Frequently Asked Questions

RePower helps increase the energy efficiency of Kitsap County through in-home assessments, cash-back incentives, financing options and a network of local, skilled contractors to help achieve increased comfort and energy savings in homes and businesses.

RePower currently provides three unique offers in Kitsap County:

• RePower Bainbridge
• Repower Bremerton
• RePower Kitsap

RePower Goals:

• Bainbridge and Bremerton:
  • Complete energy assessments in at least 4,000 homes and 100 businesses
  • Complete energy upgrades in 2,000 homes and 25 businesses
  • Achieve 15 percent or more energy savings in each home or business

• Kitsap:
  • Complete 685 Home Energy Assesments with EPS
  • Complete energy upgrades in 1,550 homes throughout Kitsap County
  • Achieve a minimum of 20 percent energy savings in each home or business

RePower was established in part by U.S. Department of Energy grants. In July 2010, the cities of Bainbridge and Bremerton were selected among 20 communities in the United States to receive a Department of Energy BetterBuildings award, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In addition, Kitsap County and Washington State University Energy Program also received grants from Department of Energy and Washington State Department of Commerce to complete residential energy-efficiency upgrades and develop energy-efficiency financing.

RePower is implemented by many partners, including the Cities of Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington State University, Conservation Services Group, Positive Energy, Sierra Club, Puget Sound Energy (PSE), Cascade Natural Gas Corporation, Kitsap Credit Union, Earth Advantage Institute and Olympic College.

The features of each RePower offer are based on participating utilities and primary heating fuel used in the home. All RePower customers can receive a limited-time, $450 Kitsap County instant rebate for a Home Energy Assessment with EPS (when they use a Kitsap County EPS Assessor) and can apply for the Kitsap Credit Union Energy Efficiency Loan Program.

RePower Bainbridge
• Residents must live on Bainbridge Island
• FREE Home Energy Check-Ups performed by RePower energy advisors
• Home must be primarily heated by oil, propane or electricity from PSE

RePower Bremerton
• Residents must live within Bremerton city limits
• FREE PSE HomePrint™ Assessments, performed by independent PSE-Qualified Specialists
• Home must be primarily heated by oil, propane, electricity from PSE or natural gas from Cascade Natural Gas Corporation

RePower Kitsap
• Residents must live within Kitsap County
• FREE PSE HomePrint™ Assessments, performed by independent PSE-Qualified Specialists
• Homes must be primarily heated by electricity from PSE or natural gas from Cascade Natural Gas Corporation

RePower helps Kitsap County contractors become trade allies and ensure they offer the community the best in energy-efficiency services and information. RePower trade allies are properly licensed, insured and trained in construction safety, and must be Building Performance Institute (BPI)-certified by December 31, 2011. Trade allies who offer Home Energy Assessments with EPS are BPI-certified and trained to evaluate how a home works as a system to impact its overall energy efficiency and recommend upgrades which achieve a reduction in energy costs and increased comfort.

Trade ally contractors are promoted on all three RePower websites and are referred to homeowners during in-home assessments. Additionally, trade allies are provided marketing materials and have access to discounted technical trainings from BPI and discounted diagnostic equipment from Minneapolis Blower Door and Retrotec. Contact Seth Kolodziejski, trade ally manager, at 206.866.0218 for more details on trade ally benefits.

Email Seth Kolodziejski, trade ally manager, or call 206.866.0218.

To become a RePower trade ally, you must have an office located in Kitsap County. All trade ally applicants must submit the following documents:

• RePower Participation Agreement
• Lead Safety certificate
• Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) 10-hour training certificate
• Additional insurance certificates with Conservation Services Group, the City of Bainbridge Island and Kitsap County as certificate holders. Additional certificates are created by the trade ally's insurance agent.

Trade allies who offer Home Energy Assessments with EPS must have at least one BPI Building Analyst directing each assessment. Trade allies who offer weatherization services must have a BPI Envelope Professional on staff by December 31, 2011.

OSHA training for the construction and general contracting industries teach health and safety awareness, and help workers reduce the risk of job-site hazards. The OSHA 10-hour class costs approximately $90 and can be completed online.

As of April 22, 2010, all contractors and technicians working in homes or child-occupied facilities built before 1978 must be trained, certified and meet all Lead Safe Work Practice requirements set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department Housing and Urban Development. Federal fines for non-compliance are $37,500 per violation, per day. The eight-hour lead safety training will teach you how to comply with the lead-safety rules and how to integrate safe and effective work practices into your projects.

Trade allies must respond to program referrals within seven business days. Trade allies must meet RePower's installation standards and submit a summary of completed work to RePower by the 10th of each month using the grant reporting template. A minimum of three reported jobs per quarter is required to maintain trade ally status.

Trade ally installation standards for energy-efficiency upgrades can be found in the Weatherization Specifications Manual. For a brief job-site review of these standards, call Debbie, program coordinator, at 206.866.0214 to schedule a Quality Assurance appointment.

Trade allies offer services which improve residential energy efficiency, comfort and safety. The most common upgrades made by trade allies address insulation, air sealing, heating systems and moisture management.

RePower staff provides in-home assessments, call center support, marketing, contractor training and program implementation. All energy-efficiency improvements are made by independent contractors.

A certified energy advisor will visit a home to conduct a 90-minute, no-cost, assessment to identify typical areas of energy loss, such as insulation, heating and cooling system, gaps and cracks throughout the home, and inefficient equipment. Homeowners receive a list of custom recommendations based on their home which includes no-cost and low-cost upgrades, and information on long-term energy-saving solutions.

Energy advisors will also install items to help make immediate changes to the way homeowners use (and pay) for energy:

• Up to 25 compact fluorescent light bulbs that use up to 75 percent less energy than standard light bulbs and last up to 10 times longer (based on household behavior)
• Two high-performance showerheads that use up to 20 percent less water and help save on water heating costs—without reducing water pressure

Please note: The length of a FREE Home Energy Check-Up may vary, depending on size of home.

Puget Sound Energy's PSE's HomePrint™ Assessment is a FREE overview of your home's energy use. Provided by an independent PSE-Qualified Specialist, this in-home service gives you a better understanding of your home's basic energy consumption, cost-effective ways to use less energy and useful information about how to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home.

• A summary of energy-saving recommendations, plus information about PSE energy-efficiency product rebates, contractor referrals and helpful energy-efficiency tips. On-site installation of FREE compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Homeowners are responsible for payment to contractors for all home energy upgrades. Contractors whose clients participate in Kitsap Credit Union's Energy Efficiency Loan Program will receive a check from Kitsap Credit Union within two business days of receipt of a valid invoice.

Kitsap County, the City of Bainbridge Island and Kitsap Credit Union have partnered together to create an Energy Efficiency Loan Program, making it easy for Kitsap County residents to make cost-saving improvements to save energy, increase the comfort, health and safety of homes and businesses, and protect the environment. To be eligible for the Energy Efficiency Loan Program, the homeowner must receive a Home Energy Assessment with EPS from a Kitsap County EPS Assessor or a FREE Home Energy Check-Up (RePower Bainbridge participants only).

Financing can be used for energy-efficiency upgrades performed by contractors, such as weatherization, heating and cooling, lighting and ENERGY STAR® appliances. Three loan types are available to qualifying home and business owners:

• Unsecured Home Improvement Loan: Borrow from $1,000 to $10,000
• Unsecured Home Equity Loan: Borrow from $10,001 to $50,000
• Business Improvement Term Loan: Borrow from $5,000 to $25,000

Visit Kitsap Credit Union or contact a representative at 360.662.2000.