II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4052 

To make grants to support online training of residential contractors and 

rebates for the energy efficiency upgrades of homes, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 24, 2020 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself, Mrs. SHAHEEN, and Mr. COONS) introduced 

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 

on Finance 

A BILL 

To make grants to support online training of residential 

contractors and rebates for the energy efficiency upgrades of homes, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘HOPE for HOMES Act of 2020’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—HOPE TRAINING 


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Sec. 101. Notice for HOPE qualification training and grants. 

Sec. 102. Course criteria. 

Sec. 103. HOPE qualification. 

Sec. 104. Grants. 

Sec. 105. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE II—HOME ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT REBATE PROGRAM 

Sec. 201. Establishment of Home Energy Savings Retrofit Rebate Program. 

Sec. 202. Partial system rebates. 

Sec. 203. State-administered rebates. 

Sec. 204. Special provisions for moderate income households. 

Sec. 205. Evaluation reports to Congress. 

Sec. 206. Administration. 

Sec. 207. Treatment of rebates. 

Sec. 208. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE III—ADMINISTRATION 

Sec. 301. Appointment of personnel. 

Sec. 302. Maintenance of funding. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) CONTRACTOR CERTIFICATION.—The term 

4 ‘‘contractor certification’’ means an industry-recog5 nized certification that may be obtained by a resi6 dential contractor to advance the expertise and edu7 cation of the contractor in energy efficiency retrofits 

8 of a residential building, including a certification 

9 provided by— 

10 (A) the Building Performance Institute; 

11 (B) the Air Conditioning Contractors of 

12 America; 

13 (C) the National Comfort Institute; 

14 (D) the North American Technician Excel15 lence; 

16 (E) RESNET; 


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1 (F) the United States Green Building 

2 Council; 

3 (G) Home Innovation Research Labs; or 

4 (H) any other certification body or organi5 zation the Secretary determines appropriate or 

6 needed to support the Home Energy Savings 

7 Retrofit Rebate Program in title II. 

8 (2) CONTRACTOR COMPANY.—The term ‘‘con9 tractor company’’ means a company— 

10 (A) that holds the licenses and insurance 

11 required by the State in which the company 

12 provides services; 

13 (B) the business of which is to provide 

14 services to residential building owners with re15 spect to HVAC systems, insulation, air sealing, 

16 or other services that are approved by the Sec17 retary; and 

18 (C) that provides services for which a par19 tial system rebate, measured performance re20 bate, or modeled performance rebate may be 

21 provided pursuant to the Home Energy Savings 

22 Retrofit Rebate Program in title II. 

23 (3) ENERGY AUDIT.—The term ‘‘energy audit’’ 

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1 ergy use of a building, including the building enve2 lope and HVAC system. 

3 (4) HOME.—The term ‘‘home’’ means a resi4 dential dwelling unit in a building with no more than 

5 4 dwelling units that— 

6 (A) is located in the United States; 

7 (B) was constructed before the date of en8 actment of this Act; and 

9 (C) is occupied at least 6 months out of 

10 the year. 

11 (5) HOME ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT REBATE

12 PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Home Energy Savings Ret13 rofit Rebate Program’’ means the Home Energy 

14 Savings Retrofit Rebate Program established under 

15 section 201. 

16 (6) HOMEOWNER.—The term ‘‘homeowner’’ 

17 means the owner of an owner-occupied home or a 

18 tenant-occupied home. 

19 (7) HOME VALUATION CERTIFICATION.—The 

20 term ‘‘home valuation certification’’ means the fol21 lowing home assessments: 

22 (A) Home Energy Score. 

23 (B) PEARL Certification. 

24 (C) ICC700 National Green Building 

25 Standard. 


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1 (D) LEED. 

2 (E) Any other assessment the Secretary 

3 determines to be appropriate. 

4 (8) HOPE QUALIFICATION.—The term ‘‘HOPE 

5 qualification’’ means the qualification described in 

6 section 103. 

7 (9) HOPE TRAINING CREDIT.—The term 

8 ‘‘HOPE training credit’’ means a HOPE training 

9 task credit or a HOPE training supplemental credit. 

10 (10) HOPE TRAINING TASK CREDIT.—The 

11 term ‘‘HOPE training task credit’’ means a credit 

12 described in section 102(a). 

