Proven Practices
Explore a Proven Practices post for lessons learned, program examples, videos, and helpful tips to take your program to the next level. Click on a post to learn more about the Proven Practices from residential energy efficiency programs across the United States.
Posted on December 12, 2016
Paid advertising is one way to promote residential energy efficiency program offerings, but good public relations that leads to “earned” media stories is even better.
Posted on November 9, 2016
Piquing customers’ interest in an energy-efficient home is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to encouraging upgrades.
Posted on October 10, 2016
A comprehensive evaluation of over 140 programs across the United States found that more successful residential energy efficiency programs offered multiple training opportunities to contractors, either by delivering training or engaging with local partners to offer training.
Posted on September 12, 2016
One of the hurdles that many homeowners face when considering home energy upgrades is how to pay for them. Contractors, as program partners who work with homeowners face-to-face, are in a unique position to help them address this concern by suggesting financing offered through the program.
Posted on August 8, 2016
Residential energy efficiency programs have found their marketing efforts are more successful when they craft their messaging to resonate with specific customer needs.
Posted on July 11, 2016
A comprehensive evaluation of more than 40 residential energy efficiency programs across the country found that programs were more successful when they provided customers with lists of pre-approved contractors.
Posted on June 8, 2016
Financial incentives—from rebates to lower interest rates—can help residential energy efficiency programs attract customers’ attention.
Posted on May 2, 2016
To monitor progress toward program goals, successful residential energy efficiency programs have used a combination of project tracking systems, customer surveys, information from call centers, and feedback from contractors and other partners.
Posted on April 1, 2016
Residential energy efficiency programs striving to improve conversion rates from customer interest to completed upgrades have realized that contractors are typically the primary link between customers and their programs.
Posted on March 14, 2016
Some residential energy efficiency programs seek to raise credibility with their target audience, so they turn to “social modeling” techniques with satisfied customers.
Posted on February 9, 2016
Residential energy efficiency programs across the United States have found that providing homeowners with a single point of contact increases the likelihood of an upgrade being completed and increases customer satisfaction levels.
Posted on January 6, 2016
The upfront cost of an energy upgrade can derail homeowners interested in home performance improvements. One program strategy for making projects more affordable is to offer financing; however, complicated loan application and approval processes can cause delays. Streamlining the loan application process is an effective way to remove this process barrier.
Posted on November 16, 2015
Successful residential energy efficiency programs use data collection, transfer, and storage systems to effectively implement activities and track program metrics.
Posted on October 1, 2015
Financing allows homeowners to pay for energy improvements over time and invest in higher-cost upgrades than they might be able to afford without it.
Posted on August 11, 2015
Once home energy upgrades are underway, energy efficiency programs want to avoid call-backs and enhance their reputation. Because the quality of work that affiliated contractors conduct in customers’ homes reflects on the whole program, it’s important to ensure quality work; however, verifying a consistent level of quality can be challenging.
Posted on July 21, 2015
Many successful residential energy efficiency programs across the United States have used in-home events to make upgrade benefits visible by showcasing completed projects and actual results. Attending tours of upgraded homes—especially the homes of trusted neighbors and friends—allows potential customers to see and hear firsthand from satisfied customers, talk directly to the contractors who performed the work, and ask questions or sign up with program staff to start the upgrade process.