Training Contractors To Sell Home Energy Upgrades

August 25, 2011

A new policy brief for energy efficiency contractors and program managers describes how adding sales and business skills to contractor technical skills and certifications can increase the rate of customer conversions from home energy assessment to comprehensive home energy upgrade. It was prepared by Megan Billingsley and Elizabeth Stuart of the Electricity Markets and Policy Group of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division.

Discussed in the brief is the case of Efficiency Maine, which provides one practical solution that worked for its contractors. Efficiency Maine increased the rate of success of its home performance program by providing contractors in its program with a two-day sales training class. The program steadily increased the rate of conversions from energy assessment to energy upgrade from August 2010 when the first workshop was held, to 50 percent by the April to May 2011 timeframe.

The brief also provides advice from a contractor on how to improve a business's energy upgrade conversion rate, and additional resources for both program managers and contractors.

Funding for this work was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.