13 (11) HOPE TRAINING SUPPLEMENTAL CRED14 IT.—The term ‘‘HOPE training supplemental cred15 it’’ means a credit described in section 102(b). 

16 (12) HVAC SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘HVAC sys17 tem’’ means a system— 

18 (A) consisting of a heating component, a 

19 ventilation component, and an air-conditioning 

20 component; and 

21 (B) which components may include central 

22 air conditioning, a heat pump, a furnace, a boil23 er, a rooftop unit, or a window unit. 

24 (13) MEASURED PERFORMANCE REBATE.—The 

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1 bate provided in accordance with section 203 and 

2 described in subsection (e) of that section. 

3 (14) MODELED PERFORMANCE REBATE.—The 

4 term ‘‘modeled performance rebate’’ means a rebate 

5 provided in accordance with section 203 and de6 scribed in subsection (d) of that section. 

7 (15) MODERATE INCOME.—The term ‘‘mod8 erate income’’, with respect to a household, means a 

9 household with an annual income less than 80 per10 cent of the area median income as determined annu11 ally by the Department of Housing and Urban De12 velopment. 

13 (16) PARTIAL SYSTEM REBATE.—The term 

14 ‘‘partial system rebate’’ means a rebate provided in 

15 accordance with section 202. 

16 (17) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

17 means the Secretary of Energy. 

18 (18) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ includes— 

19 (A) a State; 

20 (B) the District of Columbia; 

21 (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

22 (D) Guam; 

23 (E) American Samoa; 

24 (F) the Commonwealth of the Northern 

25 Mariana Islands; 


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1 (G) the United States Virgin Islands; and 

2 (H) any other territory or possession of the 

3 United States. 

4 (19) STATE ENERGY OFFICE.—The term ‘‘State 

5 energy office’’ means the office or agency of a State 

6 responsible for developing the State energy conserva7 tion plan for the State under section 362 of the En8 ergy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6322). 

9 TITLE I—HOPE TRAINING 

10 SEC. 101. NOTICE FOR HOPE QUALIFICATION TRAINING 

11 AND GRANTS. 

12 Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 

13 of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Building 

14 Technologies Office of the Department of Energy, shall 

15 issue a notice that includes— 

16 (1) criteria established under section 102 for 

17 approval by the Secretary of courses for which cred18 its may be issued for purposes of a HOPE Qualifica19 tion; 

20 (2) a list of courses that meet such criteria and 

21 are so approved; and 

22 (3) information on how individuals and entities 

23 may apply for grants under this title. 

24 SEC. 102. COURSE CRITERIA. 

25 (a) HOPE TRAINING TASK CREDIT.— 


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1 (1) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish 

2 criteria for approval of a course for which a credit, 

3 to be known as a ‘‘HOPE training task credit’’, may 

4 be issued, including that such course— 

5 (A) is equivalent to at least 30 hours in 

6 total course time; 

7 (B) is accredited by the Interstate Renew8 able Energy Council or is determined to be 

9 equivalent by the Secretary; 

10 (C) is, with respect to a particular job, 

11 aligned with the relevant National Renewable 

12 Energy Laboratory Job Task Analysis, or other 

13 credentialing program foundation that helps 

14 identify the necessary core knowledge areas, 

15 critical work functions, or skills, as approved by 

16 the Secretary; 

17 (D) has established learning objectives; 

18 and 

19 (E) includes, as the Secretary determines 

20 appropriate, an appropriate assessment of such 

21 learning objectives that may include a final 

22 exam, to be proctored on-site or through remote 

23 proctoring, or an in-person field exam. 


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1 (2) INCLUDED COURSES.—The Secretary shall 

2 approve one or more courses that meet the criteria 

3 described in paragraph (1) for training related to— 

4 (A) contractor certification; 

5 (B) energy auditing or assessment; 

6 (C) home energy systems (including HVAC 

7 systems); 

8 (D) insulation installation and air leakage 

9 control; 

10 (E) health and safety regarding the instal11 lation of energy efficiency measures or health 

12 and safety impacts associated with energy effi13 ciency retrofits; and 

14 (F) indoor air quality. 

