Propane Council Expands Construction Incentive Program

by Jesse Marcus

Homeowners throughout New England are demanding sustainable energy options that offer greater efficiency and lower costs. Because of its proven safety, cost-efficiency, and lower emission profile than other energy sources, it’s no surprise propane is becoming the energy source of choice for more and more homes in the Northeast.

It’s no secret to the propane industry how influential homebuilders and remodelers can be with homeowners. These construction professionals offer a key connection with homeowners who are considering propane. But it’s up to those of us who make a living delivering the fuel to those homes to keep construction professionals educated on the current tools, resources, and information they need to keep propane appliance installations humming, whether the project is a new build or a remodel.

We at the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) are especially excited to share with readers a recent change to our popular Propane Construction Incentive Program that was announced in March of this year. It is intended to help even more builders and remodelers turn to propane appliances as their go-to solution for all of their projects. It’s a resource that propane marketers should talk with their construction professional contacts about.

Why the change?

The change to PERC’s already-popular Propane Construction Incentive Program is really about expansion and ease of eligibility.

In 2017, more than 120 builders took advantage of our incentive program to construct 300 new homes and install more than 1,000 propane appliances. Those are great numbers to be sure, but we challenged ourselves to come up with a way to help more builders and remodelers interested in working with propane appliances do so. What we came up
with was a change to the Propane Construction Incentive Program to make it even easier for homebuilders, and now remodelers, to meet eligibility requirements — and turn to propane as a solution in 2018.

What’s new?

Builders and remodelers now have the option to incorporate just three propane applications into projects during 2018 to be eligible for the incentive program, which offers four levels of incentive packages ranging between $500 and $1,500 per home.
So, whether a builder or remodeler is using propane in a few specific areas of the home or utilizing propane throughout a house, this expanded incentive program offers construction professionals of any size a competitive advantage so their customers can enjoy better performance and lower energy costs.

The eligibility levels are based on PERC’s Propane Energy Pod model — an integrated, whole-home energy upgrade that includes using propane for space heating, water heating, cooking, fireplaces, clothes drying, and standby power.

The newest “basic package” level offers builders $500 for including any new propane water heating system and two additional propane applications. Incentive packages increase in level up to $1,500 per home for builders or remodelers installing more propane applications.

We at PERC intend for the expanded incentive program to pay dividends for construction professionals, as well as the homeowners who get to experience the benefits of a propane-powered home. Now it’s up to all of us to utilize this resource with our own builder contacts.

For questions regarding specific scenarios or what qualifies, call
PERC at 202-452-8975 or email constructionincentive@propane.com. Visit buildwithpropane.com/constructionincentive to learn more about the Propane Construction Incentive Program.

Jesse Marcus is the director of Residential & Commercial Business Development for the Propane Education & Research Council. The Propane Education & Research Council is a nonprofit that provides leading propane safety and training programs and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies. PERC is operated and funded by the propane industry. For more information, visit propane.com. Jesse can be reached at jesse.marcus@propane.com.

Related Posts