Residential

It pays to plan ahead with Early Design Assistance


Energy Trust’s EPS New Construction offering provides incentives for Early Design Assistance (EDA) meetings, which can drive greater savings and collaboration between construction and design teams. 

This incentive, which starts at $500 per home, encourages builders to compile a team to evaluate projects in their early stages, focusing on how energy efficiency will be integrated throughout a home. The EDA meeting could include the builder, verifier, customer, subcontractors, and the architect or designer. If the builder includes a solar contractor and the meeting has a focus on solar, the builder can earn another $500 per home. The meeting must include at least one EPS New Construction team member. 

An EDA meeting creates an opportunity for all participants to provide input and voice their concerns. Guided by the verifier, EDA meetings enable builders to address potential problem areas early and save money by reducing callbacks, field modifications and schedule changes. EDA meetings are also a great way to introduce builders to the EPS New Construction offering and their local verifier, which can be valuable for both newly enrolled builder trade allies and those who have not recently participated in EPS. 

In an EDA meeting, the EPS account manager provides a detailed overview of the EPS New Construction offering. The verifier in attendance advises on energy efficient practices that the builder’s team could include during the design and construction process. With guidance from the verifier, the meeting primarily focuses on how the builder’s team could meet both the EPS New Construction requirements and their goals for achieving an energy efficient building envelope. 

Interested in learning more about the EDA incentive offering and requirements, as well as additional incentives offered when incorporating solar and affordable elements to your new construction project? Contact the EPS New Construction team at 1.877.283.0698.