15 (b) HOPE TRAINING SUPPLEMENTAL CREDIT CRI16 TERIA.—The Secretary shall establish criteria for approval 

17 of a course for which a credit, to be known as a ‘‘HOPE 

18 training supplemental credit’’, may be issued, including 

19 that such course provides— 

20 (1) training related to— 

21 (A) small business success, including man22 agement, home energy efficiency software, or 

23 general accounting principles; 

24 (B) the issuance of a home valuation cer25 tification as defined in section 2(7); 


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1 (C) the use of wifi-enabled technology in 

2 an energy efficiency upgrade; or 

3 (D) understanding and being able to par4 ticipate in the Home Energy Savings Retrofit 

5 Rebate Program in title II; and 

6 (2) as the Secretary determines appropriate, an 

7 appropriate assessment of such training that may in8 clude a final exam, to be proctored on-site or 

9 through remote proctoring, or an in-person field 

10 exam. 

11 (c) EXISTING APPROVED COURSES.—The Secretary 

12 may approve a course that meets the applicable criteria 

13 established under this section that is approved by the ap14 plicable State energy office or relevant State agency with 

15 oversight authority for residential energy efficiency pro16 grams. 

17 (d) IN-PERSON AND ONLINE TRAINING.—An online 

18 course approved pursuant to this section may be con19 ducted in person or online as long as the training can be 

20 done remotely. 

21 SEC. 103. HOPE QUALIFICATION. 

22 (a) ISSUANCE OF CREDITS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, or an entity 

24 authorized by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph 

25 (2), may issue— 


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1 (A) a HOPE training task credit to any 

2 individual that completes a course that meets 

3 applicable criteria under section 102; and 

4 (B) a HOPE training supplemental credit 

5 to any individual that completes a course that 

6 meets the applicable criteria under section 102. 

7 (2) OTHER ENTITIES.—The Secretary may au8 thorize a State energy office, an organization de9 scribed in section 104(b), and any other entity the 

10 Secretary determines appropriate, to issue HOPE 

11 training credits in accordance with paragraph (1). 

12 (b) HOPE QUALIFICATION.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may certify 

14 that an individual has achieved a qualification, to be 

15 known as a ‘‘HOPE qualification’’, that indicates 

16 that the individual has received at least 3 HOPE 

17 training credits, of which at least 2 shall be HOPE 

18 training task credits. 

19 (2) STATE ENERGY OFFICES.—The Secretary 

20 may approve a program run by a State energy office 

21 to provide HOPE qualifications. 

22 SEC. 104. GRANTS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, to the extent 

24 amounts are made available in appropriations Acts for 

25 such purposes, provide grants to support the training of 


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1 individuals toward the completion of a HOPE qualifica2 tion. 

3 (b) PROVIDER ORGANIZATIONS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may provide a 

5 grant of up to $20,000 under this section to an or6 ganization to provide training online, including es7 tablishing, modifying, or maintaining the online sys8 tems, staff time, and software and online program 

9 management, through a course that meets the appli10 cable criteria established under section 102. 

11 (2) CRITERIA.—In order to receive a grant 

12 under this subsection, an organization shall be— 

13 (A) a nonprofit organization; 

14 (B) an educational institution; or 

15 (C) an organization that has experience 

16 providing training to contractors that work with 

17 the weatherization assistance program imple18 mented under part A of title IV of the Energy 

19 Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 

20 6861 et seq.) or equivalent experience, as deter21 mined by the Secretary. 

22 (3) ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS.—In addition 

23 to any grant provided under paragraph (1), the Sec24 retary may provide an organization up to $5,000 for 

25 each additional course for which a HOPE training 


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1 credit may be issued that is offered by the organiza2 tion. 

3 (c) CONTRACTOR COMPANY.—The Secretary may 

4 provide a grant of $1,000 per employee under this section 

5 to a contractor company, up to a maximum of $10,000, 

6 to reimburse the company for training costs for employees 

7 and any home technology support needed for an employee 

8 to receive training pursuant to this section. These funds 

9 may be used to support wages of employees during train10 ing. 

11 (d) TRAINEES.—The Secretary may provide a grant 

12 of up to $1,000 under this section to an individual who 

13 receives a HOPE qualification. 

