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Establish a clear system and process for ensuring quality work

A residential energy efficiency program’s success is dependent on the quality of work that contractors conduct in customers’ homes. Indeed, an in-depth examination of selected program strategies found that effective quality assurance and quality control programs provided a foundation for quality...
Tips for Success

Establish collaborative partnerships with contractors and communicate with them early and often

Contractors are more likely to serve as program champions when the program engages with them throughout program design, delivery, and improvement. Your contractors are the primary contact points with your customers, and the quality of their interactions and services strongly influences how customers...
Tips for Success

Aim for early wins that give the program experience and showcase upgrades as a way to attract customers

Several residential energy efficiency programs have successfully launched their efforts by focusing on completing early upgrades that build visibility for their program, create momentum, and allow programs to learn how to reach homeowners effectively. This early success provides results that the...
Tips for Success

Provide customers with a single point of contact to help them through the upgrade process

While homeowners may be interested in the benefits of an energy upgrade, many are deterred from completing an upgrade project because of the complex and unknown process. Often, a significant portion of homeowners who receive energy assessments do not continue with the upgrades. As part of the Better...
Tips for Success

Motivate action through financial incentives and time-limited offers

Incentives can be the easiest approach to overcome motivation barriers and attract customers’ and contractors’ attention, as long as the upgrade and reimbursement processes are kept simple and easy to follow. Successful programs have found incentives help entice customers to complete upgrades...
Tips for Success

Partner with organizations or individuals that customers already trust

Many programs found it useful to partner with a range of trusted organizations or individuals to market program offerings to their constituencies or followers. Better Buildings Neighborhood Program participants enhanced their marketing and outreach efforts by partnering with trusted local groups...
Tips for Success

Designing Effective Incentives to Drive Residential Retrofit Program Participation

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2010
Organizations or Programs
Austin Energy,
Efficiency Maine,
New Jersey Home Performance with ENERGY STAR,
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
Efficiency Vermont

This webcast covers information about designing effective incentives to drive residential retrofit program participation.

Resource - Webcast

Catalyzing Efficiency: Unlocking Energy Information and Value in Apartment Buildings

Author(s)
Institute for Market Transformation
Publication Date
2016
Organizations or Programs
Elevate Energy,
Austin Energy,
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
Mass Save,
City of New York’s Retrofit Accelerator,
Seattle RENEW Multi-Family Housing Program

This report explores how governments and energy efficiency implementers could help stakeholders better analyze and act upon building performance data to unlock savings.

Resource - Publications

Recognizing the Value of Energy Efficiency's Multiple Benefits

Author(s)
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Publication Date
2015
Organizations or Programs
Maryland Home Performance with ENERGY STAR,
Mass Save

The benefits of energy efficiency extend beyond energy savings. Homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities gain comfort, health, and safety benefits from energy efficiency programs. Additional benefits for businesses include savings on maintenance, materials, and the costs of regulatory compliance. On the supply side, electric utilities enjoy reduced system costs. Focusing on the residential, business, and utility sectors, this report examines each of these multiple benefits, their role in program marketing, and current best practices for including them in cost-effectiveness testing.

Resource - Publications

Better Buildings Residential Network Lessons Learned: Peer Exchange Calls No.4

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2015
Organizations or Programs
EnergySmart,
Bend Energy Challenge,
Mass Save,
Focus on Energy,
Enhabit

This document summarizes top marketing and outreach takeaways shared by Better Buildings Residential Network members during spring 2015 Peer Exchange Calls.

Resource - Publications

A Policymaker’s Guide to Scaling Home Energy Upgrades

Author(s)
State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Publication Date
2015
Organizations or Programs
EnergySmart,
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
Enhabit,
Mass Save,
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA),
Manitoba Hydro,
Keystone Home Energy Loan Program (HELP),
Michigan Saves,
Warehouse for Energy Efficiency Loans,
Austin Energy,
Efficiency Vermot,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
Illinois Home Performance with Energy Star,
Build It Green,
Earth Advantage,
Elevate Energy,
Arizona Public Service (APS),
Pacific Gas and Electric Company,
NeighborWorks H.E.A.T. Squad

This Guide is designed to help state and local policymakers to take full advantage of new policy developments by providing them with a comprehensive set of tools to support launching or accelerating residential energy efficiency programs. The Guide focuses on four categories of policies that have proven particularly effective in providing a framework within which residential energy efficiency programs can thrive: incentives and financing, making the value of energy efficiency visible in the real estate market, data access and standardization, and supporting utility system procurement of energy efficiency.

Resource - Publications

Best Practices for Energy Retrofit Program Design: Business Models Recommendations

Author(s)
Home Performance Resource Center
Publication Date
2010
Organizations or Programs
Austin Energy,
Long Island Green Homes,
New Jersey Home Performance with ENERGY STAR,
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
Enhabit

This paper, which is based on detailed case studies of nine existing state and local programs, presents recommendations for energy upgrade programs to facilitate industry growth and support contractor business models.

