The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program is working to do much more than simply improve energy efficiency (EE) of buildings in the United States—it also strives to create and retain jobs. To effectively impact and improve the job marketplace, EE and conservation programs should communicate and work closely with contractors who plan, sell, and perform building energy upgrades.

In their report, Driving Demand for Home Energy Upgrades, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) researchers looked at how EE programs can work with home performance contractors to market programs, promote comprehensive energy upgrades, help ensure quality workmanship, and provide the tools to continue the work once the program has run its course. The LBNL researchers identified four keys to success:

When program designers and contractors collaborate to design a program’s benefits, both groups benefit. By drawing from the knowledge of experienced contractors, program designers can better determine what is likely to work in the field. This kind of collaboration can also increase contractors’ confidence in the program and confidence that the necessary administrative effort will pay off.

Marketing

Training sessions that show contractors how to best use a program to increase sales are more effective than programs that teach technical skills only. An example of one of these more successful sessions is a one-day sales and marketing training that shows contractors how to communicate the importance of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HpwES) and a comprehensive EE approach. Another training session shows contractors how to incorporate a program into their marketing and offers webinar training and links to a website with sales tools and advertising templates.  When program designers provide advertising incentives to help whole-home-performance contractors attract customers who want a comprehensive approach, it can boost program energy savings.

Contractors as Program Ambassadors

For customers, contractors are often the “face” of an energy upgrades program, which is why many programs train contractors how to communicate program benefits (and the importance of a comprehensive energy approach) to the customer. Other programs use program staff or nonprofits to market the program and educate consumers, and then share prospective customer contacts with contractors.

Aligning Incentives with Contractor Goals

Each program should establish quality assurance procedures that hold its participating contractors accountable and provide monetary incentives to reward high-quality work. The programs should structure these incentives around achieving program goals, such as for contractors who convert a sizeable percentage of audits to projects, perform many jobs, conduct upgrades for targeted populations, and undertake comprehensive retrofits.

Similarly, because low quality EE upgrade work can potentially damage a program’s reputation and effectiveness, programs need to establish a system that provides clear expectations and feedback. The system should also offer any poorly performing contractors remedial training and penalties such as a probationary period.

Sustainability of Comprehensive Energy Upgrades

Some contractors expressed concern about whether the home energy upgrades market would continue to be vital past a program’s lifetime. One program in New York reassures contractors that the investment is worthwhile by offering discounts on Building Performance Institute (BPI) certifications, and by providing equipment subsidies. This program’s  extensive HPwES campaign also reinforces its long-term commitment to the region’s contractors.

To further increase sustainability of energy upgrades, the LBNL study also noted that programs should estimate their area’s market for these kinds of EE upgrades and refrain from training more providers than the area can support.

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Content for this Blog post courtesy of Mark Wilson, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory