Winter 2020 Program Changes & Reminders

Cold Climate Heat Pumps

Effective January 1, 2021, the Cold Climate Heat Pump program is undergoing a series of changes. All transactions occurring on or after January 1, 2021 should align with these changes.

1. Centrally Ducted Heat Pumps will be added to the midstream program and removed from the HVAC rebate form
2. A new incentive structure and amounts will be in place. See below for details:

Equipment Type and Size	Contractor Discount*	Moderate Income Bonus**
Ductless - ≤2 ton	$350	$200
Ductless - >2 ton	$450	$200
Ducted - ≤2 ton	$1000	$200
Ducted - >2-<4 ton	$1500	$200
Ducted - ≥4 ton	$2000	$200

* All values are per "system", defined as one outdoor unit and one or more indoor units
** End-use customer rebate, acquired through rebate form or online rebate center

Additional Details:

• For Centrally Ducted Heat Pumps to receive the customer rebate, they must be:
  • Purchased from the distributor on or before December 31, 2020
  • Installed and submitted to Efficiency Vermont on or before January 31, 2021
  Anything that falls outside the above cannot be guaranteed.
• Ductless incentives are for single and multi-zone systems with only ductless heads
• Ducted incentives are for single and multi-zone zone systems that include at least one ducted zone. These incentives do apply to small "compact ducted" equipment as well as mixed ducted/ductless multi-zone systems
• Incentives are a combination of EVT and Distribution Utility (DU) funding. However, many DUs will continue to offer additional bonuses/adders.
• Above table applies to all service territories, including Burlington Electric Department
• Air to Water Heat Pumps are not included in this change. Program implementation for this equipment is identical to 2020.
• Green Mountain Power midstream adder is incorporated into these values. There is no longer a larger midstream incentive for GMP customers. All sales get equal midstream incentives regardless of DU.

Following is the program alignment with NEEP's Ducting Configuration designation:

Ductless	Ducted
Single Zone Non-Ducted, Floor Placement	Single Zone Ducted, "Compact Ducted"
Single Zone Non-Ducted, Ceiling Placement	Single Zone Ducted, Centrally Ducted
Single Zone Non-Ducted, Wall Placement	Multi Zone Mix of Non-Ducted and Ducted
Multi Zone All Non-Ducted	Multi Zone All Ducted

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR^®

Rebate Processing

Due to the unprecedented number of rebate submissions this fall, customers may receive an email about a delay in the processing of their rebate. Their rebate has been received, but fulfillment may take longer than normal. You may also notice that your TAI payments are also delayed, but this will not affect your 2020 production bonus.

Incentive Changes

Efficiency Vermont's funding for weatherization projects is decreasing by over 40% in 2021. As a result, incentives for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR will be as follows, effective January 1, 2021:

• Low/Moderate income: 50% of total project cost up to $3,000
• Higher Income Earners: No change from current incentive; 50% of total project cost up to $1,000

Vermont Gas Systems (VGS) Customers

VGS is excited to announce changes to their weatherization program for 2021. Beginning on January 1, 2021, all residential weatherization projects with VGS customers will now be directly reported to VGS and not through Efficiency Vermont’s Home Performance program.

To simplify this change, VGS is adopting the same program participation requirements that have been in place for customers and contractors through Efficiency Vermont’s program (e.g., BPI contractor, test-in/out, 10% air leakage reduction). Though actual incentive cap amounts may differ, VGS is also aligning with Efficiency Vermont on the incentive structure (50% rebate) and financing products (no/low-cost financing). Trade ally incentives for completed projects will also be similar.

In the coming weeks VGS will share more details on the process for reporting projects and the incentives. Starting in January 2021 VGS will schedule a training to review the program and answer questions. In the meantime, any questions can be directed to Richard Donnelly at [email protected].

Building Performance

Updates to the Building Performance program include:

• Effective January 1, 2021 the incentive for Building Performance projects will be 50% of the project cost up to $3,000
• Projects must be submitted using the Q-Loss tool
• Contractor trainings and resources on the new process and tool will be available by late December 2020.

Commercial Lighting

Effective January 1, 2021 Efficiency Vermont will make a few changes to the Commercial Lighting program at electrical distributors:

• Connected/Smart ENERGY STAR LED rebate expanded to also include decorative, directional bulbs in addition to A-style bulbs
• LED Mogul Screw-Based Replacements for HID Lamps increasing from $15-$60 to $20-$80 (rebate amount based on lumen output)
• LED High-Bay Fixtures increasing from $30 to $50
• Integrated Sensors increasing from $30 to $40

K-12 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Program

Invoicing Reminder

Invoices for any K-12 IAQ project work must go directly to your school's customers, and not to VEIC's finance department. Your school contacts must review and verify the expenses before submitting for reimbursement from the grant. Any invoices sent directly to VEIC's finance department run the risk of payment delay. If you have previously submitted invoices directly to VEIC's finance department for K-12 IAQ work and have not yet received payment, please resubmit these to your schools' contacts as soon as possible.

EEN Trade Group End Date

In addition, the K-12 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) EEN member group will be ending on December 31st. Beginning on January 4th, K-12 IAQ EEN members will no longer have a K-12 IAQ service listing on the Efficiency Vermont website.

Efficient Products

The following products will no longer be eligible for Efficiency Vermont rebates as of January 1, 2021:

• Pool pumps
• Income-eligible bonuses for Freezers and Air Purifiers

And as a reminder:

• Advanced Power Strip (APS) rebates expired on November 1, 2020.
• The Wood & Pellet stove rebate was reduced to a $500 instant discount at participating dealers (plus $100 for the proper removal and disposal of an old stove.)