Homes in the Upstate off South Carolina served by Duke Energy are now eligible for incentives in the RNC Program.
Any qualifying homes in Duke Energy territory in South Carolina permitted on or after 12/8/2022 are eligible for incentives and can be submitted in the RNC Program. Homes in South Carolina will follow the same incentive structure as North Carolina whether the home is in Progress or Carolinas territory. Homes in South Carolina will use the South Carolina building code for the reference home in Ekotrope.
The Duke Energy RNC Program Incentive structure can be found here.
Builders
Equipment-only SEER Change
Keeping in line with the upcoming DOE HVAC SEER changes, the RNC Program will be making changes to the SEER requirements for equipment-only incentives. Beginning with submissions on or after May 1st, 2023, equipment-only applications will need to be 16+ SEER to be eligible for the $300 equipment-only incentive for all Duke Energy homes in North or South Carolina. Prior to May 1st, 2023, the RNC Program will continue to accept 15 SEER applications.
For details on the SEER impact for whole-home incentives, check-out this news post.
DEC Builder and Rater Applications are now live!
The Duke Energy RNC team is pleased to announce that the Duke Energy Carolina (DEC) Rater and Builder applications are now live on the RNC Program Website. All builders and raters that will be participating in the RNC Program in DEC territory will need to complete an application, regardless of their current participation in the Duke Energy Progress RNC Program.
Quick links to the applications for DEC territory can be found below.
The Duke Energy Carolinas RNC timeline and incentive structure can be found in this News Announcement.
Photovoltaics (PV) in RNC Program homes
As PV systems become more prevalent in the marketplace we want to remind you the Duke Energy RNC Program policy.
Homes in the Program are required to be individually metered and billed under a residential rate schedule. Homes that have solar photovoltaics (PV) installed around the time of the build could be master metered, (where multiple units of a multifamily building, townhome, or duplex are all under one meter) and billed as non-residential/commercial account. Builders are responsible for confirming with Duke Energy at the time the account is set up if the address will be residential and individually metered in the homeowner’s name. If raters are aware the home will have PV, it is recommended the builder confirm how the account will be set-up with Duke Energy prior to testing and submitting the home.
Read MoreNorth Carolina Temporary Change to Duct Insulation Requirements
The Duke Energy RNC Program will be temporarily modifying the minimum required duct insulation in response to the Executive Order issued by North Carolina Governor Cooper (page 46, section 20.10) reducing the duct insulation requirement in unconditioned spaces from R-8 to R-4.2 in the North Carolina building code.
If the temporary order expires, the RNC Program will default back to the North Carolina building code for duct insulation requirements. This change will go live in Ekotrope in the coming weeks. The RNC Program team will provide updates as they become available.
Due to the complexity of calculations determining whether homes qualify for incentives in the RNC Program, participating builders should check with their Home Energy Raters when making specification changes to homes to ensure they still qualify in the Program, and to determine incentive impacts.
Read MoreEkotrope Version 4.0 Mandatory 01/01/2022
Ekotrope Version 4.0 will be mandatory for all homes in the Duke Energy RNC Program permitted on or after January 1, 2022 , per RESNET guidance. The RNC Program Team recommends all raters review their builders plans for potential impacts to program savings and compliance in the RNC Program prior to January 1st. The complete list of changes in Version 4.0 can be found on Ekotrope.com.
Read MoreBest Practices for T-Ply and Housewrap Rater Webinar
The Duke Energy RNC Program team will be hosting a rater webinar to overview the best practices with t-ply and housewrap and answer questions from raters. Please reach out to the RNC Program team for a link to the webinar.
Read MoreSmart Thermostat Incentive Announcement
The North Carolina Utilities Commission recently approved a North Carolina based utility program that incentivizes the installation of smart thermostats. The Duke Energy Progress(DEP) RNC Program also incentivizes builders for installing an Energy Star(ES) smart thermostat in participating homes. Effective May 17, 2021 participating homes in the RNC Program may receive incentive for ES smart thermostat from the DEP RNC Program or receive an incentive for a smart thermostat from other North Carolina based utilities, but not both.
Read MoreCOVID-19 Remote Inspections Extension
Recently RESNET has issued guidance extending the option of using remote inspections due to COVID-19 up to thirty (30) days after the Presidential Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak is lifted. The RNC Program continues to support raters’ decisions to protect themselves as they see fit during this time and will continue to allow for homes with remote inspections to be submitted in the Program. The RNC Program may opt to diverge from RESNET's stated timeline, at it's discretion.
Read MoreCOVID-19 Remote Inspections Extension through September 2020
In recent days RESNET has issued guidance extending the option of using remote inspections due to COVID-19 through September 30th, 2020. The RNC Program supports raters’ decisions to protect themselves as they see fit during this time and will continue to allow for homes with remote inspections to be submitted in the Program. The RNC Program may opt to diverge from RESNET's stated timeline, at it's discretion.
[**Allowance extended up to thirty (30) days after the Presidential Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak is lifted. See the news article here.]
COVID-19 Remote Inspections
In recent days the HERS rating industry’s oversight organization, RESNET, issued guidance encouraging HERS raters nationwide to alter inspection practices in response to COVID-19. The following testing and inspection guidelines are presented to all Program participants as an option, not a requirement.
[**Allowance extended up to thirty (30) days after the Presidential Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak is lifted. See the news article here.]
Builder Participation Agreement Renewal
Builders that have not yet renewed their RNC Program Participation Agreements must do so immediately.
Read MoreIncentive and quality assurance structure
All new construction projects served by Duke Energy Progress in North and South Carolina are eligible to participate in the Residential New Construction Program. The basic incentive structure and protocols for the RNC Program’s quality assurance are included in this post.
Read MoreMandatory Insulation Inspections
As a reminder, insulation inspections are required for all homes participating in the Duke RNC Program for a HERO rebate or a HERO + HERS Rebate. Under no circumstances may homes be submitted without both a pre-drywall and final inspection by a participating Rater. This means that scheduling and carrying out inspections with your Rater is critical.
Please see the previous participant email for additional information.
Grade I Insulation in Climate Zone 3
The July 2017 Technical Bulletin published by the Duke Energy Progress RNC Program, “Grading Insulation Installation,” contained an omission regarding Grade I insulation in Climate Zone 3.
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