What does this funding get me?

This Department of Energy (DOE) program made $200 million available to state energy offices ($150 million as formula grants and the rest as competitive grants) to train, test, and certify residential energy efficiency and electrification contractors, many of whom will be doing the work on improvements eligible for rebates under the $8.8 billion HEAR and HER home energy rebate programs. States can work with nonprofits or other partner organizations to develop and implement these programs that will prepare contractors and their employees to bring clean energy technologies into homes. This program is also known as Training for Residential Energy Contractors (TREC).

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Am I eligible?

Only states and territories can receive the grants. States will receive formula grants of a combined $150 million, with North Carolina receiving $3,698,030 and South Carolina $2,397,600.

In addition, states could apply for a competitive grant of up to $5 million.

The NC and SC State Energy Offices may set up training programs themselves or work with partner organizations to set up and run training programs.

How can I access the money?

To access formula funds, states and territories determined their residential energy efficiency and electrification workforce needs and submitted applications to meet those needs. This deadline passed in April 2024. When the training programs are established, we will post details on this page and provide instructions for accessing the training opportunities. Or contact the NC and SC State Energy Offices (see links below) for more information.

There are also competitive grants, which are still open. Between 10 and 30 competitive awards will be made to states for up to $5 million each.

What is the timeline?

Grant application deadlines for states have passed. This page will be updated when NC and SC announce their training plans.

For competitive grants, states needed to submit a letter of intent to apply by November 15, 2024 at 5:00pm ET. The full application submission deadline was January 15, 2025. DOE selection notifications for competitive grants are expected in April 2025.

What other incentives could I use to help me accomplish my goals?

For additional training assistance, the NC Clean Energy Technology Center provides numerous training programs and online/in-person courses related to renewable energy and energy efficiency. Click here for more information.

Where can I get more information?

Given the changing status of federal policies and programs, we recommend contacting us via email at info@energyfundsforall.org or phone at 919-839-0006 ext. 103 to confirm program availability. 

Learn more at our FAQs HERE  and contact your legislators HERE.