Skip to main content
Energy.gov Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Residential Program Guide
  • About
  • Common Topics

Secondary

  • Explore Residential Guide
    • Handbook Index
    • Program Components
    • Program Design Phases
  • Resources
    • Quick Answers
    • Proven Practices
    • Energy Data Facts
    • Tips For Success
    • Resource Library
    • Glossary
  • Tech Solutions
    • About Tech Solutions
    • HVAC
    • Heat Pump Water Heater

Breadcrumbs

EERE » Residential Program Guide » Common Search Topics » Search by Topic

Page title

Search by Topic

Showing results 1 - 29 of 29

Incentivize the action you want your customer to take

Successful programs know that it is not enough to get customers interested in their services. They know that homeowners that receive assessments but don’t undertake upgrades don’t receive the benefits of energy efficiency—and programs don’t get credit for energy savings. Instead of emphasizing...
Tips for Success

Make upgrade options clear and concise for customers

Programs in many regions of the U.S. find that the concept of home performance is new to homeowners. Homeowners may not know how energy efficiency measures compare (e.g., energy savings benefits of insulation versus new windows) or have not heard about some effective measures, such as air sealing...
Tips for Success

Better Together: Linking and Leveraging Energy Programs for Low-Income Households

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication Date
2015

This presentation includes a series of case studies to highlight effective efforts by state and local agencies, non-profits, and utilities to bring energy efficiency and renewable energy (EE/RE) to low-income households. It explores the topic of linking and leveraging EE/RE programs for limited-income households, including the need to coordinate with other energy assistance programs.

Resource - Webcast

Overview and Preliminary Results of ARRA-Funded SGIG Consumer Behavior Studies

Author(s)
State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Publication Date
2014

This webcast discusses the background for U.S. Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) consumer behavior study effort; the various utilities who are participating and what they each plan to include their respective studies; the quantitative results and qualitative lessons learned thus far from these studies; and the types of research will be undertaken by LBNL over the next several years.

Resource - Webcast

Better Together: Linking and Leveraging Energy Programs for Low-Income Households

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication Date
2017
Organizations or Programs
Energy Outreach Colorado,
DTE Energy

This 90-minute webinar explored the topic of linking and leveraging energy efficiency and renewable energy (EE/RE) programs for limited-income households, including the need to coordinate with other energy assistance programs. It presented case studies of organizations that have successfully advanced connections among available programs and funding sources.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Better Together: Linking and Leveraging Energy Programs for Low-Income Households

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication Date
2016
Organizations or Programs
Energy Outreach Colorado

This webcast highlight effective efforts by state and local agencies, non-profits, and utilities to bring energy efficiency and renewable energy (EE/RE) to low-income households.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Keys to Successful Quality Assurance and Quality Control Programs (101)

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2016
Organizations or Programs
Energize Connecticut,
Michigan Saves

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on quality assurance of energy efficiency services.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Contractor Sales Training

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2012
Organizations or Programs
EnergyWorks,
Efficiency Maine,
BetterBuildings for Michigan

This peer exchange call summary focused on sales training assistance programs for contractors.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Working With Weatherization Assistance Programs

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2011
Organizations or Programs
Michigan Saves

This peer exchange call summary focused on integrating income-qualified programs into neighborhood sweeps.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Contractor Pricing

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2012
Organizations or Programs
Austin Energy

This peer exchange call summary focused on the relationship between contract pricing and customers.

Resource - Topical Presentations

ResStock State Fact Sheets

Author(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
2017

Each ResStock fact sheet presents the potential for residential energy and utility bill savings for the state. The top ten energy savings home improvements are highlighted.

Resource - Publications

Program Design Guide: Energy Efficiency Programs in Multifamily Affordable Housing

Author(s)
Energy Efficiency For All
Publication Date
2015
Organizations or Programs
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
Elevate Energy

This guide identifies 12 best practices for policymakers, regulators, and program administrators to help building owners invest to increase the energy efficiency of multifamily affordable housing.

Resource - Publications

More Savings for More Residents: Progress in Multifamily Housing Energy Efficiency

Author(s)
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Publication Date
2017

This report updates ACEEE's 2013 assessment of multifamily energy efficiency programs in US metropolitan areas with the most multifamily households. Using housing, policy, and utility-sector data from 2014 and 2015, this report documents how these programs have changed in the context of dynamic housing markets and statewide policy environments. The report also offers an analysis of the number, spending, offerings, and targeted participants of current programs and their potential for further expansion.

Resource - Publications

Energy Efficiency Jobs in America

Author(s)
E4TheFuture,
Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2)
Publication Date
2016

The report, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and a survey of tens of thousands of businesses across the country, provides detailed breakdowns of clean energy jobs not available previously, and it was developed and released in connection with a major U.S. Department of Energy study of all energy jobs in America.