14 (e) STATE ENERGY OFFICE.—The Secretary may 

15 provide a grant of up to $50,000 under this section to 

16 a State energy office, of which— 

17 (1) not more than $25,000 may be provided to 

18 implement a program that is approved by the Sec19 retary to provide HOPE qualifications; and 

20 (2) not more than $25,000 may be provided to 

21 support the Home Energy Savings Retrofit Rebate 

22 Program established under section 201. 


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1 SEC. 105. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

3 this title $500,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2020 

4 through 2025. 

5 TITLE II—HOME ENERGY SAV6 INGS RETROFIT REBATE PRO7 GRAM 

8 SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF HOME ENERGY SAVINGS 

9 RETROFIT REBATE PROGRAM. 

10 The Secretary shall establish a program, to be known 

11 as the ‘‘Home Energy Savings Retrofit Rebate Program’’, 

12 to— 

13 (1) provide rebates in accordance with section 

14 202; and 

15 (2) provide grants to States to carry out pro16 grams to provide rebates in accordance with section 

17 203. 

18 SEC. 202. PARTIAL SYSTEM REBATES. 

19 (a) AMOUNT OF REBATE.—In carrying out the Home 

20 Energy Savings Retrofit Rebate Program, and subject to 

21 the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the 

22 Secretary shall provide a homeowner a rebate, to be known 

23 as a ‘‘partial system rebate’’, of up to— 

24 (1) $800 for the purchase and installation of 

25 insulation and air sealing within a home of the 

26 homeowner, except as provided in section 204; and 


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1 (2) $1,500 for the purchase and installation of 

2 insulation and air sealing within a home of the 

3 homeowner and replacement of an HVAC system, 

4 the heating component of an HVAC system, or the 

5 cooling component of an HVAC system, of such 

6 home, except as provided in section 204. 

7 (b) SPECIFICATIONS.— 

8 (1) COST.—Except as provided in section 204, 

9 the amount of a partial system rebate provided 

10 under this section shall not exceed 30 percent of cost 

11 of the purchase and installation of insulation and air 

12 sealing under subsection (a)(1), or installation of in13 sulation and air sealing and replacement of an 

14 HVAC system, the heating component of an HVAC 

15 system, or the cooling component of an HVAC sys16 tem, under subsection (a)(2). Labor may be included 

17 in such cost, but may not exceed— 

18 (A) in the case of a rebate under sub19 section (a)(1), 50 percent of such cost; and 

20 (B) in the case of a rebate under sub21 section (a)(2), 25 percent of such cost. 

22 (2) REPLACEMENT OF AN HVAC SYSTEM, THE

23 HEATING COMPONENT OF AN HVAC SYSTEM, OR THE

24 COOLING COMPONENT OF AN HVAC SYSTEM.—In 


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1 order to qualify for a partial system rebate described 

2 in subsection (a)(2)— 

3 (A) any HVAC system, heating component 

4 of an HVAC system, or cooling component of 

5 an HVAC system installed shall be Energy Star 

6 Most Efficient certified; 

7 (B) installation of such an HVAC system, 

8 the heating component of an HVAC system, or 

9 the cooling component of an HVAC system, 

10 shall be completed in accordance with standards 

11 specified by the Secretary that are at least as 

12 stringent as the applicable guidelines of the Air 

13 Conditioning Contractors of America that are in 

14 effect on the date of enactment of this Act; 

15 (C) if ducts are present, replacement of an 

16 HVAC system, the heating component of an 

17 HVAC system, or the cooling component of an 

18 HVAC system shall include duct sealing; and 

19 (D) the installation of insulation and air 

20 sealing shall occur within 6 months of the re21 placement of the HVAC system, the heating 

22 component of an HVAC system, or the cooling 

23 component of an HVAC system. 

