Section 50123 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 established the State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Grants (CTG), also known as Training for Residential Energy Contractors (TREC). Overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP), TREC aims to provide State Energy Offices with grants to prepare workers to deliver energy efficiency, beneficial electrification, and clean energy improvements.

The following documents developed by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) in response to State and Territory Office member needs and requests, offers key application and program design considerations, as well as references to resources, research, and data, that can help states develop comprehensive applications. NASEO encourages states to adapt and refine the suggestions below to meet your unique markets, policies, goals, and needs. The sample answers have not been reviewed or approved by SCEP and are meant to serve as a starting point for states drafting their applications.

Sample Application Materials

  • Project Narrative Sample Responses
  • Workforce Needs Assessment Data (1a)
      • NASEO calculated the estimated demand in column 6 based on the method outlined during the DOE SCEP webinar on TREC held on September 21, 2023 to help State Energy Offices answer Component 1, part a of the Workforce Development Plan in Section 6.4.c.
      • This method estimates demand by dividing the total Inflation Reduction Act rebate allocation (Home Energy Performance-Based Whole-House Rebates Program (HOMES) allocation plus the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program (HEEHR) allocation) for each state by 1 million and then multiplying by the state’s energy efficiency jobs multiplier (from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory report, State-Level Employment Projections for Four Clean Energy Technologies in 2025 and 2030, Appendix C).
      • The resulting number provides a rough estimate of the total number of direct jobs expected to be created by the rebate investment in each state.
      • Note: The estimate does not incorporate state-specific utility funding for energy efficiency programs or other sources of investment. However, State Energy Offices can download the Excel version and add in this data if needed. The estimated demand is also not specific to a particular occupation, but rather energy efficiency and electrification jobs overall.
  • Workforce Needs Assessment Data (1d)
      • NASEO compiled national projections and state-level data on current employment across the following occupations: electricians, insulation workers, plumbers, and HVAC workers to help State and Territory Energy Offices answer Component 1, part d of the Workforce Development Plan in Section 6.4.c.
      • The data was sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Query System, as suggested based on the DOE SCEP webinar held on September 21, 2023.
      • The Excel version of the compiled data is available if State Energy Offices would like to download and explore the data.
  • Letter of Support Template

DOE TREC Resources

Contact Grace Lowe at glowe@naseo.org with any questions.