October 14, 2026 – Expand Your Expertise with AEE’s Home Energy Professional Certifications

Please see information about an opportunity from AEE that our members may be interested in:

New Opportunities to Expand Your Expertise

If you work in home performance, weatherization or residential energy efficiency your experience may provide a strong foundation for earning a professional credential through the Association of Energy Engineers.

AEE is currently piloting two Home Energy Professional certifications under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP):

Energy Auditor (EA)
Evaluates the potential health and safety issues, durability, comfort, and energy use of a residential building. The EA conducts advanced diagnostic tests, gathers and analyzes data, and creates energy models to draw conclusions and make recommendations for improvements.

Quality Control Inspector (QCI)
Reviews, inspects, and verifies the appropriateness, quality, and completion of energy retrofit work by conducting site visits, performing diagnostic testing, and evaluating work practices and documentation to improve the indoor environment, safety, durability, comfort, and energy efficiency of the building for the client.

Why Participate in the Pilot?

The pilot is FREE of charge and gives qualified professionals an opportunity to expand their credentials while helping shape the future of residential energy certification.

For the EA certification, AEE has introduced a new simulation-based field exam that places candidates inside an interactive 3D virtual home. Candidates navigate the home, complete field-based tasks, collect information, perform diagnostic activities, and document their findings.

The pilot opportunity offers:

  • The certification(s) at no cost
  • A multiple choice (EA and QCI) and practical, skills-based (EA Only) assessment experience
  • Remote proctoring – participate from anywhere
  • An opportunity to provide feedback and help establish validated certification exams
  • A certification valid for five (5) years upon meeting prerequisites and successful completion of exams
  • An opportunity to support workforce development within the U.S. Department of Energy’s WAP

Why It Matters

Since 1976, the Weatherization Assistance Program has delivered energy-saving improvements to approximately 35,000 homes every year – helping more than 7 million families achieve safer, more affordable living conditions, and supporting over 8,500 jobs nationwide. By earning your EA or QCI certification, you become part of the credentialed workforce carrying that program forward.

Whether your expertise is focused on evaluating homes or verifying the quality of energy-efficiency work, AEE’s Home Energy Professional certifications offer an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and experience.

Explore the Energy Auditor and Quality Control Inspector certifications and learn how to participate in the pilot.

Questions? Contact Francine Seskin at francine@aeecenter.org.

Fall 2026 – Energy Programs to share from the PA Department of Environmental Protection

SEI is sharing the programs below that may be of interest to our members:

  1. Residential
    1. Penn Energy Savers (HER/HEAR). I should note that the program is now accepting qualified contractor applications!
  2. Business
    1. RISE PA
    2. Penn Heat Pump Pathways
  3. Local Government Technical Assistance
    1. Shared Energy Manager
    2. Community Energy Development
    3. LCAP
  4. Clean Energy Financing
    1. Energy Accelerator Program | Department of Environmental Protection | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

October 17, 2026 – World Geothermal Day

SEI would like to recognize World Geothermal Day!

Did you know that October 17 was chosen to honor one of the most dramatic thermal events in recorded history? The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., taught the ancient world about power and energy from the earth.

Learn more about World Geothermal Day at these links:

World Geothermal Energy Day – GEO-NII – Geothermal Heat Pump

October 17th is World Geothermal Energy Day – Green Energy Times

🌍 Visit worldgeothermalenergyday.org to explore events, stories, and resources.

September 4, 2026 – World Cogeneration Day

World Cogeneration Day is celebrated annually on September 4 to honor the combined heat and power (CHP) industry and the workers who maintain reliable energy infrastructure. The date marks the launch of the world’s first commercial cogeneration plant at Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street Station in New York City on September 4, 1882.

Learn more at this link https://worldcogenerationday.org/.

8/24, 8/27, 9/2, 9/3 – Learn How PA C-PACE Can Finance Your Commercial Project – Choose from 4 dates

REGISTER

Join a webinar to learn how to use C-PACE to finance your energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, indoor air quality and resiliency project for your commercial property.

This program is brought to you by Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties’ C-PACE programs.

Dates & Times

  • August 24, 2026 | 2:00–3:00 PM
  • August 27, 2026 | 8:00–9:00 AM
  • September 2, 2026 | 10:00–11:00 AM
  • September 3, 2026 | 3:00–4:00 PM

Training Funds to reimburse up to 50% of trainings completed between July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027

SEI can help your organization maintain a competitive workforce with training grant funds to offset partial costs of energy-related training.

To get started, email a course name and description in a few sentences or more to Sherry Cockerham or Jim Lauckner.