24 (c) ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES FOR CONTRACTORS.— 

25 In carrying out the Home Energy Savings Retrofit Rebate 


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1 Program, the Secretary may provide a $250 payment to 

2 a contractor per home for which— 

3 (1) a partial system rebate is provided under 

4 this section for the installation of insulation and air 

5 sealing, or installation of insulation and air sealing 

6 and replacement of an HVAC system, the heating 

7 component of an HVAC system, or the cooling com8 ponent of an HVAC system, by the contractor; 

9 (2) the applicable homeowner has signed and 

10 submitted to the Secretary a release form made 

11 available pursuant to section 206(b) authorizing the 

12 contractor access to information in the utility bills of 

13 the homeowner; and 

14 (3) the contractor inputs, into the Department 

15 of Energy’s Building Performance Database— 

16 (A) the energy usage for the home for the 

17 12 months preceding, and the 24 months fol18 lowing, the installation of insulation and air 

19 sealing or installation of insulation and air seal20 ing and replacement of an HVAC system, the 

21 heating component of an HVAC system, or the 

22 cooling component of an HVAC system; 

23 (B) a description of such installation or in24 stallation and replacement; and 


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1 (C) the total cost to the homeowner for 

2 such installation or installation and replace3 ment. 

4 (d) PROCESS.— 

5 (1) FORMS; REBATE PROCESSING SYSTEM.— 

6 Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 

7 of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the 

8 Secretary of the Treasury, shall— 

9 (A) develop and make available rebate 

10 forms required to receive a partial system re11 bate under this section; 

12 (B) establish a Federal rebate processing 

13 system which shall serve as a database and in14 formation technology system that will allow 

15 homeowners to submit required rebate forms; 

16 and 

17 (C) establish a website that provides infor18 mation on partial system rebates provided 

19 under this section, including how to determine 

20 whether particular measures qualify for a re21 bate under this section and how to receive such 

22 a rebate. 

23 (2) SUBMISSION OF FORMS.—In order to re24 ceive a partial system rebate under this section, a 

25 homeowner shall submit the required rebate forms, 


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1 and any other information the Secretary determines 

2 appropriate, to the Federal rebate processing system 

3 established pursuant to paragraph (1). 

4 (e) FUNDING.— 

5 (1) LIMITATION.—For each fiscal year, the Sec6 retary may not use more than 50 percent of the 

7 amounts made available to carry out this title to 

8 carry out this section. 

9 (2) ALLOCATION.—The Secretary shall allocate 

10 amounts made available to carry out this section for 

11 partial system rebates among the States using the 

12 same formula as is used to allocate funds for States 

13 under part D of title III of the Energy Policy and 

14 Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6321 et seq.). 

15 SEC. 203. STATE-ADMINISTERED REBATES. 

16 (a) FUNDING.—In carrying out the Home Energy 

17 Savings Retrofit Rebate Program, and subject to the 

18 availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Sec19 retary shall provide grants to States to carry out programs 

20 to provide rebates in accordance with this section. 

21 (b) STATE PARTICIPATION.— 

22 (1) PLAN.—In order to receive a grant under 

23 this section, a State shall submit to the Secretary an 

24 application that includes a plan to implement a 


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1 State program that meets the minimum criteria 

2 under subsection (c). 

3 (2) APPROVAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

4 receipt of a completed application for a grant under 

5 this section, the Secretary shall either approve the 

6 application or provide to the applicant an expla7 nation for denying the application. 

8 (c) MINIMUM CRITERIA FOR STATE PROGRAMS.— 

9 Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of 

10 this Act, the Secretary shall establish and publish min11 imum criteria for a State program to meet to qualify for 

12 funding under this section, including— 

13 (1) that the State program be carried out by 

14 the applicable State energy office or its designee; 

15 (2) that a rebate be provided under a State pro16 gram only for a home energy efficiency retrofit 

17 that— 

18 (A) is completed by a contractor who 

19 meets minimum training requirements and cer20 tification requirements set forth by the Sec21 retary; 

22 (B) includes installation of one or more 

23 home energy efficiency retrofit measures for a 

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1 ergy use of 20 percent or more from the base2 line energy use of the home; 

3 (C) does not include installation of any 

4 measure that the Secretary determines does not 

5 improve the thermal energy performance of the 

6 home, such as a pool pump, pool heater, spa, or 

7 EV charger; and 

8 (D) includes, after installation of the appli9 cable home energy efficiency retrofit measures, 

10 a test-out procedure conducted in accordance 

11 with guidelines issued by the Secretary of such 

12 measures to ensure— 

13 (i) the safe operation of all systems 

14 post retrofit; and 

15 (ii) that all improvements are included 

16 in, and have been installed according to— 

17 (I) manufacturers installation 

18 specifications; and 

19 (II) all applicable State and local 

20 codes or equivalent standards ap21 proved by the Secretary; 

