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 Discipline Expertise To Assist Enhance Power Affordability for Individuals By 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At 17 years outdated, NREL researcher Cory Chovanec was touring door to door in his hometown of Berlin, Wisconsin.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 simple feat.

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

“I feel in the event you can promote Kirby vacuums at that value within the ’90s, you are able to do absolutely anything,” Chovanec mentioned.

After following a profession path within the weatherization and residential efficiency business from entry stage 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 sizzling attics to inspecting a whole bunch of houses with superior diagnostic tools.

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

In his almost 4 years at NREL, Chovanec has contributed to and led technical help, analysis, and useful resource growth to assist WAP, leveraging his in depth expertise to make sure these actions profit subject employees and support of their work enhancing vitality 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 an area momentary 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 have been loopy, crawling round attics and the whole lot,” Chovanec mentioned.

Chovanec was in a Wisconsin farmhouse in the course 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 house was virtually unbearably sizzling due to the dearth of insulation. This meant that a considerable amount of warmth was escaping out from the residing house, finally costing the sort, aged homeowners more cash to heat their residence. As he carried out his work, blowing 13 to 14 inches of insulation over the attic ground, he seen the attic change from sizzling to chilly. With much less warmth escaping into the attic, the homeowners would wish much less vitality to heat their residence—drastically decreasing their vitality payments.

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

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 vitality auditors are usually uncovered to the acute warmth and chilly, exploring all of the unseen and probably hazardous locations in a house. But Chovanec believed strongly within the WAP mission, saving cash on vitality payments, and serving to individuals be comfy and secure of their houses.

With out prior information of constructing science or weatherization work, Chovanec realized 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 predominant roles on the heart have 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 at the least as soon as to carry out inspections throughout his 10-plus years on the heart.

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

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

Whereas an vitality audit would possibly present owners with probably the most complete have a look at methods to chop vitality prices of their residence, Chovanec emphasised that there are easy steps individuals can take to reduce vitality 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.

“While you have been a child and your dad and mom instructed you to show the sunshine off once you’re not within the room: That’s actual, and it helps,” Chovanec mentioned. “All of us have management over small issues like that, and if we need to avoid wasting cash on a utility invoice, we will obtain that with out in depth coaching.”

Translating Discipline Expertise Into Useful Workforce Assets

In line with his distinctive potential to simplify complicated ideas, Chovanec’s favourite tasks look at probably the most technical elements of weatherization work to streamline them or make them simpler to grasp.

Considered one of these tasks consists of the event of two interactive 3D homes, offering digital examples of a single-family and manufactured residence. These studying instruments permit customers to discover related retrofit methods and customary weatherization measures for various areas of the house, all with just a few clicks of their mouse. Chovanec used his subject expertise to precisely signify the areas.

“When enthusiastic about growing sources for the weatherization community, it’s a must to take into consideration the way it will look within the arms of the individuals really doing the work,” Chovanec mentioned.

Chovanec additionally assists volunteer skilled committees with updating job job analyses for vitality 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 topic skilled. These sources are up to date roughly each 5 years with weatherization business suggestions.

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

Over time, Chovanec has seen WAP develop in a wide range of methods, offering extra sturdy, formalized training and incorporating new applied sciences as they emerge, like infrared imaging, which helps establish air leaks and thermal anomalies in houses. As analysis continues, Chovanec is aware of that there’ll at all times be one thing new to enhance houses 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 mentioned it is very important attain out and clutch alternatives as they arrive.

“The stepping stones are there, you simply should observe the trail: volunteer for these committees, go to further trainings, attempt to profit from it,” Chovanec mentioned. “It doesn’t matter what my function was, I simply felt actually lucky to work in WAP and have been mentored by so many unbelievable and sensible individuals, a few of whom have 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.