Home Performance with

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• Home Performance with
• ENERGY STAR
• September 20th, 2007 AESP
• Chandler von Schrader U.S. EPA

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So Why Are We Here?

• If I were to go beyond energy
• Audits with HPwES where would
• that take me? How long will it take?
• Who is going with me? Is there any going
• back? Is this really a win for me? My Company?
  My
• Customers?
• Will this make a difference?

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Energy and Climate in the News
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Home Energy Use in the US

• Average homeowner spends 1900 annually on energy
• Some complain of monthly bills higher than 300
• 45 kBtu/SqFt/Yr average - some homes almost
  twice that
• Over half of all single-family homes in the US
  were built before modern energy codes.1
• Many have no wall insulation, high levels of air
  infiltration, poor duct systems, and inefficient
  heating and AC systems.
• 60 of households report having winter drafts2
• 62 complain of a room that is too warm in the
  summer3
• 1 The Changing Structure of the Home Remodeling
  Industry, Harvard Joint Center for Housing
  Studies
• 2 2001 Residential Energy Consumption Survey,
  Energy Information Administration
• 3 2004 American Home Comfort Survey, Decision
  Analyst

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When Houses Dont Work Who Do YourCustomers
Call?

• Utility for an Energy audit?
• Recommendations but no delivery
• Who can fix my problem home?
• Contractor to Replace failing system?
• HVAC, Window, Insulating company just selling one
  solution
• Most home problems need a custom solution

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New Direction Needed! Start with a whole-house
assessment, that includes diagnostic tests, by a
qualified contractor who can make comprehensive
improvements or refer you to someone who can.
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Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Starts with a
whole-house assessment and provides the
infrastructure of qualified contractors and
quality assurance to allow homeowners to follow
through and complete comprehensive improvements.
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This Whole-house Approach Saves Energy and QA
Confirms it

• Identify which improvements save the most energy
• Avoid one size fits all solutions
• Whole-house solutions can save substantial energy
  in homes
• Not to mention delivering additional customer
  benefits like
• Affordability
• Comfort
• Health and safety,
• Improved durability of the home
• With QA protocols, sponsors have confidence in
  program savings

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Theres moreHome Performance is More Than a
Whole-House Approach

• Evaluating a homes performance
• Recommending home improvements
• Quality assurance to ensure unbiased
  recommendations
• Completing energy saving improvements
• Quality assurance to ensure installation best
  practices
• Facilitate installation of recommended measures
  via incentives and mentoring
• Testing out to demonstrate performance
  improvements and energy savings

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Recommend Sealing Leaks
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Leaky ductsstill leak
Recommend Repairing Ducts
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New HPwES House Graphic Before House
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HPwES HOUSE
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DUCTS
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HVAC AND VENTILATION
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INSULATION
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LIGHTS AND APPLIANCES
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SOLAR ENERGY
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WINDOWS
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AIR DUCTS
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AIR LEAKS
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• So you want to launch a
• Home Performance with
• ENERGY STAR Program?

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Home Performance with ENERGY STAR

• More than contractor training and certification
• Training or certification is one step and only
  qualifies a contractor to participate
• Improving contractors service delivery with
  building science
• More than an energy audit
• A whole-house evaluation with diagnostic tests
  and recommendations is one step and only
  identifies where improvements are needed
• Making improvements is the goal
• More than installing energy efficient products
• Equipment and products need to be installed
  correctly to be effective.
• Test-out is an important step at the end to
  verify that improvements to the home will be
  effective
• House as a system approach
• No new label for existing homes
• Label applies if a home meets the new homes
  criteria
• Difficult for most existing homes
• Improving performance is the goal not a label

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STEP 1 Market Research

• EXAMPLE ACTIONS
• Establish an advisory board
• Conduct a market assessment
• Select a pilot market to launch program
• Select a program design
• A bona fide whole-house approach
• Basic design encourages consultant or contractor
  model
• Need an effective strategy to turn audit
  recommendations into completed home improvements
• Need an effective strategy to monitor the quality
  of the work performed under the program
• Start developing a marketing plan

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STEP 2 Develop Policies and Procedures

• EXAMPLE ACTIONS
• Strategy to recruit contractors to participate
• Training, incentives, financing, or equipment
• Find leading contractors, engage them early
• Contractor participation agreement
• Eligibility criteria, conditions, standards,
  expectations/goals, reporting, and logo use
  Template available
• Contractor reporting and quality assurance
  procedures
• Checklists, software, reviews and inspections
  Guidance templates available
• Procedures to use financing or other incentives
• Keep it simple