Below are SOME of the classes for which we have awarded training funds:

Advanced AC and Heat Pump Troubleshooting
Airside Diagnostics Detail
Basic A/C Operation, Start Up, and Servicing
Basic Oil Burners
Basic Troubleshooting Geothermal Training
BPI Building Science Principles (BSP)
Building Performance Institute (BPI) Certified Building Analyst
Certified Energy Manager (CEM) Training
Commercial Air Balancing
Cummins Generator Service Class
Energy Auditing Fundamentals
Flow Centers Application Installation & Diagnostics
Hydronics
Infinity/Evolution Hands on Training
Light Commercial Controls, Wiring and Operational Sequences
Manual D in a Day
Mitsubishi M+P Series Training
Mitsubishi Pillars of HVAC
Panasonic Gold Star Heat Pump Installer + EPA 608
Peerless Boilers (PB) Live Fire Training
Resnet Hers Rater Training
The Wiring Diagram
Troubleshooting Low Voltage Wiring

July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 approved course list: Training Plan

As a resource, below are some of the training vendors that our industry partners have used upskill their employees and be partially reimbursed with training grant funds. You are NOT limited to these companies, and we cannot guarantee that the course you select will match up with our grant. Grant approved courses may change from year to year. We will work to accommodate your preference for training topics and vendors.

EDUCATION & TRAINING INSTITUTIONS for Energy related courses
Association of Engineers (AEE)
BONE Energy Services
Danica Consulting & Training Services
Delaware County Community College (DCCC)
Energy Score
Green Building United
Indoor Sciences
Mike Nelson Consulting Services
Northeast Home Energy Rating System Alliance
(NEHERS)
PA Petroleum Association
Peirce-Phelps
Penn State University – Berks
Penn State University – Brandywine
Penn State University Great Valley
RW Beckett Corporation
TPC Training
WaterFurnace International

Can’t find what you like in the course list, or want help completing the application? Contact us at the email addresses provided below. Contact Sherry Cockerham or Jim Lauckner to receive timely notifications of SEI-approved training in the region, or with any additional questions.

Training funds are provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry and the Chester County Workforce Development Board. All trainees must be residents of the State of Pennsylvania.

 

July 2026 – New Heat Pump Training Opportunities Available Through PHPP – August through December 2026

The Smart Energy Initiative of SE Pa is a Partner with the Pennsylvania Heat Pump Pathways. This free training is being paid for by a federal grant that was awarded to the PA DEP. One part offers free training to current employees. So please take a look at the schedule below and also let SEI know if you would be interested in sending employees to ACCA Manual J, D, S,  Heat Pump Inverter Technology Training and / or NCI: The High-Performance Approach to Heat Pump Retrofits, IF we can schedule it for the CCEDC location in October.

A few things to note about THIS particular grant. In addition to the grant paying the costs of training, it will also pay the employer a subsidy of $ 8.00 per hour of training to offset a small part of your payroll costs for each employee who attends the training. If you send an employee to a training site that is more than 50 miles away, this grant will pay for hotel stays up to the maximum government rate for that location. Call Jim Lauckner at 215-470-2684 (his cell) with any questions. Jim answers his cell 7 days a week 8 am – 8 pm.

If you know an individual interested in a career in HVAC there are other trainings (about 12 weeks) being offered to people looking to begin a HVAC career.

Please share this information with any firm or person who may be interested. I only ask that you cc Jim Lauckner at jlauckner@ccedcpa.com

Click HERE to see all of the upcoming heat pump trainings. Below are some of the included trainings you will find in the link.

Training Name: NCI: The High-Performance Approach to Heat Pump Retrofits
For: Workers who currently work in HVAC
Date: 8/27/26
Location: Standard Air & Lite Corp, Pittsburgh, PA

Training Name: ACCA Manual J, D, S
For: Workers who currently work in HVAC
Date: 9/29/26 – 10/01/26: Wilkes Barre
10/06/26 – 10/08/26: Pittsburgh
Location: Pennsylvania Air Conditioning Contractor Association (PAACCA)

Training Name: Five-Day Heat Pump Installation, Service, and Troubleshooting Fundamentals
For: Workers who currently work in HVAC
Date: 10/12/26 – 10/16/26
12/14/26 – 12/18/26
Location: PA Petroleum (PPATEC), Grantville, PA

More details can be found HERE.

July 14, 2026 – Webinar on Careers in Water and Energy from WRA – noon-1 p.m.

Join the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin (WRA) Tuesday, July 14, from 12 to 1 pm for a live webinar on careers in water and energy. Moderator Dan Pulver of Korn Ferry leads a candid conversation with Adam Bosch, Eric Hahn, and Kim Long – leaders who took very different paths in these sectors.

They will cover how these sectors are evolving, where the jobs are, and what it takes to strategically advance your career. Whether you are starting your career, planning your next chapter, or hiring for your own team, you will leave with a clearer picture of your options.

Register here.