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Contractor Engagement & Workforce Development – Deliver Program

Implement contractor coordination and workforce recruitment and training in concert with other program components
Handbook

Financing – Deliver Program

Launch your financing activities in coordination with other program components.
Handbook

Market Position & Business Model – Develop a Business Model

Define your business model, including market position, products and services, type of customers, financial model, governance structure, and the assets and infrastructure your organization needs.
Handbook

Marketing & Outreach – Communicate Impacts

Communicate marketing and outreach results internally and to partners.
Handbook

Marketing & Outreach – Deliver Program

Implement marketing and outreach activities in coordination with other program components to generate demand for your program's services.
Handbook

Financing – Make Design Decisions

Determine if enhancements to existing financing products or the development of new products are necessary to allow you to achieve your goals and objectives.
Handbook

Marketing & Outreach – Develop Implementation Plans

Develop a marketing and outreach plan that details your strategies and tactics, workflows and timelines, staff roles and responsibilities, and budget.
Handbook

Marketing & Outreach – Make Design Decisions

Decide on priority target audience segments, messages, and incentives that will motivate customers.
Handbook

Marketing & Outreach – Identify Partners

Establish relationships with organizations that will assist with program marketing and outreach.
Handbook

Marketing & Outreach – Assess the Market

Identify and prioritize potential target audiences based on their likely receptivity to your program's services.
Handbook

Contractor Engagement & Workforce Development – Assess the Market

Learn about the capabilities and services of existing contractors and training providers working in your market.
Handbook

Program Design & Customer Experience – Overview

Design a residential energy efficiency program that integrates marketing and outreach, contractor coordination, incentives, financing, and program evaluation to provide customers with the products and services they want through a customer-centric process.
Handbook

Financing – Overview

Ensure that your program’s customers will have access to affordable financing, so they can pay for the services you offer.
Handbook

Evaluation & Data Collection – Overview

Develop evidence-based insights into your program’s performance through third-party process and impact evaluations. Learn how to develop effective data collection strategies and timely evaluations to identify important program achievements as well as opportunities for making program improvements.
Handbook

Marketing & Outreach – Overview

Spur consumer demand for your program's services by understanding your target audience and motivating them to act using effective messaging, marketing and outreach tactics, and attractive program offers.
Handbook

Contractor Engagement & Workforce Development – Develop Implementation Plans

Develop contractor engagement, quality assurance, and workforce development plans that include strategies, workflow, timelines, and staff and partner roles and responsibilities.
Handbook

Program Design & Customer Experience – Develop Resources

Develop the necessary materials, tools, and staff capacity to effectively deliver and manage your program.
Handbook

Program Design & Customer Experience – Deliver Program

Ensure a positive customer experience with your program from launch through implementation over time.
Handbook

Evaluation & Data Collection – Develop Evaluation Plans

Identify the right questions to ask, appropriate metrics to collect, and the processes needed to initiate third-party impact and process evaluations.
Handbook

Program Design & Customer Experience – Assess the Market

Research and analyze the specific barriers, needs, and opportunities for a residential energy efficiency program in your community.
Handbook

Contractor Engagement & Workforce Development – Overview

Support and partner with the workforce who will deliver your program’s energy efficiency services by understanding their capacity, recruiting contractor partners, enabling technical training and business development support, fostering clear communication, and refining program processes over time, in partnership with your workforce.
Handbook

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

Invest in information and communications technology

Paper-based or spreadsheet-based information collection processes can be low cost to develop and easy to roll-out, but more often than not, they become cumbersome to aggregate and store the data from many sources. Many Better Buildings Neighborhood Program partners found that investing in...
Tips for Success

Set realistic expectations for launching and scaling up your program

Many program administrators have found that launching and scaling up a program often takes longer than planned for, especially when forming partnerships with contractors and lenders. New energy efficiency programs often need at least 2-3 years to launch and become fully operational. Across programs...
Tips for Success

Consider tiered financing or rebates to encourage deeper upgrades

Without an incentive, homeowners and contractors may limit themselves to smaller upgrade projects. Programs in search of more energy savings have found that some homeowners already interested in an upgrade are amenable to a bigger upgrade when coupled with better financing terms or larger rebates...
Tips for Success

Hire staff with financing skills and knowledge

Financing can be a complicated topic for programs, and having staff with financing knowledge and expertise can be very valuable. Financing program administration involves working with lenders and understanding how they operate as well as understanding financial regulatory issues and loan product...
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

Foster “word of mouth” communication from satisfied customers

Programs found that encouraging word of mouth outreach by asking satisfied customers to promote their program experience to peers helped attract more homeowners who completed energy upgrades. Referrals from neighbors and friends who are happy with their energy improvements can provide a good source...
Tips for Success

