Arizona Contractor Meeting Recap: October 8, 2025

On October 8, BPA reconvened energy efficiency contractors in Arizona for a timely conversation about the current policy landscape. Discussion topics included DOE funding, BPA’s testimony before Congress, weatherization, and the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC)’s recent vote to repeal energy efficiency standards rules in the state. Here’s a brief overview of what we discussed:

DOE Funding

The federal government is currently shutdown, effective October 1. As of now, though, this shutdown shouldn’t have a big impact on efficiency programs that are already being worked on at the state level—that money has been approved and already out the door. The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $10 billion in cancelled grants with another $14 billion on the way. So far, none of this includes the Home Energy Rebate programs, the Training for Residential Energy Contractors (TREC) program, or the Energy Auditor Training programs that  Arizona has received funding for.

While we have not seen cancellations on energy efficiency grants, there also has been no movement on updated guidance to streamline the current rebate programs. There is widespread desire for updates to current rebate program guidance, specifically as it relates to the requirement for contractors to upload geotagged photos on their projects. We expect that this may be changed in the updated guidance, but have not yet heard when that will be released.

Additionally, Efficiency Arizona has still not announced the start of the state’s HOMES rebate program. Their website still says it’ll be announced in the fourth quarter of 2025; we suspect that will be pushed into 2026 as they are likely awaiting new DOE guidance.

BPA’s Testimony Before Congress

On September 9, BPA’s Chief Policy Officer, Kara Saul Rinaldi, testified before Congress at a hearing titled “Building the American Dream: Examining Affordability, Choice, and Security in Appliance and Buildings Policies.” The hearing included significant focus on building codes and appliance standards. Kara’s testimony was well received and the value of energy efficiency still seems to have strong support in Congress. You can read a full recap here.

Weatherization

The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) federal funding authorization expired on September 30 and BPA is working with Congressional allies to ensure that these bills gain more supporters and eventually move through the legislative process. (You can read more about that here.) WAP funding has not been targeted in any of the recent grant cancellations by the DOE, and we remain optimistic that WAP will receive annual appropriations once the government shutdown and budget is resolved. 

Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) EE Standards

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) unanimously voted on September 17 to initiate the repeal of its Electric Energy Efficiency (EE) Standards rules, which were first established in 2010 but expired in 2020. This action is the first step in a formal rulemaking process to remove the mandates that previously required utilities to meet energy savings goals.

There will be public comment hearings on December 2 and December 4, as well as written comment opportunities; if you’d like to engage and be involved, please reach out to us and we will be happy to make sure your voice is heard.