Resource - Publications

Energy Efficiency Finance: Options and Roles for Utilities

Author(s)
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
Publication Date
2011
Organizations or Programs
Arizona Public Service (APS),
Enhabit,
Georgia How$mart,
Hawaiian Electric Company,
Kansas How$mart,
How$martKY,
Mass Save,
Public Service of New Hampshire,
Rural Energy Savings Program,
Sempra Energy Utilities,
United Illuminating

This report describes different approaches to energy efficiency finance taken by utilities.

Resource - Publications

New Jersey's Clean Energy Program: Community Engagement as a Driver for Energy Efficiency

Author(s)
Chris Badger, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation
Publication Date
2012
Organizations or Programs
New Jersey Home Performance with ENERGY STAR
This presentation describes the New Jersey Clean Energy program and lessons learned on community engagement as a driver of demand.
Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

New Jersey's Clean Energy Program: Making it Work for Contractors & Programs

Author(s)
New Jersey Clean Energy
Publication Date
2014
Organizations or Programs
New Jersey Home Performance with ENERGY STAR

This presentation provides an overview of New Jersey Clean Energy's approach to contractor engagement, including contractor participation requirements, procedures for quality assurance and quality control, production incentives, training procedures, and an online contractor portal.

Resource - Program Materials

Massachusetts HEAT Loan Participating Lenders List

Author(s)
Mass Save
Publication Date
2012
Organizations or Programs
Mass Save
A comparative list of lenders participating in the Mass Save HEAT Loan Program and the terms and conditions of the loans that they offer.
Resource - Program Materials

Massachusetts Captures Home Energy Waste

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2011
Organizations or Programs
Mass Save
This case study features a Massachusetts-based program that used an SUV-mounted thermal imaging camera to evaluate thermal leakage from homes.
Resource - Case Studies

Content Type

  • Resource (11)
  • Tips for Success (6)

Resource Type

Program Components

  • Market Position & Business Model (2)
  • Program Design & Customer Experience (5)
  • Evaluation & Data Collection (2)
  • Marketing & Outreach (7)
  • Financing (2)
  • Contractor Engagement & Workforce Development (3)

Program Design Phases

  • Overview (4)
  • Strategy Development (14)
  • Planning (15)
  • (-) Implementation (17)
  • Evaluation (7)

States or Territories

  • Alabama (1)
  • Alaska (1)
  • Arizona (2)
  • Arkansas (1)
  • California (3)
  • Colorado (3)
  • Connecticut (1)
  • Delaware (1)
  • Florida (1)
  • Georgia (2)
  • Hawaii (1)
  • Illinois (2)
  • Kansas (1)
  • Kentucky (1)
  • Maine (3)
  • Manitoba (1)
  • Maryland (4)
  • Massachusetts (6)
  • Michigan (2)
  • Minnesota (1)
  • Missouri (2)
  • Montana (1)
  • New Hampshire (1)
  • New Jersey (4)
  • New York (4)
  • Ohio (1)
  • Oklahoma (1)
  • Oregon (5)
  • Pennsylvania (2)
  • Rhode Island (1)
  • South Dakota (1)
  • Texas (3)
  • Utah (1)
  • Vermont (7)
  • Virginia (1)
  • Washington (4)
  • Washington DC (2)
  • Wisconsin (2)

Organizations or Programs

  • Enhabit (46)
  • New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) (34)
  • Efficiency Maine (25)
  • Austin Energy (23)
  • Energy Upgrade California (23)
  • Michigan Saves (19)
  • Energy Impact Illinois (18)
  • Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) (17)
  • RePower Bainbridge (16)
  • Efficiency Vermont (15)
  • EnergySmart Colorado (15)
  • Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) (15)
  • RePower Kitsap (15)
  • Elevate Energy (14)
  • RePower Bremerton (13)
  • Community Power Works (12)
  • Connecticut Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge (12)
  • EnergySmart (12)
  • EnergyWorks (12)
  • Keystone Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) (12)
  • NeighborWorks H.E.A.T. Squad (9)
  • BetterBuildings for Michigan (8)
  • Focus on Energy (8)
  • Arizona Public Service (APS) (7)
  • Energize Phoenix (7)
  • Long Island Green Homes (7)
  • (-) Mass Save (7)
  • Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) (7)
  • Efficiency Nova Scotia (6)
  • Energize Connecticut (6)
  • (-) NeighborWorks of Western Vermont (6)
  • reEnergize (6)
  • ShopSmart with JEA (6)
  • Texas LoanSTAR (6)
  • BetterBuildings for Greensboro (5)
  • Energy Trust of Oregon (5)
  • NOLA WISE (5)
  • Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) (5)
  • Small Town Energy Program (STEP) (5)
  • Be SMART (4)
  • Cambridge Energy Alliance (4)
  • CharlestonWISE (4)
  • Denver Energy Challenge (4)
  • Energize Delaware (4)
  • Illinois Home Performance with Energy Star (4)
  • Milwaukee Energy Efficiency (Me2) (4)
  • (-) New Jersey Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (4)
  • emPowerSBC (3)
  • Energize New York (3)
  • Kansas How$mart (3)
Residential Program Guide is a resource of the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office.
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