Become a Participating Advanced Home Upgrade Contractor
Participating Contractors are essential partners in helping homeowners save energy and save money with energy efficiency upgrades. Skilled whole-home and specialty contractors are encouraged to become part of the Advanced Home Upgrade network.
As a Participating Contractor, you’ll receive training, which SDG&E will provide at no cost, and mentoring opportunities to increase your marketability and competitive edge.
Benefits
- Listing in an online directory that is the go-to resource for energy efficiency projects in the SDG&E service territory
- Connections to homeowners looking for energy efficiency improvements
- Mentoring opportunities
- Technical training, including Home Performance Assessment Skills and Home Energy Modeling courses, provided at no charge by SDG&E
Eligibility
- Have a California contractor’s license appropriate to the scope of work required for performing Advanced Home Upgrade projects
- Meet insurance and bonding requirements
- Employ or subcontract with at least one person who holds an active BPI Building Analyst (BA) certification. Additional BPI certifications and company BPI Accreditation is strongly encouraged. Please refer to the website for a list of BPI certified individuals.
- Complete one of the following participation agreements:
Check status of online application
Program Overview
Advanced Home Upgrade
Key Features
- Customize the scope of work to each home
- Determine the total energy savings using approved modeling software
- Address the envelope of the home before properly sizing the cooling and heating systems
- Meet a minimum energy reduction of 10 percent by installing a combination of qualifying energy-efficient measures for customer to be eligible for incentives
- Install a minimum of one of three base measures
- Complete air leakage (optional), duct leakage (optional) and combustion safety testing before and after the improvements are installed
Frequently Asked Questions
Rebates and Incentives
- Home Upgrade incentives range from $1,000 - $3,000.
Advanced Home Upgrade incentive values are determined by the simulated energy savings achieved by the final upgrade measures using approved energy modeling software.
- 10% savings: $1,000
- 15% savings: $1,500
- 20% savings: $2,000
- 25% savings: $2,500
- 30% savings: $3,000
- 35% savings: $3,500
- 40% savings: $4,000
- 45% savings: $4,500
Advanced Home Upgrade incentive values are determined by the calculated percent energy savings achieved by the home improvement measures. This percent savings is derived from the energy simulation model for completed work based on the actual home conditions after the energy efficiency work. The estimated energy savings that you model before work begins may not match the simulated energy savings modeled, based on actual energy efficiency measures. This can happen when the scope of work changes during the project or if test-out results are different from what you expected to achieve.
SDG&E issues the homeowner’s incentive check within 6-8 weeks of project approval.
SDG&E issues the homeowner’s incentive check. Once you submit the application, the information will be verified and forwarded to SDG&E for payment.
Yes. The incentive check can be remitted to the contractor. The homeowner must sign the Payment Release Authorization in order for you to receive payment.
Yes. The purpose of the pre-improvement review is to confirm the project is qualified for Advanced Home Upgrade. Changing the scope of work after the confirmation of incentive is common and acceptable. You are encouraged to identify additional energy saving measures. The application must reflect the actual installed measures, rather than the proposed measures. The incentive is based on the installed measures, as reflected in results from the energy modeling software. For Home Upgrade projects, you would have to cancel your first project submission and re-submit a new application.
Please complete construction on the project within 90 calendar days of the approval.
In-Home Work Requirements
Although pipe insulation is not eligible for an incentive, it is a required Home Upgrade measure. Pipe insulation is required for the first 5' of hot and cold water pipes leaving the water heater.
For a Home Upgrade project, combustion safety testing must be conducted by a certified BPI Building Analyst before the start of any work. A blower door, duct test (optional), and combustion safety testing are required after work has been completed. Interim CAZ testing is required each day that significant air sealing is performed.
Yes, because home conditions may have changed since that Title 24 compliance was achieved.
CAZ testing is required for all Home Upgrade and Advanced Home Upgrade projects. Generally, testing is required at the beginning and the end of a project; however, interim CAZ testing is required each day that significant air sealing is done.
Yes. A Participating Contractor may subcontract work to other consultants or subcontractors. However, it is the Participating Contractor's responsibility to ensure that all testing and work completed meets BPI and Home Upgrade standards. All combustion safety testing must be completed by a certified BPI Building Analyst. Please note that having a BPI Building Analyst on staff is required for participation in Advanced Home Upgrade.
Homeowners do not have to have an HVAC system to qualify for Home Upgrade.
No. BPI compliance and Title 24 compliance are not identical. All Home Upgrade requirements must be met regardless of Title 24.
No. Energy Upgrade California Home Upgrade does not provide any incentives for Title 24.
No. Combustion safety testing using BPI procedures is mandatory for both Home Upgrade and Advanced Home Upgrade projects. You should explain to homeowners that this test is a safety measure that ensures combustion appliances are not creating a hazardous environment in the home.
Yes. BPI has approved the California code for insulation over knob and tube wiring. The code allows new insulation over old wiring based on a series of safety checks by a licensed C-10 electrician and submission of a letter establishing that the knob and tube is either not currently in use or safe to be buried in insulation.
No. Renewables are not part of this program. If you are completing an Advanced Home Upgrade project, please do not enter renewables into your home performance assessment model. Please visit Go Solar California for information about solar rebates in your area.
Contractor Application
No. Only your general contractor’s license number is needed.
You must carry $1 million limits in general liability insurance, automobile liability insurance (if the automobile is owned by your business) and workers compensation liability. If you have no employees, you must provide a waiver for workers compensation liability. All the above must be provided in a separate Certificate of Liability Insurance for SDG&E.
Building Performance Institute (BPI) Certification
No. BPI informs candidates directly of their exam results.
Yes. The California Employment Training Panel has funding opportunities for those who qualify.
No. BPI accredited companies sign an accreditation agreement that states they agree to create quality management systems and policies and procedures to ensure proper BPI testing procedures and house-as-a-system contracting by all employees in the company. However, you must list on your Participating Contractor application all individuals who hold BPI certification and inform your account manager of any changes or additions to this certification condition.
BPI Building Analyst certification is required to perform a combustion safety test in this program.
A BPI Building Analyst certified individual (or a properly trained staff member of a BPI accredited company) must perform the combustion appliance safety testing for both Home Upgrade and Advanced Home Upgrade projects.
For Home Upgrade projects, you must use a BPI Building Analyst certified individual to perform combustion safety testing. BPI Building Analyst certified Participating Contractors approved to perform Advanced Home Upgrade projects may perform combustion safety testing for Home Upgrade projects. For Advanced Home Upgrade projects, at least one of your employees must be BPI Building Analyst certified.
Energy Upgrade California Home Upgrade Eligibility
Single-family detached homes and attached home with two to four units are eligible. (Some restrictions may apply; talk to an account manager about any attached home projects.)
Yes. You must perform a visual inspection during a home walkthrough to determine that measures have not already been installed.
Yes. However, when calculating the energy savings achieved through the Advanced Home Upgrade, any upgrades completed earlier will be considered part of the existing home conditions.
The new homeowner will not be excluded from participating based on inability to acquire energy use data for the previous 12 months. EnergyPro will be able to model predicted energy savings without that data. In the Vision application, explain why the utility data has not been included.
You should obtain 12 months of past utility bill usage data.
No. The home must have service in good standing with SDG&E.
Credentials are verified and updated by the account management team. Please contact one of the account managers for information on how to edit your credentials.
Please contact your account manager to update this information.