IECC 2018 with the Albuquerque amendments 

  • Minimum 10% above baseline for gas or electric savings 

  • Requirement for an infiltration rate of 3 ACH50 in Albuquerque, and 4 ACH50 elsewhere

  • Requirement for Mechanical Equipment information 

Adding SEER2 and HSPF2 Inputs

We've released SEER2 and HSPF2 as an input option in Ekotrope. When entering mechanical equipment, you will now see an  option for the new metric:

The net effect on a HERS rating should generally be results-neutral; if you model a system with a SEER 16, you will get identical results as if you model it with a SEER2 = 15.2. The conversion table is below.

We will update the federal minimum efficiencies for air conditioners and air source heat pumps as part of a new version of Ekotrope to be released in early 2023. 

End of Year

We already have quite a few items lined up for the end of the year. But, if you know your program will have required changes for the 2023 program year, please let us know by contacting us at info@ekotrope.com so that we can help scope, price, and plan accordingly.