Building More Knowledge About Whole Building EM&V

Author(s)
Tim Guiterman, EnergySavvy,
Sarah Zaleski, U.S. Department of Energy,
Ethan Goldman, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation,
Diane Duva, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection,
Bill Norton, Opinion Dynamics
Publication Date
2017

This presentation covers the current pilot project testing M&V2.0 as an evaluation tool facilitated by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP).  Speakers on this panel presented examples of how whole building modeling is currently being used for M&V now and its potential future applications. Speakers also discussed benchmarking, data access and other protocols, and how experience with efficiency programs teach us so we can build upon the current experience.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Customer Behavior and Engagement in a Smart Grid Pilot

Author(s)
Dana Max, Navigant Consulting, Inc.,
Beth Delahaij, National Grid
Publication Date
2016

This presentation describes National Grid's experience with customer behavior and engagement through the implementation of its smart grid pilot program.

Resource - Topical Presentations

Energy Efficiency on Display: Using Demonstration Projects to Showcase Home Performance Opportunities (201)

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date
2016

This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on demonstration project strategies, advantages and challenges.

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

Energy Efficiency through Tenant Engagement: A Pilot Behavioral Program for Multifamily Buildings

Author(s)
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Publication Date
2016
In 2014, ACEEE launched a pilot program to test a variety of behavioral strategies to promote energy efficiency among tenants in low- to moderate-income multifamily housing in Takoma Park, Maryland. The program included behavioral messaging, events, educational information, and the distribution of energy saving devices. ACEEE measured energy use in the months before and after the pilot. The white paper includes these results, insights for the development of future behavioral change programs, and recommended engagement strategies for targeted communities.
Resource - Publications

California Joint Utilities Financing Research: Existing Programs Review

Author(s)
The Cadmus Group, Inc.
Publication Date
2014

The California investor-owned utilities -- Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), Southern California Gas (SoCalGas), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), referred to collectively as the IOUs or Joint Utilities -- are designing seven energy efficiency financing pilot programs at the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC's) direction. To help inform the pilot design process and subsequent evaluation efforts, this report summarizes a comprehensive review of 15 existing financing programs representing noteworthy program models across the United States and around the globe.

Resource - Publications

Effective Practices for Implementing Local Climate and Energy Programs Tip Sheets

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

This series of 19 tip sheets is based on the experience and expertise of EPA’s Climate Showcase Communities. The tip sheets cover a wide range of topics, such as marketing and communications (effective messaging, traditional media strategies, community-based social marketing, and testimonial videos) and working with specific types of stakeholders (institutional partners, contractors, experts, utilities, early adopters, volunteers).

Resource - Publications

Job Quality, Equitable Access and Quality Assurance Standards in Leading Residential Weatherization Programs

Author(s)
Community Benefits Law Center
Publication Date
2010
Organizations or Programs
Enhabit,
New Jersey Weatherization Assistance Program,
Delaware Weatherization Assistance Program,
Washington State Energy Program,
Community Power Works,
Santa Clara County AB811 Pilot Program

Summary of the standards that support job quality, equitable access and quality assurance in several residential energy efficiency programs from different parts of the country.

Resource - Publications

HUD PowerSaver Pilot Program

Author(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Publication Date
2010
Policy brief outlining the HUD PowerSaver Pilot Loan Program.
Resource - Publications

Eversource New Hampshire Home Energy Report Pilot Program Evaluation

Author(s)
Navigant Consulting, Inc.
Publication Date
2016
Organizations or Programs
Eversource

This report includes evaluation analysis and findings from the Eversource New Hampshire Home Energy Report pilot program.

Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Eversource Behavior Program Persistence Evaluation

Author(s)
NMR Group, Inc.
Publication Date
2017

This report is an update of findings from three prior evaluations of Eversource's Home Energy Reports (HERs) Pilot Program. The HERs pilot program began in January 2011. The pilot program randomly selected residential customers to whom it sent reports rating their energy use, comparing it to that of their neighbors, and suggested ways for the households to save energy.

Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Multi-State Residential Retrofit Project: Process Evaluation Final

Author(s)
National Association of State Energy Officials
Publication Date
2014
Organizations or Programs
National Association of State Energy Officials

The Multi-State Residential Retrofit Project is a residential energy-efficiency pilot program, funded by a competitive U.S. State Energy Program (SEP) award through the U.S. Department of Energy. The Multi-State Project operates in four states: Alabama, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington. During the course of this three-year process evaluation, Cadmus worked closely with NASEO and the four states to collect information about the programs from many perspectives, including: State Energy Office staff, program implementers, homeowners, auditors/contractors, real estate professionals, appraisers, lenders, and utility staff. This report discusses: the project’s context; its goals; the evaluation approach and methods; cross-cutting evaluation results; and results specific to each of the four states.

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

Pilot Process Evaluation Report

Author(s)
Research Into Action, Inc.
Publication Date
2010
Organizations or Programs
Enhabit

This report describes the process evaluation of a pilot project in Portland Oregon that informed the refinement and expansion of the program statewide into Clean Energy Works Oregon (now Enhabit).

Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Cleveland EnergySaver Pilot Program (From Pilot to Permanent Program)

Author(s)
Kristin Hall, Cleveland Mayor's Office of Sustainability,
Anand Natarajan, Cleveland Mayor's Office of Sustainability
Publication Date
2012

Presentation on efforts of Cleveland to create a sustainable business model.

Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Insight from Maine Incentives

Author(s)
Efficiency Maine
Publication Date
2012
Organizations or Programs
Efficiency Maine
This presentation from Efficiency Maine shows early adopters and higher income residents tend to take advantage of large incentives, but smaller incentives may be a way to engage a broader range of income levels.
Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

Energy Upgrade California in Los Angeles County: The Flex Path Program

Author(s)
Steve Culbertson, BKi
Publication Date
2012
Organizations or Programs
Energy Upgrade California
This presentation talks about Energy Upgrade California's Flex Path pilot program which offers a menu of upgrade options for homeowners to select. Its flexible approach has been popular with middle-income homeowners interested in upgrades.
Resource - Program Presentations & Reports

BetterBuildings for Michigan Early Adopter Poster and Postcards

Author(s)
BetterBuildings for Michigan
Publication Date
2013
Organizations or Programs
BetterBuildings for Michigan
These outreach materials from BetterBuildings for Michigan include a photograph and quote from credible members of the Grand Valley State University (GSVU) community that served as early adopters for the program.
Resource - Program Materials

Community Energy Services Experience Survey

Author(s)
Community Energy Services
Publication Date
2011

Survey for Minnesota home owners participating in Community Energy Services pilot program about their experience at their home visit.

Resource - Program Materials

Help My House Loan Pilot Program: Program Design and Results

Author(s)
Central Electric Power Cooperative
Publication Date
2013

This case study highlights the Help My House Pilot Program conducted in South Carolina by Central Electric Power Cooperative that included on-bill financing.

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

  • Handbook (21)
  • Resource (21)
  • Tips for Success (7)

Resource Type

Program Components

  • Market Position & Business Model (3)
  • Program Design & Customer Experience (13)
  • Evaluation & Data Collection (10)
  • Marketing & Outreach (14)
  • Financing (11)
  • Contractor Engagement & Workforce Development (7)

Program Design Phases

  • Overview (8)
  • Strategy Development (21)
  • Planning (18)
  • Implementation (20)
  • Evaluation (9)

States or Territories

  • Alabama (1)
  • California (5)
  • Colorado (1)
  • Connecticut (2)
  • Maine (1)
  • Maryland (2)
  • Massachusetts (2)
  • Michigan (4)
  • New Hampshire (3)
  • New York (2)
  • Ohio (1)
  • Oregon (6)
  • Pennsylvania (1)
  • South Carolina (1)
  • Tennessee (1)
  • Texas (3)
  • Vermont (1)
  • Virginia (3)
  • Washington (3)
  • Wisconsin (2)

Organizations or Programs

  • Enhabit (7)
  • Austin Energy (2)
  • Beacon Communities Project (2)
  • BetterBuildings for Michigan (2)
  • Energy Upgrade California (2)
  • Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) (2)
  • Long Island Green Homes (2)
  • Michigan Saves (2)
  • Be SMART (1)
  • Community Alliance for Energy Efficiency (Cafe2) (1)
  • Community Power Works (1)
  • Delaware Weatherization Assistance Program (1)
  • Efficiency Maine (1)
  • emPowerSBC (1)
  • EnergySmart (1)
  • EnergyWorks (1)
  • Eversource (1)
  • Garfield Clean Energy (1)
  • Milwaukee Energy Efficiency (Me2) (1)
  • National Association of State Energy Officials (1)
  • NeighborWorks of Western Vermont (1)
  • New Jersey Weatherization Assistance Program (1)
  • RePower Kitsap (1)
  • Richmond Region Energy Alliance (1)
  • Santa Clara County AB811 Pilot Program (1)
  • Washington State Energy Program (1)
Residential Program Guide is a resource of the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office.
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