22 (3) that the State program utilize— 

23 (A) for purposes of modeled performance 

24 rebates, modeling software approved by the Sec25 retary for determining and documenting the 


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1 baseline energy use of a home and the reduc2 tions in home energy use resulting from the im3 plementation of a home energy efficiency ret4 rofit; and 

5 (B) for purposes of measured performance 

6 rebates, methods and procedures approved by 

7 the Secretary for determining and documenting 

8 the baseline energy use of a home and the re9 ductions in home energy use resulting from the 

10 implementation of a home energy efficiency ret11 rofit, including methods and procedures for use 

12 of advanced metering infrastructure, weather13 normalized data, and open source standards, to 

14 measure such baseline energy use and such re15 ductions in home energy use; 

16 (4) that the State program include implementa17 tion of a quality assurance program— 

18 (A) to ensure that home energy efficiency 

19 retrofits are achieving the stated level of energy 

20 savings, that efficiency measures were installed 

21 correctly, and that work is performed in accord22 ance with procedures developed by the Sec23 retary, including through quality-control inspec24 tions for a portion of home energy efficiency 


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1 retrofits completed by each applicable con2 tractor; and 

3 (B) under which a quality-control inspec4 tion of a home energy efficiency retrofit is per5 formed by a quality assurance provider who— 

6 (i) is independent of the contractor 

7 for such retrofit; and 

8 (ii) will confirm that such contractor 

9 is a contractor who meets minimum train10 ing requirements and certification require11 ments set forth by the Secretary; 

12 (5) that the State program include require13 ments for a homeowner, contractor, or rebate 

14 aggregator to claim a rebate, including that the 

15 homeowner, contractor, or rebate aggregator submit 

16 any applicable forms approved by the Secretary to 

17 the State, including a copy of the certificate pro18 vided by the applicable contractor certifying pro19 jected or measured reduction of home energy use; 

20 (6) that the State program may include require21 ments for an entity to be eligible to serve as a rebate 

22 aggregator to facilitate the delivery of rebates to 

23 homeowners or contractors; 

24 (7) that the State program include procedures 

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1 bate to the contractor performing the applicable 

2 home energy efficiency retrofit or to a rebate 

3 aggregator that works with the contractor; and 

4 (8) that the State program provide that a 

5 homeowner, contractor, or rebate aggregator may 

6 claim more than one rebate under the State pro7 gram, and may claim a rebate under the State pro8 gram after receiving a partial system rebate under 

9 section 202, provided that no 2 rebates may be pro10 vided with respect to a home using the same baseline 

11 energy use of such home. 

12 (d) MODELED PERFORMANCE REBATES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out a State pro14 gram under this section, a State may provide a 

15 homeowner, contractor, or rebate aggregator a re16 bate, to be known as a modeled performance rebate, 

17 for an energy audit of a home and a home energy 

18 efficiency retrofit that is projected, using modeling 

19 software approved by the Secretary, to reduce home 

20 energy use by at least 20 percent. 

21 (2) AMOUNT.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

23 section 204, subject to subparagraph (B), the 

24 amount of a modeled performance rebate pro25 vided under a State program shall be equal to 


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1 50 percent of the cost of the applicable energy 

2 audit of a home and home energy efficiency ret3 rofit, including the cost of diagnostic proce4 dures, labor, reporting, and modeling. 

5 (B) LIMITATION.—Except as provided in 

6 section 204, with respect to an energy audit 

7 and home energy efficiency retrofit that is pro8 jected to reduce home energy use by— 

9 (i) at least 20 percent, but less than 

10 40 percent, the maximum amount of a 

11 modeled performance rebate shall be 

12 $2,000; and 

13 (ii) at least 40 percent, the maximum 

14 amount of a modeled performance rebate 

15 shall be $4,000. 

16 (e) MEASURED PERFORMANCE REBATES.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out a State pro18 gram under this section, a State may provide a 

19 homeowner, contractor, or rebate aggregator a re20 bate, to be known as a ‘‘measured performance re21 bate’’, for a home energy efficiency retrofit that re22 duces home energy use by at least 20 percent as 

23 measured using methods and procedures approved 

24 by the Secretary. 

