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Provide information to help customers pick the right contractor

Early on, many Better Buildings Neighborhood Program partners focused on providing customers with a range of contractors to choose from, while providing contractors with access to customers. Customer feedback received by some programs, however, indicated that customers were confused or overwhelmed...
Tips for Success

Recognize and reward good contractor performance

Many programs used the information they gathered through their quality assurance efforts to recognize contractors that deliver consistent, high-quality work. Rewarding good contractor performance can help you build trust, strengthen partnerships, and boost workforce morale. You can incentivize...
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

Help contractors understand the program’s financing options and benefits, so they can communicate to homeowners

Homeowners do not benefit from access to financing if they don’t know about or understand options available to them. Contractors are often the primary transaction point for selling upgrades, and many programs have found that ongoing collaboration with contractors through sales training, regular...
Tips for Success

Leverage financial sector marketing channels

Lenders can be a valuable partner for programs in marketing loan products and driving demand for home energy upgrades. They are often a trusted source of information in a community, and they have access to potential customers and partners such as existing customers, loan aggregators, and large...
Tips for Success

Engage with potential lending partners early, and make a clear business case for their involvement

Some lenders perceive home energy lending to be too risky or not profitable enough for them to get involved. Programs have found that engaging potential lending partners early in the program design process, especially in face-to-face meetings, helped them understand both lender needs and the risks...
Tips for Success

Engage media to garner attention and credibility

Many successful programs found that getting media attention for their offerings and benefits helped add credibility to marketing efforts and expand their reach. By positioning "green" stories or home improvement mini-segments on local television or radio stations, they provided timely content that...
Tips for Success

Here Comes the Sun: Advances in Residential Solar (301)

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2016
Organizations or Programs
Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP)

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on the intersection between solar and residential energy efficiency. Speakers include Ecolibrium3 and Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP).

Resource - Topical Presentations

PowerSaver Loan Program

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2011
Organizations or Programs
Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP)

This peer exchange call summary focused on the background and features of the PowerSaver loan program.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Listening to Your Workforce: Lessons from Pilot Programs and Other Approaches For Workforce Feedback

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2011
Organizations or Programs
Austin Energy,
Long Island Green Homes

This peer exchange call summary focused on creating a dialogue between contractors, trainers and jobseekers about program design/implementation and results of workforce feedback.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Cost-Effective Modeling and Savings Projections for Multifamily Projects

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2014
Organizations or Programs
Austin Energy

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on energy modeling in multifamily homes.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Moving Multifamily Buildings From Assessments to Upgrades

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2013
Organizations or Programs
Austin Energy,
Efficiency Maine

This peer exchange call summary focused on moving from assessments to upgrades in multifamily buildings.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Is Energy Efficiency Capitalized into Home Prices? Evidence from Three US Cities

Author(s)
Resources for the Future
Publication Date
2013
Organizations or Programs
Austin Energy

This study looks at evidence of capitalization of energy efficiency features in home prices using data from real estate multiple listing services (MLS) in three metropolitan areas: the Research Triangle region of North Carolina; Austin, Texas; and Portland, Oregon. These home listings include information on Energy Star certification and, in Portland and Austin, local green certifications. Our results suggest that Energy Star certification increases the sales prices of homes built between 1995 and 2006 but has no statistically significant effect on sales prices for newer homes.

Resource - Publications

Scoping Study to Evaluate Feasibility of National Databases for EM&V Documents and Measure Savings

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

This report presents the results of a scoping study to assess the need for national databases that can support best practices in energy efficiency program evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V).

Resource - Publications

Energy Benchmarking, Rating, and Disclosure for Local Governments

Author(s)
State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network
Publication Date
2012

This report provides information on how access to energy use data can help local governments create policies for benchmarking and disclosing building energy performance for public and private sector buildings.

Resource - Publications

Better Buildings Neighborhood Program Southeast Consortium Process Evaluation - Phase 1

Author(s)
Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance
Publication Date
2013
Organizations or Programs
Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA)

This report presents the phase 1 process evaluation conducted of the 13 programs in the Southeast Consortium Better Buildings Neighborhood Program (BBNP).

Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Better Buildings Neighborhood Program Southeast Consortium Process Evaluation-Phase 2

Author(s)
Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance
Publication Date
2013
Organizations or Programs
Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA)

This report presents the phase 2 process evaluation conducted of the 13 programs in the Southeast Consortium Better Buildings Neighborhood Program (BBNP).

Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Better Buildings Neighborhood Program Southeast Consortium Impact Evaluation

Author(s)
Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance
Publication Date
2013
Organizations or Programs
Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA)

This report presents the impact evaluation conducted of the 13 programs in the Southeast Consortium Better Buildings Neighborhood Program (BBNP).

Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Collecting and Using Data to Improve the Program: Pecan Street Project

Author(s)
Suzanne Russo, Pecan Street Project Inc.
Publication Date
2011
Headquartered at The University of Texas at Austin, Pecan Street Inc. is a research and development organization focused on developing and testing advanced technology, business model and customer behavior surrounding advanced energy management systems. Their flagship effort is the Pecan Street Demonstration Project that began in an Austin community. This presentation discusses collecting and using data to assess and improve the Pecan Street Project.
Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Better Buildings Pro Forma: Local Energy Alliance Program--Virginia

Author(s)
Local Energy Alliance Program
Publication Date
2012
Organizations or Programs
Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP)
This presentation explains the pro forma spreadsheet used by Virginia's Local Energy Alliance Program to evaluate program impact.
Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Spotlight on Austin, Texas: Let Your Contractor Be Your Guide for Big Rewards

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2011
Organizations or Programs
Austin Energy
This case study discusses strategies that Austin Energy, a municipally owned utility, used to collaborate closely with building contractors to launch a new Best Offer Ever promotion quickly and effectively.
Resource - Case Studies

Content Type

  • Resource (14)
  • Tips for Success (7)

Resource Type

Program Components

  • Market Position & Business Model (2)
  • Program Design & Customer Experience (5)
  • Evaluation & Data Collection (9)
  • Marketing & Outreach (3)
  • Financing (4)
  • Contractor Engagement & Workforce Development (4)

Program Design Phases

  • Overview (7)
  • Strategy Development (57)
  • Planning (63)
  • Implementation (49)
  • (-) Evaluation (21)

States or Territories

  • Alabama (7)
  • Alberta (1)
  • Arizona (9)
  • Arkansas (3)
  • British Columbia (1)
  • California (40)
  • Colorado (19)
  • Connecticut (26)
  • Delaware (2)
  • District of Columbia (1)
  • Florida (11)
  • Georgia (3)
  • Illinois (13)
  • Indiana (3)
  • Iowa (1)
  • Kansas (1)
  • Kentucky (1)
  • Louisiana (6)
  • Maine (13)
  • Maryland (10)
  • Massachusetts (12)
  • Michigan (11)
  • Minnesota (6)
  • Missouri (3)
  • Nebraska (1)
  • New Hampshire (8)
  • New Jersey (4)
  • New York (21)
  • North Carolina (5)
  • Nova Scotia (1)
  • Ohio (12)
  • Ontario (1)
  • Oregon (25)
  • Pennsylvania (8)
  • Rhode Island (9)
  • South Carolina (6)
  • Tennessee (5)
  • (-) Texas (12)
  • (-) U.S. Virgin Islands (3)
  • Utah (2)
  • Vermont (11)
  • (-) Virginia (10)
  • Washington (27)
  • Washington D.C. (1)
  • Washington DC (2)
  • Wisconsin (6)

Organizations or Programs

  • Austin Energy (9)
  • Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) (7)
  • Enhabit (3)
  • Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) (3)
  • Efficiency Maine (2)
  • Energy Upgrade California (2)
  • Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) (2)
  • Arizona Public Service (APS) (1)
  • Beacon Communities Project (1)
  • Be SMART (1)
  • Community Power Works (1)
  • Energize New York (1)
  • Energy Impact Illinois (1)
  • EnergySmart (1)
  • EnergyWorks (1)
  • Long Island Green Homes (1)
  • Maryland Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (1)
  • Michigan Saves (1)
  • RePower Kitsap (1)
  • ShopSmart with JEA (1)
  • Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF) (1)
Residential Program Guide is a resource of the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office.
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