Karpman Consulting has been involved in the design and implementation of multiple large scale incentive programs for new and existing buildings in the North East. Our services have included formulating program technical polices, developing innovative processes and tools for submittal reviews that balance review effort and review quality, technical support to program staff performing submittal reviews, development and delivery of trainings to incentive program participants during program orientations, monthly webinars covering relevant technical topics, and general incentive program policy development and implementation support. Below are some highlights of our experience in this area.

NYSERDA New Construction Program (NCP) in New York

NCP offers incentives to new construction and major renovation projects for individual measures (custom measure path) or based on the overall performance of the entire design (whole building path). Karpman Consulting developed Simulation Guidelines for the whole building path based on ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Appendix G, provided technical support to consultants that perform energy modeling for participating projects, assisted NYSERDA staff with submittal reviews, developed submittal templates to streamline reporting and reviews, developed a submittal review process outlining the review steps for modeling-based submittals, and developed a case study to serve as an example for program participants. Karpman Consulting has provided ongoing technical support to program staff. Most recently, Karpman Consulting is helping to manage the program’s transition from ASHRAE Standard 90.1 2007 to 90.1 2013, spurred by changes to the New York State code. The initial 3 year contract was awarded in 2010 and has been extended three times, a testament to the client’s satisfaction.

NYSERDA Multifamily Performance Program (MPP) in New York

Karpman Consulting has been involved with the Multifamily Performance Program (MPP) since its initial rollout as part of the Energy Star Multifamily Pilot. Maria Karpman participated on the National Working Group which included stakeholders such as the EPA, HUD, Oakridge National Lab, NYSERDA, and the California Energy Commission, which aimed to develop approaches for evaluating and benchmarking energy performance of multifamily buildings. Ms. Karpman led the development of the Simulation Guidelines which, in addition to becoming a foundation of MPP, were adopted as a basis for the EPA Energy Star program for multifamily buildings and the LEED NC mid-rise pilot, attesting to the high technical quality of the document. Karpman Consulting has also developed technical guidelines and spreadsheet tools for MPP’s existing buildings component and described acceptable modeling methods for a wide range of common Energy Conservation Measures, leading to a marked improvement in the accuracy of projected savings from incentivized retrofits. Methods for establishing the infiltration reduction from common weatherization measures developed for MPP were later used by the National Renewable Energy Lab. Karpman Consulting continues to provide technical support to MPP staff with submittal reviews, interpretation of applicable standards, and strategic initiatives such as an ongoing effort to develop a framework for the adoption of ubiquitous building labeling for multifamily and commercial buildings in New York.

Pay for Performance Incentive Program (P4P) in New Jersey

P4P is a whole building energy efficiency program with a multi-million dollar budget that provides incentives for new construction and comprehensive energy retrofits of commercial, industrial, and multifamily buildings. Karpman Consulting developed the technical policies and compliance tools for the program, and provides ongoing technical support to program staff on submittal reviews. The existing building program includes an innovative structure that provides both an incentive based on modeled energy savings and an incentive based on realized energy savings determined by weather normalized utility bill analysis. The new construction and existing building components have a combined annual budget of approximately $50 million. Technical guidelines for the existing building component developed by Karpman Consulting include detailed requirements for energy simulation including tools for calibrating building energy models to utility bills following the principals of ASHRAE Guideline 14 – Measurement of Energy and Demand Savings. We have also developed sophisticated review checklists and tools to streamline submittal reviews and flag erroneous results.

Energy Conscious Blueprint - Whole Building Performance Path in Connecticut

Karpman Consulting has been engaged by United Illuminating and EverSource in Connecticut to support the development of the Whole Building Performance Path of the Energy Conscious Blueprint program. The Whole Building Performance Path provides incentives to new construction and major renovation projects that exceed the state energy code, as demonstrated by an ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Appendix G model. As part of this initiative, Karpman Consulting has performed project reviews, led the design and development of a reporting template, and developed Energy Modeling Guidelines that describe the program's technical requirements. These Energy Modeling Guidelines cover prescribed modeling assumptions, areas where program requirements differ from the standard approach described in Appendix G, and clarification and sample calculations in areas that are often misunderstood and mis-modeled. Both the guidelines and the report template have been well-received by program staff and program participants.

Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) Commercial Energy Efficiency Rebate Program, Long Island, NY

Coming soon!