Alaska Energy Training Group discusses “stepping stones” for energy efficiency career development

Alaska consistently ranks among some of the most energy intensive and expensive states in the country. Wasted energy from poorly designed homes, leaky building envelopes, and aging housing stock is especially harmful in rural and remote areas, where energy costs often double or triple those paid in urban climates.

Weatherization and home energy retrofits can amount to big savings, as seen in the state’s 2008–2016 Home Energy Rebate Program. With new home energy rebates under development, the Alaska Energy Training Group met on Tuesday, Dec. 3, to discuss training programs and workforce development tactics for the state’s building efficiency workforce. Facilitated by REAP’s Alaska Network for Energy Education and Employment (ANEEE) in partnership with the Denali Commission, the group meets virtually every quarter to share progress, discuss lessons learned, and seed collaborations in the energy training landscape. At their most recent meeting, ANEEE program manager Jenny Starrs recruited Cold Climate Housing Research Center project coordinator Rosa Vogel, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation energy specialist Kevin Blackwell, and building analyst and energy rater Emmett Leffel to share and discuss about the building science training landscape in Alaska.

The online learning portal includes skills like how to vent a dryer to the exterior of a building. (Courtesy CCHRC)

Performing weatherization upgrades for a contractor or homeowner is a common entry point into the energy efficiency and building science industry. Learning new skills and techniques generally depends on on-the-job training, but CCHRC aims to speed up the learning curve and provide entry-level virtual instruction for key cold climate weatherization skills through their new badge program. Rosa Vogel shared that the organization spent the past year fleshing out 25 key weatherization skills, like air sealing and insulating walls and installing windows and exterior doors, with pertinent cold climate specifications for the virtual learning portal. Each badge includes a job aid, instructional video, and online quiz to check comprehension, and then an on-the-job quality control inspector can check and approve the real-world work. With a mobile friendly display, CCHRC aims to reach high school students, entry-level weatherization workers, homeowners, and employers to increase the spread of tried-and-tested cold climate weatherization skills throughout the state.

After gaining construction experience, some may be interested in pursuing more energy efficiency education and perhaps even going on to become an energy rater to assess buildings’ energy efficiency and recommend potential upgrades. Kevin Blackwell facilitates AHFC’s energy rater program, which provides training and issues agreements with energy raters to conduct approved energy ratings. Acquiring an energy rating is often the first step toward accessing AHFC’s rebate and incentive programs, and can also be a starting place for homeowners looking to do their own upgrades. The ranks of energy raters swelled to over 100 during the state’s last rebate program and then dipped after the program ended in 2016, Blackwell said. There are now 29 approved raters in the state, with eight having just received agreements in the last two years. Blackwell said that the program will focus on recertifying its current raters in the spring of 2025, and then hopes to offer training to those interested in becoming new energy raters in the fall, for the first time in three years.

All energy raters need substantial workforce experience before applying with AHFC. (Courtesy AHFC)

Leffel found that cross-training was essential to flesh out his business as a building analyst. (Courtesy Emmett Leffel)

Emmett Leffel was one of the energy raters who joined the field during the state’s last Home Energy Rebate Program, getting approved in 2008. To stay in the industry as the program was winding down, he pursued a host of cross-training opportunities to fill up his workload and diversify the building science services he could offer. He shared that thermography, air barrier, and International Code Council certifications were among the most helpful, opening up new work like design reviews and quality control for new construction. Most of these programs require out-of-state training, which can get expensive, but Leffel also discussed the importance of getting involved in local industry and efficiency organizations to spot trends, gain contacts, and develop your business.

After sharing their presentations, Leffel, Blackwell, and Vogel discussed what could be on the horizon for building science training and workforce development in the state. New video game-like simulations for training and testing are making out-of-state certifications more accessible, and AHFC is working to bring some of its energy rater training online, with the MARS course’s online version currently under development. There was discussion of the merits of integrating a rater-in-training option into the new energy rater trainings, so that experienced raters could pass their knowledge to new entrants to the field, as well as the need to publicize all the tools energy raters need to purchase to conduct ratings (like a blower door) and perhaps offer a financing program or scholarship.

As the average age of Alaska’s housing stock continues to climb, so will the need for weatherization work, ratings, and home energy retrofits. A trained workforce will also be needed to provide home energy ratings and installations to help administer the rebate program coming to Alaska through AHFC aimed at expanding clean energy projects to lower income households. By sharing tactics and ideas for developing a knowledgeable and right-sized efficiency workforce within the state, the Alaska Energy Training Group aims to help shape responsive and impactful programs. If you want to participate in future conversations about energy training in the state, sign up for the Alaska Energy Training Group and join the next meeting on March 4 at 11 a.m.

By Jenny StarrsDecember 11th, 2024

Alaska Network of Energy Education and EmploymentEnergy Efficiencyworkforce development