EMAP continues commitment to PA Small Businesses
Energy conservation continues to be a priority for home and business owners across the state, as the economy remains uncertain and energy efficiency continues to be a popular buzzword in the news.
It’s become such a priority across so many sectors, many financial incentives like grants or tax credits have been offered by the federal and state government for energy efficiency upgrades. Many of these programs require a formal application be filled out, fully describing the project, and justifying the investment with official energy and cost-saving calculations by a qualified professional. Often those calculations are based on an initial energy assessment, or energy audit, by a certified assessor, in order to qualify for the grant.
Accordingly, there has been an increase in requests for professional energy assessments by qualified assessors (or, auditors). Energy efficiency assessors are the professionals who come to your home or facility to analyze your building, equipment and processes to identify areas where improvements or upgrades could reduce energy waste, and ultimately, save money. As an ongoing part of our services, EMAP’s state-wide consulting team provides hundreds of free and confidential assessments each year to business owners looking for recommendations on how to improve their operations.
Despite the recent upswing in interest, most of the official energy efficiency assessment certification programs still focus on residential assessments. EMAP consultants, with their years of experience and training, have been able to provide qualified assessments specifically for businesses; so much so that the Pennsylvania DEP has relied heavily upon our services, listing us as a trusted resource for the many state incentive programs.
Recently, a new certification for energy assessors was released, specifically tailored to training for business audits. The Certified Energy Auditor (CEA) Program for Professional Certification is offered by the Association of Energy Engineers, to “identify professionals as having the required knowledge and experience” to perform energy audits. As part of our ongoing commitment to serving the PA Small Business community, our entire team of consultants recently enrolled in the program and received their certification.