Customers put a high value on quality home improvements, and satisfied customers are more likely to tell friends and family about their experience, which can lead more participation in your program. Conversely, dissatisfied customers can dissuade neighbors and peers from participating, thereby making acquisition of new customers more challenging and expensive. Managing quality starts with managing your relationship with participating contractors. Many programs organize an orientation not only to explain the program requirements (e.g., workforce standards, quality assurance process, and code of conduct) but also to learn about each contractor’s skills and experience. That information can you connect them with needed training (e.g., technical, business, or sales).
Developing a quality assurance plan is essential to ensure that you meet your quality goals including providing good customer service in a cost-effective way. Most plans include verifying a consistent level of quality in completed home energy upgrades. Programs have used different approaches to verifying quality. One common approach uses a tiered approach, in which the program inspects the first several upgrades completed by a new participating contractor and then changes the inspections to a random sample after the contractor has demonstrated proficiency. More programs are finding that clearly defined and easily accessible technical specifications can remove ambiguity around program expectations and improve completed upgrade work. Quality assurance plans may also include customer satisfaction surveys to assess customer experience.
Learn more with the following resources:
Topical Resources
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This guide assists with developing an implementation plan for a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. It covers key elements of the plan, including the scope and objectives of the program and the policies and procedures that will ensure its success, including co-marketing and brand guidelines (section 1), workforce development and contractor engagement (section 3), assessment and report requirements (section 4), installation specifications and test-out procedures (section 5), and quality assurance (section 6).
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These standard work specifications define minimum requirements for upgrade work and can be used as an industry guide for workers, training instructors, and program administrators involved in the home performance industry.
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This publication includes best practices for how to create a quality assurance plan and the key components that these plans should include.
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This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on quality assurance of energy efficiency services.
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This summary from a Better Buildings Residential Network peer exchange call focused on quality assurance and control, standardization of upgrades and workforce expectations.
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This peer exchange call summary focused on the challenges and effective combinations of quality assurance strategies.
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Quality Assurance for Residential Retrofit Programs
Link(s)This DOE Technical Assistance Program webcast covers why quality assurance is important for residential upgrade programs, how to define realistic goals, and the key elements of a QA program.
Examples
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This case study of Arizona Public Service (APS) and Arizona’s HPwES Sponsor, FSL Home Energy Solutions (FSL), focuses on their continuous improvements designed to elevate customer and contractor experience while boosting program cost-effectiveness.
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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.
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This case study discusses the strategies Clean Energy Works Oregon's (now Enhabit's) used to actively engage contractors to make the program successful (e.g., balancing contractors' work priorities, enforcing quality standards).
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RePower in Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, Washington developed this manual as a set of rules and requirements for acceptable materials and installation procedures for energy efficiency measures installed in existing homes.
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This document details the procedures for identifying, documenting, and responding to performance problems associated with contractors in the RePower Program in Washington. It includes example forms and a draft letter to contractors.
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Efficiency Maine created a code of conduct for contractors to follow when working in homes. The code is available for download on the Efficiency Maine website, and dictates guidelines for respecting homeowners' property and communicating with the homeowner about appropriate information. Users on the Efficiency Maine website can search a list of vendors that have agreed to follow the code.
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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.
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To deliver the most effective residential energy efficiency programs possible, NYSERDA implemented a quality assurance process to verify that projects meet all program requirements while maintaining healthy and safe conditions for the occupants.
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Two visual flow charts, one that illustrates the process starting with customer interest to final incentive payment, and another that illustrates the program's quality assurance process.
Tips for Success
Handbooks
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See the step: Establish standards for ensuring quality work. This step provides information about three types of standards relating to the quality of energy assessments and upgrades: standards for technical work, standards for diagnostic tools and installed equipment, and standards for professionalism and customer service.
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See the step: Define the quality assurance plan for your program. This step covers the processes and procedures to put quality assurance standards into practice and assure quality work, including how to take corrective actions when issues arise.
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See the step: Share performance data and feedback. This step discusses how to communicate evaluation findings with contractors and workforce development partners in order to provide feedback on contractor performance.