Resource - Publications

Multifamily Energy Efficiency Retrofits: Barriers and Opportunities for Deep Energy Savings

Author(s)
Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance,
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project,
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource,
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Inc.
Publication Date
2016
Organizations or Programs
Michigan Saves,
ConEdison’s Brooklyn Queens Demand Management Program,
Florida's Multifamily Energy Retrofit Program,
Set the PACE St. Louis,
City of Chicago,
Energy Outreach Colorado,
Massachusetts Low-Income Multifamily Energy Retrofit Program

This report was developed to help inform national stakeholders about the strategies that have been used to achieve deep energy savings in the multifamily housing sector through energy efficiency upgrades. These strategies could be used as models in areas where utility program administrators and policymakers seek to achieve deep energy savings in the multifamily building stock for the purposes of reducing energy costs, creating comfortable and healthy homes, meeting regulatory requirements, or reducing the environmental impacts of energy consumption. This report includes a national multifamily market characterization, barriers and opportunities for program and policy efforts, and eight exemplary case studies from across the country.

Resource - Publications

Building Better Energy Efficiency Programs for Low-Income Households

Author(s)
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Publication Date
2016
Organizations or Programs
Efficiency Vermont

This report details opportunities for scaling up program activity and increasing savings from programs reaching the people who need it most. It discussed best practices from existing programs for overcoming many of the key challenges that program administrators face, including how to address housing deficiencies that prevent energy efficiency upgrades, how to address cost effectiveness challenges, and how to serve hard-to-reach households.

Resource - Publications

Lifting the High Energy Burden in America's Largest Cities: How Energy Efficiency Can Improve Low-Income and Underserved Communities

Author(s)
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Publication Date
2016

Energy burden is the percentage of household income spent on home energy bills. In this report, ACEEE, along with the Energy Efficiency for All coalition, measures the energy burden of households in 48 of the largest American cities. The report finds that low-income, African-American, Latino, low-income multifamily, and renter households all spend a greater proportion of their income on utilities than the average family. The report also identifies energy efficiency as an underutilized strategy that can help reduce high energy burdens by as much as 30%. Given this potential, the report goes on to describe policies and programs to ramp up energy efficiency investments in low-income and underserved communities.

Resource - Publications

Accelerating the Commercial PACE Market: Statewide Programs and State Energy Office Participation in Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing

Author(s)
National Association of State Energy Officials
Publication Date
2016
Organizations or Programs
Lean and Green Michigan,
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
Michigan Saves,
Keeping PACE in Texas,
Energize New York

This report examines how State Energy Offices and state-level partners are supporting growth and uptake of Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing around the country. The report offers examples, insights, and strategies for State Energy Offices, green banks, state financing agencies, and other public and private entities to catalyze, accelerate, organize, and expand C-PACE markets.

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

Energy Efficiency Collaboratives: Driving Ratepayer-Funded Efficiency through Regulatory Policies Working Group

Author(s)
State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Publication Date
2015

Energy efficiency collaboratives vary greatly and are typically designed for a specific jurisdiction, making them hard to compare side by side. This guide seeks to highlight a few common elements and draw conclusions on the overall effectiveness of specific characteristics of collaboratives. This guide defines and examines four different types of collaboratives in terms of their origin, scope, decision-making method, membership, duration, available resources, and how they interact with and influence their respective commissions.

Resource - Publications

Energy and Environment Guide to Action: State Policies and Best Practices for Advancing Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Combined Heat and Power

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication Date
2015

The Guide to Action provides in-depth information about over a dozen policies and programs that states are using to meet their energy, environmental, and economic objectives with energy efficiency, renewable energy, and combined heat and power. Each policy description is based on states’ experiences in designing and implementing policies, as documented in existing literature and shared through peer-exchange opportunities provided to states by EPA’s State Climate and Energy Program.

Resource - Publications

Impacts of Energy Efficiency Programs on Customer Satisfaction

Author(s)
State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Publication Date
2011

This report provides data from nationwide utility customer satisfaction surveys and two case studies to encourage utilities to offer high-quality energy efficiency programs and services for their customers.

Resource - Publications

Setting Energy Savings Targets for Utilities

Author(s)
State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Publication Date
2011

This report helps policymakers understand how electric and natural gas utilities can achieve greater efficiency by establishing numeric energy savings targets and goals for energy efficiency programs.

Resource - Publications

Who Should Deliver Ratepayer-Funded Energy Efficiency? A 2011 Update

Author(s)
Regulatory Assistance Project
Publication Date
2011

This report identifies and discusses factors that should be considered in evaluating model choices for administering and implementing ratepayer funded energy efficiency programs.

Resource - Publications

Strategies (th)at Work

Author(s)
Mary Templeton, Michigan Saves,
George Clark, Energy Efficiency Contractor
Publication Date
2014
Organizations or Programs
Michigan Saves
Overview of Michigan Saves' employer outreach initiative to drive uptake of home energy upgrades.
Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Consumers Energy's Energy Efficiency Learning Center

Author(s)
Consumers Energy
Publication Date
2017
Organizations or Programs
Consumers Energy

The Energy Efficiency Learning Center offers a selection of trainings and resources to enhance participation in utility energy efficiency programs. It allows users to undertake trainings on the latest home performance standards and best practices on their own schedule.