25 (2) AMOUNT.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

2 section 204, subject to subparagraph (B), the 

3 amount of a measured performance rebate pro4 vided under a State program shall be equal to 

5 50 percent of the cost, including the cost of di6 agnostic procedures, labor, reporting, and en7 ergy measurement, of the applicable home en8 ergy efficiency retrofit. 

9 (B) LIMITATION.—Except as provided in 

10 section 204, with respect to a home energy effi11 ciency retrofit that is measured as reducing 

12 home energy use by— 

13 (i) at least 20 percent, but less than 

14 40 percent, the maximum amount of a 

15 measured performance rebate shall be 

16 $2,000; and 

17 (ii) at least 40 percent, the maximum 

18 amount of a measured performance rebate 

19 shall be $4,000. 

20 (f) COORDINATION OF REBATE AND EXISTING

21 STATE-SPONSORED OR UTILITY-SPONSORED PRO22 GRAMS.—A State that receives a grant under this section 

23 is encouraged to work with State agencies, energy utilities, 

24 nonprofits, and other entities— 


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1 (1) to assist in marketing the availability of the 

2 rebates under the applicable State program; 

3 (2) to coordinate with utility or State managed 

4 financing programs; 

5 (3) to assist in implementation of the applicable 

6 State program, including installation of home energy 

7 efficiency retrofits; and 

8 (4) to coordinate with existing quality assur9 ance programs. 

10 (g) ADMINISTRATION AND OVERSIGHT.— 

11 (1) REVIEW OF APPROVED MODELING SOFT12 WARE.—The Secretary shall, on an annual basis, list 

13 and review all modeling software approved for use in 

14 determining and documenting the reductions in 

15 home energy use for purposes of modeled perform16 ance rebates under subsection (d). In approving such 

17 modeling software each year, the Secretary shall en18 sure that modeling software approved for a year will 

19 result in modeling of energy efficiency gains for any 

20 type of home energy efficiency retrofit that is at 

21 least as substantial as the modeling of energy effi22 ciency gains for such type of home energy efficiency 

23 retrofit using the modeling software approved for 

24 the previous year. 


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1 (2) OVERSIGHT.—If the Secretary determines 

2 that a State is not implementing a State program 

3 that was approved pursuant to subsection (b) and 

4 that meets the minimum criteria under subsection 

5 (c), the Secretary may, after providing the State a 

6 period of at least 90 days to meet such criteria, 

7 withhold grant funds under this section from the 

8 State. 

9 SEC. 204. SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR MODERATE INCOME 

10 HOUSEHOLDS. 

11 (a) CERTIFICATIONS.—The Secretary shall establish 

12 procedures for certifying that the household of a home13 owner is moderate income for purposes of this section. 

14 (b) PERCENTAGES.—Subject to subsection (c), for 

15 households of homeowners that are certified pursuant to 

16 the procedures established under subsection (a) as mod17 erate income the— 

18 (1) amount of a partial system rebate under 

19 section 202 shall not exceed 60 percent of the appli20 cable purchase and installation costs described in 

21 section 202(b)(1); and 

22 (2) amount of— 

23 (A) a modeled performance rebate under 

24 section 203 provided shall be equal to 80 perVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:09 Jul 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4052.IS S4052

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1 cent of the applicable costs described in section 

2 203(d)(2)(A); and 

3 (B) a measured performance rebate under 

4 section 203 provided shall be equal to 80 per5 cent of the applicable costs described in section 

6 203(e)(2)(A). 

