BayREN is Launching the EASE Home Program to Replace Single Family Home+
BayREN’s Single Family Home+ Program has been supporting the Bay Area since 2013 through rebates and educational resources focused on home energy efficiency and electrification upgrades. While the program has successfully reached many customers over the years, through recent data collected and surveys performed, BayREN realized its goal of primarily reaching the underserved audience of moderate-income residents was falling short. BayREN initiated a redesign process in 2022 to better achieve the goals of health, comfort, safety, and savings through energy upgrades for these residents. BayREN’s Home+ program will sunset to introduce the new Efficiency and Sustainable Energy (EASE) Home program, which will offer moderate-income customers low-cost upgrades and expert guidance to simplify the process of improving home performance.
Moderate-income residents, who are often not eligible for income-qualified programs, have consistently not participated in ratepayer energy efficiency programs in the Bay Area and state. As the name suggests, BayREN’s EASE Home program is designed to make it easier for these customers to overcome the hurdles to program participation, including high upfront costs, language barriers, and administrative challenges in navigating rebate programs and seeking out contractors.
The redesign process that resulted in the EASE Home program engaged over 70 community-based organizations across all nine counties and over 35 partner organizations, including contractors and energy program implementers. Based on the identified gaps, the program will deliver low-cost, healthy-home retrofits with a focus on weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades, such as improved insulation and air sealing, to qualifying moderate-income residents in the Bay Area. Program outreach will also focus on non-English speaking households and those that live in pollution-burdened areas. These types of upgrades will improve indoor air quality and comfort while better preparing homes for environmental challenges related to climate change.
Additionally, participants will receive one-on-one assistance from a project coordinator to guide electrification upgrades, directly installed by trusted experts and support in acquiring rebates through other programs. The entire process will be managed by the project coordinator, making it less burdensome and hassle-free for the customer.
EASE Home is expected to cover 80% of the costs for weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades. The program will also leverage external funding, including high-efficiency electric home rebates from the Inflation Reduction Act, to cover at least 50% of the cost of electrified appliances. As this program takes shape, BayREN is focused on assembling a team of experts to guide development and implementation of the program, with aims to soft launch in the first quarter of 2025.
As a result of this redesign, the current Home+ program is scheduled to sunset this coming October—or when incentive funds are exhausted (View the Incentive Budget Tracker; current rebate amounts can also be found on the same page). The Home Energy Advisor service that is provided by the Home+ program will also become inactive once the incentive budget is exhausted. As the Home+ program transitions into EASE Home, BayREN is actively preparing to ensure a seamless shift that continues to prioritize community needs and energy efficiency.
BayREN is currently seeking consultants to support the direction of the new Single Family Program through its design and implementation. The selected consultant(s) will deliver services via a direct install approach, offering comprehensive support from a single point of contact for program participants. Learn more about the request for proposal (RFP).
Contractors: More information about how to partner with BayREN EASE Home will be released this fall/winter. Please subscribe to the BayREN newsletter for updates.
Previous information about the redesign process can be found here.