Resource - Program Materials

Elevate Energy: Energy Efficiency Services for Affordable Multifamily Buildings

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Publication Date
2017
Organizations or Programs
Elevate Energy

This document profiles the Chicago-area non-profit Elevate Energy, which offers a full-service energy efficiency retrofit program for owners of and tenants in affordable multifamily buildings in eleven states.

Resource - Case Studies

Improving Quality Through Performance Metrics

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2012
Organizations or Programs
BetterBuildings for Michigan

This video explains how Better Buildings for Michigan's performance metrics and quality assurance enabled them to encourage high-performing contractors, to help underperforming contractors improve, and ultimately to dismiss some contractors.

Resource - Case Studies

It's Academic: BetterBuildings for Michigan Partners With University to Reach Employees

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2013
Organizations or Programs
BetterBuildings for Michigan
This Focus Series interview discusses the semester-long, employer-assisted partnership between BetterBuildings for Michigan and Grand Valley State University (GVSU). This successful partnership involved an early adopter outreach campaign and served as a model for other program partnerships.
Resource - Case Studies

Content Type

  • Resource (27)
  • Tips for Success (2)

Resource Type

Program Components

  • Market Position & Business Model (15)
  • (-) Program Design & Customer Experience (22)
  • Evaluation & Data Collection (7)
  • Marketing & Outreach (18)
  • Financing (11)
  • (-) Contractor Engagement & Workforce Development (7)

Program Design Phases

  • Overview (2)
  • Strategy Development (18)
  • Planning (21)
  • Implementation (20)
  • Evaluation (2)

States or Territories

  • Alabama (7)
  • Alaska (4)
  • Arizona (23)
  • Arkansas (14)
  • British Columbia (3)
  • California (67)
  • Colorado (46)
  • Connecticut (32)
  • DC (1)
  • Delaware (6)
  • District of Columbia (1)
  • Florida (16)
  • Georgia (18)
  • Hawaii (9)
  • Idaho (9)
  • Illinois (44)
  • Indiana (8)
  • Iowa (7)
  • Kansas (10)
  • Kentucky (10)
  • Louisiana (8)
  • Maine (26)
  • Manitoba (1)
  • Maryland (31)
  • Massachusetts (43)
  • (-) Michigan (29)
  • Minnesota (24)
  • Mississippi (6)
  • Missouri (17)
  • Montana (7)
  • Nebraska (5)
  • Nevada (14)
  • New Hampshire (17)
  • New Jersey (22)
  • New Mexico (5)
  • New York (58)
  • North Carolina (13)
  • (-) North Dakota (2)
  • Nova Scotia (1)
  • Ohio (15)
  • Oklahoma (7)
  • Ontario (1)
  • Oregon (58)
  • Pennsylvania (28)
  • Rhode Island (19)
  • South Carolina (8)
  • South Dakota (3)
  • Tennessee (8)
  • Texas (38)
  • Utah (14)
  • Vermont (42)
  • Virginia (16)
  • Washington (58)
  • Washington D.C. (2)
  • Washington DC (13)
  • West Virginia (3)
  • Wisconsin (21)
  • Wyoming (4)

Organizations or Programs

  • Michigan Saves (8)
  • Austin Energy (4)
  • BetterBuildings for Michigan (3)
  • Elevate Energy (3)
  • Energy Outreach Colorado (3)
  • New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) (3)
  • Enhabit (2)
  • Arizona Public Service (APS) (1)
  • Build It Green (1)
  • City of Chicago (1)
  • ConEdison’s Brooklyn Queens Demand Management Program (1)
  • Consumers Energy (1)
  • DTE Energy (1)
  • Earth Advantage (1)
  • Efficiency Maine (1)
  • Efficiency Vermont (1)
  • Efficiency Vermot (1)
  • Energize Connecticut (1)
  • Energize New York (1)
  • EnergySmart (1)
  • Energy Upgrade California (1)
  • EnergyWorks (1)
  • Florida's Multifamily Energy Retrofit Program (1)
  • Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) (1)
  • Illinois Home Performance with Energy Star (1)
  • Keeping PACE in Texas (1)
  • Keystone Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) (1)
  • Lean and Green Michigan (1)
  • Manitoba Hydro (1)
  • Massachusetts Low-Income Multifamily Energy Retrofit Program (1)
  • Mass Save (1)
  • Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (1)
  • NeighborWorks H.E.A.T. Squad (1)
  • Pacific Gas and Electric Company (1)
  • Set the PACE St. Louis (1)
  • Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (1)
  • Warehouse for Energy Efficiency Loans (1)
Residential Program Guide is a resource of the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office.
Contact | Building Technologies Office

OFFICE of
ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

Forrestal Building
1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington DC 20585

Link to Facebook Link to Twitter Link to Youtube Link to Linkedin

An office of

Energy.Gov

About EERE

Careers and Internships

EERE Home

Publications Library

Contact EERE

Energy.gov Resources

Budget & Performance

Directives, Delegations & Requirements

FOIA

Inspector General

Privacy Program

Small Business

Staff & Contractor Resources

Federal Government

The White House

USA.gov

  • Web Policies
  • Privacy
  • No Fear Act
  • Whistleblower Protection
  • Information Quality
  • Open Gov
  • Accessibility
  • Vulnerability Disclosure Program