A Profession Constructed on Serving to Others: Cory Chovanec’s Journey in Weatherization

Final Up to date on: thirteenth July 2025, 11:24 pm

NREL Researcher Makes use of His Subject Expertise To Assist Improve Vitality Affordability for People Via the Weatherization Help Program

At 17 years outdated, NREL researcher Cory Chovanec was touring door to door in his hometown of Berlin, Wisconsin. His mission: to promote sufficient vacuum cleaners to qualify for an all-expenses-paid journey to Lake Tahoe. At round $1,000 {dollars} a pop and in a city of simply over 5,000 individuals, it was no straightforward feat.

But he managed to promote all of them—sending each him and his sister on a free trip.

“I believe if you happen to can promote Kirby vacuums at that value within the ’90s, you are able to do absolutely anything,” Chovanec stated.

After following a profession path within the weatherization and residential efficiency business from entry degree to a place at a nationwide laboratory, Chovanec discovered that he actually may do absolutely anything—from crawling by way of chilly, uninsulated subspaces and scorching attics to inspecting tons of of properties with superior diagnostic gear.

Now serving as weatherization staff lead at NREL, Chovanec has labored in many alternative roles supporting the U.S. Division of Vitality (DOE) Weatherization Help Program (WAP). This system goals to scale back power prices for low-income households by rising house power effectivity. Weatherization saves cash for households and enhances well being, house consolation, and security.

In his almost 4 years at NREL, Chovanec has contributed to and led technical help, analysis, and useful resource improvement to assist WAP, leveraging his intensive expertise to make sure these actions profit discipline employees and support of their work enhancing power affordability throughout the nation.

Bit by the Weatherization Bug

Chovanec didn’t even know what weatherization was till after highschool, when he began working for a neighborhood short-term employment company. At some point, they positioned him at a group motion company, the place he stuffed in as a weatherization technician.

“I didn’t see this as a profession. I believed these individuals had been loopy, crawling round attics and the whole lot,” Chovanec stated.

Chovanec was in a Wisconsin farmhouse in the midst of winter when he started to really feel the influence of the work “click on” for him. It was his first time insulating an attic on his personal, and the area was nearly unbearably scorching due to the dearth of insulation. This meant that a considerable amount of warmth was escaping out from the residing area, in the end costing the sort, aged house owners more cash to heat their house. As he carried out his work, blowing 13 to 14 inches of insulation over the attic ground, he seen the attic change from scorching to chilly. With much less warmth escaping into the attic, the house owners would want much less power to heat their house—drastically lowering their power payments.

Chovanec was hooked. “It was then I may truly really feel that this work actually does make a distinction,” he stated.

Staff within the business describe this sense as “getting bit by the weatherization bug.” The work is bodily taxing, however Chovanec feels the reward goes far past a paycheck. Weatherization technicians and power auditors are frequently uncovered to the intense warmth and chilly, exploring all of the unseen and doubtlessly hazardous locations in a house. But Chovanec believed strongly within the WAP mission, saving cash on power payments, and serving to individuals be comfy and protected of their properties.

With out prior information of constructing science or weatherization work, Chovanec discovered on the job. Absorbing expertise and information by way of each job and mentorship expertise, he accepted a full-time function and climbed the profession ladder on the group motion company, ultimately accepting a place at a weatherization coaching heart.

Weatherization coaching facilities present structured hands-on coaching alternatives to staff within the weatherization and residential efficiency business. Chovanec’s important roles on the heart had been to supply constructing science coaching and carry out high quality management inspections for the state. These inspections assist make sure the appropriateness and high quality of the work accomplished on the house by installers and technicians. Chovanec estimates he visited all 72 counties of Wisconsin a minimum of as soon as to carry out inspections throughout his 10-plus years on the heart.

“Probably the greatest issues was going again to do a post-weatherization inspection and listening to nothing however good issues,” Chovanec stated. “Their payments are happening, their home is extra comfy, they bodily really feel higher—it’s only a dose of excellent information.”

For Chovanec, house power auditing is a ardour, not only a job. An power audit consists of an intensive examination to determine potential consolation or security issues and energy-saving alternatives. He works on his discipline expertise in his free time, taking the four-hour power auditor recertification discipline examination each three years. He has now handed the examination 5 occasions and enjoys offering house assessments for his family and friends.

Whereas an power audit would possibly present householders with probably the most complete have a look at methods to chop power prices of their house, Chovanec emphasised that there are easy steps individuals can take to attenuate power use and decrease payments. Even simply guaranteeing that lights are off in empty rooms and the thermostat is adjusted when you find yourself out of the home could make a distinction.

“Once you had been a child and your mother and father informed you to show the sunshine off if you’re not within the room: That’s actual, and it helps,” Chovanec stated. “All of us have management over small issues like that, and if we wish to avoid wasting cash on a utility invoice, we will obtain that with out intensive coaching.”

Translating Subject Expertise Into Useful Workforce Assets

Consistent with his distinctive capacity to simplify complicated ideas, Chovanec’s favourite initiatives study probably the most technical elements of weatherization work to streamline them or make them simpler to grasp.

One among these initiatives consists of the event of two interactive 3D homes, offering digital examples of a single-family and manufactured house. These studying instruments enable customers to discover related retrofit methods and customary weatherization measures for various areas of the house, all with a number of clicks of their mouse. Chovanec used his discipline expertise to precisely signify the areas.

“When interested by creating sources for the weatherization community, it’s important to take into consideration the way it will look within the fingers of the individuals truly doing the work,” Chovanec stated.

Chovanec additionally assists volunteer knowledgeable committees with updating job job analyses for power auditor and high quality management inspector certification schemes, the function that launched him to NREL when he volunteered to serve on the replace committee as a subject knowledgeable. These sources are up to date roughly each 5 years with weatherization business suggestions.

“We’re actually working to enhance the foundational parts of credentials by way of every replace cycle, and that is clear with every iteration,” Chovanec stated. “This system is at all times evolving in a means that places an emphasis on high-quality work that saves individuals cash.”

Through the years, Chovanec has seen WAP develop in quite a lot of methods, offering extra strong, formalized schooling and incorporating new applied sciences as they emerge, like infrared imaging, which helps determine air leaks and thermal anomalies in properties. As analysis continues, Chovanec is aware of that there’ll at all times be one thing new to enhance properties and lives, and he’s excited that NREL can play a key half in these discoveries and enhancements.

When reflecting on his profession journey—from his first WAP company to NREL—Chovanec stated you will need to attain out and grab alternatives as they arrive.

“The stepping stones are there, you simply should observe the trail: volunteer for these committees, go to additional trainings, attempt to profit from it,” Chovanec stated. “It doesn’t matter what my function was, I simply felt actually lucky to work in WAP and have been mentored by so many unimaginable and good individuals, a few of whom had been round when this system first started in 1976. It’s a privilege to proceed to assist this program.”

Article from NREL. By Julia Medeiros Coad.