Motivating Existing Homeowners to Make Energy Saving Improvements

Building code enhancements are making new homes more energy efficient, but how do we encourage owners of existing homes to take a comprehensive approach to home improvement rather than just replacing a furnace when it breaks?  Several utilities and energy organizations are demonstrating that a comprehensive approach can achieve energy savings of up to 50% or more in existing buildings.

These demonstrations are being achieved by conducting Home Energy Makeover Contests, modeled after reality television shows.  The contest takes a building-science approach to the selection of a home that best demonstrates the potential for energy savings based on BTU-per-square-foot and other factors.  The winning home receives a makeover using energy-saving products and services donated by local suppliers.  Then, all contest entrants (i.e. contest losers) and other community members are invited to tour the newly-improved, winning home and learn how to conduct their own energy makeover at their own expense using the local suppliers.  In all cases, the winning home owners make a compelling case to the home visitors and media for the non-energy benefits that the improvements achieve in comfort, health, safety and more.

Home Energy Makeover Contests and Workshop demonstrate powerful ways to save energy and improve a home by capitalizing on homeowner and media interest in energy savings in ways that leverage the popularity of shows like ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  In addition, the Contests and Workshops offer exciting sponsorship opportunities to raise visibility for a range of energy-saving products and services.

Contest and Workshop goals may include:

• Expand awareness of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR services and contractors, and/or other utility residential customer program portfolio offerings for energy efficiency, renewable energy, demand response, time-of-use rates, and customer service (i.e. budget billing, direct debit, etc.)
• Generate qualified and interested leads for program offerings and participating trade allies/contractors
• Demonstrate the elements and benefits of a home energy audit/performance assessment
• Demonstrate energy-saving, cost-effective home improvements that can reduce energy costs, improve comfort and indoor air quality and enhance the appearance and value of a home
• Provide a model for effective collaboration between utility and trade allies such as Home Performance contractors and other service providers
• Showcase the benefits of home energy efficiency through the eyes of a real, local homeowner

This innovative contest approach illustrates that there is a viable market to encourage homeowners to make more comprehensive home energy improvement choices.  Ed Thomas, founder of UtilityExchange.org, has been a consultant to several, including: (Click link for details:)

EGIA and Anaheim Public Utilities Home Energy Makeover Contest
[www.egia.com/homeownercenter/hmc.aspx]

Maine Home Performance “Whole House” Contest
[www.mainehomeperformance.org/news.html]

Delta-Montrose Electric Association Home Energy Makeover Contest
[www.homeenergymakeover.org/Montrose/default.htm]

For past contests, Ed has partnered with Colorado Energy Science Center (now Smarter Energy Living), Performance Systems Development and the Electric and Gas Industries Association.  Now that Ed has founded UtilityExchange.org as an affiliate of EGIA, we can offer turnkey contest administration.  However, UtilityExchange.org will consult with your organization independent of EGIA for those who wish to administer the contest themselves.

As an alternative to conducting a Home Energy Makeover Contests, several organizations are working with UtilityExchange.org to produce Home Energy Makeover Workshops and Expos. The event goal is to provide program education with a product exposition for consumers interested in energy/water efficiency, smart meters, demand response and renewable energy. The events are designed to attract 50-250 area residents as well as trade allies who display energy-related products/services. The workshop agenda is designed to showcase the utilities entire residential customer program portfolio and the participating trade allies with 15-30 minute presentation topics which may include: weatherization/insulation, green home remodeling, water heating, space heating/cooling, solar energy, windows, lighting, low-income energy assistance, water conservation techniques, etc.

Admission tickets are available for purchase at the door or in advance from select non-profit community groups.  The modest admission price includes refreshments and door prize drawings and assures that those attend are motivated to learn how home energy-saving improvements can pay for themselves.  Past events have included: (Click link for details:)   

Home Energy Makeover Workshop & Expo
at Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado

Home Energy Makeover Workshop & Expo
at Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, Wyoming

Through UtilityExchange.org, Ed Thomas offers two options for helping your organization develop and launch Home Energy Makeover Contests and Workshops: Contest Administration and Independent Consultation

To learn more, contact Ed Thomas

Contest Administration

With this option, UtilityExchange.org partners with its parent organization, Electric and Gas Industries Association (EGIA) to coordinate closely with your utility or organization regarding the planning and administration of a Home Energy Makeover Contest which will be conducted in a predefined territory to enhance awareness among consumers in an innovative manner, and immediately engage participating trade ally sponsors. 

To implement the contest, UtilityExchange.org and EGIA will solicit promotional support area businesses to present a contest in which the homeowner(s) with the greatest potential to demonstrate energy savings will have the opportunity to be awarded a prize package of energy-related home improvements.  The home improvements may be donated from manufacturers and distributors with labor by local contractors.  In addition, comprehensive home performance analyses without improvements may be awarded as consolation prizes.  Copies of all the home performance analysis reports will be available to all consumers to review and compare with their own home. 

We propose completing your Contest project in four tasks:

TASK 1:  CONTEST PLANNING - Develop and deliver a comprehensive summary presentation to your organization highlighting lessons learned from prior Home Makeover Contests, and prepare an overall contest plan for your approval that incorporates consensus reached through a joint planning session and includes detailed action items, target dates and stakeholder responsibilities

TASK 2:  CO-SPONSOR RECRUITMENT - Develop and execute a plan to include: solicitation document; recruitment meeting; and Sponsor Agreements that describes mutual commitment/ responsibilities.

TASK 3:  CONTEST ADMINISTRATION - Develop program dedicated Website in a manner consistent with www.egia.org/Anaheim.  Beyond the establishment of the contest web site, we recommend that your organization assume the lead responsibility for planning and implementing a multi-faceted campaign to promote the contest as an integral part of your on-going program marketing efforts.  We will:

• Score all contract entrants based on BTU/sq.ft. or other measure, and rank order applicants by energy use intensity
• Develop a telephone Customer Survey, contact the top homeowners to gather additional information and further screen; rank based on overall appropriateness to established characteristics, and coordinate on-site analysis of semi-finalist candidates
• Plan and facilitate a contest winner selection meeting

We recommend that your organization oversee installation of targeted measures and assures compliance with your program requirements.

TASK 4:  DOCUMENTATION OF WINNING HOME AND LESSONS LEARNED - Draft and publish fact sheets covering each measure installed, and develop case study documenting lessons learned.  Also, we will facilitate a workshop where all contest entrants and other invited participants may:

• Learn more about the improvements made to the winning home
• Learn how to conduct a home energy makeover on their own home
• Meet contest sponsors and local home performance contractors

Workshop goals would be to leverage the knowledge gained from contest entries, finalist findings, and winning home achievements as well as insight gained from contest co-sponsor and utility interaction in order to maintain the momentum gained through the contest activity to encourage contest entrants and other to “do their own home energy makeover.”

To learn more, contact Ed Thomas

Consulting

With this option, Ed Thomas will come to your location (or reach out via a web-based connection) to conduct a 1-8 hour orientation for your organization staff and key stakeholders on how to plan and implement your own contest and/or workshop, leveraging the best practices and lesson learned that we’ve experienced. 

Your organization will have no further obligation to consult with us, but we will be available to support you in any individual aspect of the program implementation process detailed above, when/if you need it.

To learn more, contact Ed Thomas

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