Funding Energy Efficiency Contractors Through the IRA

This episode is part of our Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.

Mary MacPherson, a program manager in the Office of State and Community Energy Programs at the DOE, oversees energy efficiency and electrification workforce development programs funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the IRA.

In this episode, Mary and Yin discuss residential energy efficiency training programs, addressing crucial challenges in the skilled labor workforce. They explore the underlying reasons for the workforce gap, from an aging labor force to accessibility barriers in education and certification processes.

Funding is a significant lever to address these bottlenecks. In mid-July of 2023, the US Department of Energy announced that states and territories could apply for a pool of $150 million to train the next generation of residential efficiency and electrification contractors. These include electricians, energy auditors, HVAC contractors, plumbers, and more. The ultimate goals include lowering training costs, enhancing certification support, fostering diversity in the energy efficiency workforce, and providing economic mobility opportunities while promoting high-quality contracting in the residential sector.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:46]: Contractor Training Grants in the IRA
• [04:23]: Mary's clean energy background
• [07:08]: Overview of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
• [09:39]: The role of State Energy Offices 
• [13:00]: Skill and accessibility gaps in the energy efficiency trades
• [15:27]: Challenges in the residential heat pump workforce
• [18:11]: Reducing barriers to entry
• [20:10]: The significance of certification and testing
• [22:56]: State examples: Maine and Illinois
• [25:24]: How DOE allocates funds to states
• [28:34]: How to help funds flow to your state
• [30:52]: Community benefits and advancing Justice40 goals
• [33:55]: Mary's vision for success in 2030

Get connected: 

• Mary MacPherson X / LinkedIn
• Yin X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / Instagram

*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on Aug 11, 2023 (Published on Sep 22, 2023)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant