Better Buildings Neighborhood Program partners found that conducting surveys of program participants that focus on tangible, easy-to-answer questions, such as the timeliness of service and the quality of work, resulted in better feedback. By including open-ended questions and questions about non-energy benefits, partners were able to garner a broader range of information and a better understanding of who their customers are and what they value (e.g., comfort, cost savings). Partners also found that administering customer surveys during or immediately following completion of the customer’s energy upgrade led to a higher rate of response.
- Enhabit, formerly known as Clean Energy Works Oregon, requests feedback from all customers during the upgrade process to help assess how contractors can improve their customer service. Quarterly customer surveys of participants who have completed assessments and upgrades include questions about customer satisfaction with the contractor’s work. This feedback enables the program to track what is working and what is not, and to respond with improvements quickly.
- Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) in Charlottesville, Virginia and Northern Virginia, dramatically modified its home energy upgrade process in response to homeowner feedback. Recognizing that many homeowners found a several thousand dollar investment challenging, LEAP implemented a “staged upgrade” process that allowed homeowners to implement home energy upgrades over a period of time, dividing the financial investment into smaller payments.