7 (c) MAXIMUM AMOUNTS.—For households of home8 owners that are certified pursuant to the procedures estab9 lished under subsection (a) as moderate income the max10 imum amount— 

11 (1) of a partial system rebate— 

12 (A) under section 202(a)(1) for the pur13 chase and installation of insulation and air seal14 ing within a home of the homeowner shall be 

15 $1,600; and 

16 (B) under section 202(a)(2) for the pur17 chase and installation of insulation and air seal18 ing within a home of the homeowner and re19 placement of an HVAC system, the heating 

20 component of an HVAC system, or the cooling 

21 component of an HVAC system, of such home, 

22 shall be $3,000; 

23 (2) of a modeled performance rebate under sec24 tion 203 for an energy audit and home energy effiVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:09 Jul 07, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4052.IS S4052

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1 ciency retrofit that is projected to reduce home en2 ergy use as described in— 

3 (A) section 203(d)(2)(B)(i) shall be 

4 $4,000; and 

5 (B) section 203(d)(2)(B)(ii) shall be 

6 $8,000; and 

7 (3) of a measured performance rebate under 

8 section 203 for a home energy efficiency retrofit that 

9 reduces home energy use as described in— 

10 (A) section 203(e)(2)(B)(i) shall be 

11 $4,000; and 

12 (B) section 203(e)(2)(B)(ii) shall be 

13 $8,000. 

14 (d) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall establish proce15 dures to— 

16 (1) provide information to households of home17 owners that are certified pursuant to the procedures 

18 established under subsection (a) as moderate income 

19 regarding other programs and resources relating to 

20 assistance for energy efficiency upgrades of homes, 

21 including the weatherization assistance program im22 plemented under part A of title IV of the Energy 

23 Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6861 

24 et seq.); and 


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1 (2) refer such households, as applicable, to such 

2 other programs and resources. 

3 SEC. 205. EVALUATION REPORTS TO CONGRESS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter until 

6 the termination of the Home Energy Savings Retrofit Re7 bate Program, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 

8 report on the use of funds made available to carry out 

9 this title. 

10 (b) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under sub11 section (a) shall include— 

12 (1) how many home energy efficiency retrofits 

13 have been completed during the previous year under 

14 the Home Energy Savings Retrofit Rebate Program; 

15 (2) an estimate of how many jobs have been 

16 created through the Home Energy Savings Retrofit 

17 Rebate Program, directly and indirectly; 

18 (3) a description of what steps could be taken 

19 to promote further deployment of energy efficiency 

20 and renewable energy retrofits; 

21 (4) a description of the quantity of verifiable 

22 energy savings, homeowner energy bill savings, and 

23 other benefits of the Home Energy Savings Retrofit 

24 Rebate Program; 


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1 (5) a description of any waste, fraud, or abuse 

2 with respect to funds made available to carry out 

3 this title; and 

4 (6) any other information the Secretary con5 siders appropriate. 

6 SEC. 206. ADMINISTRATION. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide such 

8 administrative and technical support to contractors, rebate 

9 aggregators, States, and Indian Tribes as is necessary to 

10 carry out this title. 

11 (b) INFORMATION COLLECTION.—The Secretary 

12 shall establish, and make available to a homeowner, or the 

13 homeowner’s designated representative, seeking a rebate 

14 under this title, release forms authorizing access by the 

15 Secretary, or a designated third-party representative to in16 formation in the utility bills of the homeowner with appro17 priate privacy protections in place. 

18 SEC. 207. TREATMENT OF REBATES. 

19 For purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 

20 gross income shall not include any rebate received under 

21 this title. 

22 SEC. 208. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro24 priated to the Secretary to carry out this title 


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1 $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 

2 2025, to remain available until expended. 

3 (b) TRIBAL ALLOCATION.—Of the amounts made 

4 available pursuant to subsection (a) for a fiscal year, the 

5 Secretary shall work with Indian Tribes and use 2 percent 

6 of such amounts to carry out a program or programs that 

7 as close as possible reflect the goals, requirements, and 

8 provisions of this title, taking into account any factors 

9 that the Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

10 TITLE III—ADMINISTRATION 

11 SEC. 301. APPOINTMENT OF PERSONNEL. 

12 Notwithstanding the provisions of title 5, United 

13 States Code, regarding appointments in the competitive 

14 service and General Schedule classifications and pay rates, 

15 the Secretary may appoint such professional and adminis16 trative personnel as the Secretary considers necessary to 

17 carry out this Act. 

18 SEC. 302. MAINTENANCE OF FUNDING. 

19 Each State receiving Federal funds pursuant to this 

20 Act shall provide reasonable assurances to the Secretary 

21 that it has established policies and procedures designed 

22 to ensure that Federal funds provided under this Act will 

23 be used to supplement, and not to supplant, State and 

24 local funds. 

Æ 


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