Residential Construction Competency Model
In collaboration with Homebuilders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has worked with industry leaders to develop a comprehensive competency model for the residential construction industry. The model is designed to evolve along with changing skill requirements. The industry model frameworks are based on the competency model building blocks which are modified to meet the industry needs.
Weatherization Assistance Program – Ramp Up Tools
This page was created as a central location to share information and materials that will ease the ramp up process. Information, tools, and templates are linked below.
Green For All: City-Wide Retrofitting Resources
This paper explicitly focuses on the design and implementation of programs that have four key components: First, a way to capture the financial savings that result from energy efficiency retrofits and use them to pay for the retrofits so that programs are accessible to all, not just those eligible for state and federal subsidies or those with enough money in the bank. Second, a focus on job quality and training so that any jobs created are good jobs and provide training for a career pathway. Third, a scope that includes doing this work on a city or regional basis so that the program can achieve economies of scale and consider including both residential and commercial buildings. Fourth, a commitment to targeting the program to low-income communities, both in terms of where the work is done and who is hired to do it, which will necessarily involve outreach and education components.
The Babylon Project Resource Page
The Babylon Project (TBP) is an outgrowth of the Babylon experience. That experience is based upon the residential energy efficiency program operated by the Town of Babylon. This program, launched in October of 2008, has drawn considerable attention from municipalities and other interested parties around the nation. That interest informs why we created TBP and set up a go-to site for building efficiency operations.
ARRA Summary of Key Provisions and Resources Related to Green Building (USGBC 2009)
The funding provisions of the ARRA offer a tremendous opportunity for states and localities to green existing buildings that remain inefficient and unhealthy and at the same time to create green jobs. USGBC’s LEED Green Building Rating Systems offer highly respected and nationally-accepted benchmarks for best practices that can optimize funding spent on buildings and communities. USGBC has prepared this chart to give a brief overview of some of the provisions in the bill and a sampling of resources that can be used to ensure that sustainable buildings and communities remain a priority in the way economic recovery funds are spent.
Pennsylvania L & I Process for Providing Weatherization Certification (Penn State 2009)
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and Penn College, has developed this process for providing Weatherization Certifications to individuals interested in become certified Weatherization Installers. In the future, this certification may be applicable for certification in other programs and/or initiatives.
Where Has All the Data Gone? The Crisis of Missing Energy Efficiency Data (ACEEE 2/2010)
Dependable and accurate analyses require good energy and market data, much of which has historically been collected by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and other governmental data agencies. In the past twenty years, Congress has consistently under-funded these data collection agencies, leading to spotty and uneven data quality, and resulting in information gaps that impede good analysis. This report identifies existing data gaps and provides justification for enhanced funding of data collection related to energy efficiency in FY 2011 and beyond.
Building on the Success of Energy Efficiency Programs to Ensure an Affordable Energy Future
This study demonstrates that energy efficiency is the cornerstone to ensuring affordable energy for American households in the decades ahead. It costs much less to save energy than it does to produce it, so household expenditures for electricity and natural gas can be dramatically reduced by policies to aggressively promote energy efficiency. This provides a huge cushion of cost savings to consumers while also making climate change policies more cost-effective and affordable. These conclusions were reached through a comprehensive analysis of existing studies of the potential cost savings from policies to promote efficiency and results of aggressive state programs to reduce energy consumption through efficiency programs. The report uses the results of this analysis to project the average annual savings for households for each state if energy consumption is decreased through strong federal and state efficiency policies.
North Carolina’s Energy Future: Electricity, Water, and Transportation Efficiency
North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the country, and will increasingly demand energy and water resources to serve the growing population. This report examines the potential for electricity, water, and transportation efficiency in North Carolina to meet the state’s growing needs cost-effectively. We find that a broad suite of policies and programs have the potential to meet nearly a quarter of the state’s electricity needs and about 11% of transportation fuel by 2025. Water efficiency policies can help meet the growing demand for water and wastewater service cost-effectively by reducing consumption by 76 million gallons per day in 2025, or about 8% of public water supply in 2005. Furthermore, links between electricity, transportation, and water demands create additional opportunities. The efficient use of electricity, for example, has a significant potential to reduce the use of cooling water by power plants in North Carolina.
Energy Efficiency Services Sector: Workforce Education and Training Needs
This report provides a baseline assessment of the current state of energy efficiency-related education and training programs and analyzes training and education needs to support expected growth in the energy efficiency services workforce. In the last year, there has been a significant increase in funding for “green job” training and workforce development (including energy efficiency), through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Key segments of the energy efficiency services sector (EESS) have experienced significant growth during the past several years, and this growth is projected to continue and accelerate over the next decade. In a companion study (Goldman et al. 2010), our research team estimated that the EESS will increase two- to four-fold by 2020, to 220,000 person-years of employment (PYE) or up to 380,000 PYE (high-growth scenario), which may represent as many as 1.3 million individuals.
An Industry at the Crossroads: Energy Efficiency Employment in Massachusetts
This report from the Center for American Progress titled, “Green Jobs/Green Homes New York: Expanding home energy efficiency and creating good jobs in a clean energy economy,” establishes a policy roadmap for New York State to achieve a mass-scale energy-efficiency program. This vision was realized with the passage of the Green Jobs/Green NY legislation last fall.
An Industry at the Crossroads: Energy Efficiency: Employment in Massachusetts
The Community Labor United (CLU) has released a report, An Industry at the Crossroads: Energy Efficiency in Massachusetts, that discusses the need to ensure that weatherization jobs are good jobs that pay quality wages. Currently weatherization wages in Massachusetts are at poverty levels, leading the state to pay as much as $28,000 a family to support these workers. The report goes on to discuss a number of recommendations including requiring contractors to meet Responsible Contractor standards and encouraging responsible contractors to hire local residents from low-income communities and communities of color.
Unlocking the Power of Energy Efficiency in Buildings (Natural Resources Defense Council)
“Energy efficiency is the fastest, cheapest, and cleanest energy resource we have. Efficiency is not conservation or deprivation; it is getting what you want for less. Efficiency saves consumers and businesses money on their energy bills, reduces global warming pollution, and keeps American energy dollars here. America has the largest efficiency reserves in the world, and buildings are our largest source of efficiency that is just waiting to be tapped.”
Potential for Energy Efficiency, Demand Response, and Onsite Solar Energy in Pennsylvania (American Council for an Energy-Effecient Economy)
“Energy efficiency improvements can save Pennsylvania consumers nearly $5 billion each year on energy bills and help create 27,000 new, local jobs by 2025, according to an analysis released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), an independent, nonprofit research group based in Washington, D.C. The study, which was led by ACEEE with support from a team of national energy experts, examines the potential for greater energy efficiency, demand response, and onsite solar energy use in Pennsylvania and suggests a suite of policies to tap into the Commonwealth’s energy savings potential and reap substantial economic benefits.”