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STEP 3 Partner with ENERGY STAR

• EXAMPLE ACTIONS
• Summarize your program in an implementation plan
• We can help guide you
• Sign partnership agreement
• Use ENERGY STAR resources
• Marketing toolkit
• Consumer brochure
• Contractor sales training
• Contractor business development guide
• Successful contractor profiles

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Infrastructure Development

• Building Performance Institute
• Established standards
• Certifications for contractor staff
• Building Analyst, Shell Specialist, and HVAC
  Specialist
• Accreditation procedures for building performance
  companies
• Commitment to Whole House Approach
• Expanding to deliver nationally
• Growing network of BPI Affiliates
• Working with RESNET on common standards

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• Lessons We Have Learned
• We already made these mistakes, you dont have
  to!

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Lesson 1 Contractor Participation Is Key

• A participation agreement is your contract with
  the contractor
• Be clear about what you will do and what they
  will do
• Example We will reimburse training costs
  after completing 5 jobs
• You need to report 10 jobs per year to remain
  active in program
• Keep it simple, but include things like
  eligibility criteria, conditions, standards,
  goals, reporting, quality assurance and logo use
• Clear and easy process for reporting
• Make program benefits contingent on reaching
  goals
• Benefits may include training, use of logo,
  incentives, recognition, etc.
• Training is too valuable to give away
• Track web and phone leads
• Be careful about listing contractors on web site
  may never see that lead again!

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Lesson 2 Contractors Need to Own It

• Recruitment of right contractors requires time
  resources the wrong contractors are easy to
  find, and will not help your program
• Contractors will face new demands owner needs
  to be company champion and change agent
• Easy for contractors to slip back to old
  business as usual - thanks for the training
• Contractors must actively market new services
  not rely on program to generate all leads
• Successful HP contractors see emerging green
  market - will set needed example for others

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Lesson 3 Financing Helps Sales

• Ease of access is critical
• Simple, quick, and hassle free
• Low rates are not the most important feature
  yet sure are nice to have!
• Seek advice from participating financing
  companies on what works
• Need ways to reach hard-to-qualify homeowners
• Financing and or incentives can play key role in
  getting contractors to submit completed jobs!

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Lesson 4 Sponsorship is Engaging

• Successful programs have very active sponsors
• Take leadership in marketing then stay in
  market
• Protect the ENERGY STAR Logo
• Connect with broader energy efficiency
  stakeholders and become the local champion
• Provide long term commitment this is not a one
  year program!
• Recognizes successful contractors sponsors
  training events
• Applies for ENERGY STAR National Awards
• And yes, funding required

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Lesson 5 EPA/DOE Need to Provide Guidance

• P1 - Proposed changes to HPwES quality assurance
  requirements
• P2 - Proposed minimum HPwES sponsor reporting
  requirements
• P3 - Proposed guidance for customer summary
  report
• P4 - Proposed HPwES certificate of completion
• P5 - Standard template for customer summary
  report
• P6 - Guidance on Post-Installation Tests and
  Inspections
• P7 - Job report review guidance and suggested
  follow-up protocols
• P8 - On-site inspection protocols
• P9 - Contractor feedback and corrective action
  guidance
• P10 - Customer survey guidance and suggested
  follow-up protocol
• P11 - Minimum contractor eligibility and
  participation guidance

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Sample Homeowner Certificate
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National HPwES Activity Sept. 2007
WI Focus on Energy
ME Energy Office
OR - Energy Trust of Oregon
VT Efficiency Vermont
ID Energy Division
NY - NYSERDA
WY Energy Office
MA RI NGRID NStar
Peoria TRICON
NY - LIPA
NJ - NJBPU
CO - E-Star Colorado Ft Collins Utilities
City of Bolder Colorado Springs
City of Anaheim So. California Edison
Existing Programs Launching Programs Considering
Programs
Atlanta Southface
Austin Energy
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Pencil in this Date

• HPwES National Symposium Monday, April 7th,
  2008 in conjunction with ACIs National
  conference in Pittsburg.
• See you there.

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HPwES A New Course Needed!
Contact EPA Chandler von Schrader 202
343-9096 Vonschrader.chandler_at_epa.gov Dale
Hoffmeyer 202 343-9013 Hoffmeyer.dale_at_epa.gov DOE
Patricia Plymptom (Navigant) 202
481-7397 Patricia.plympton_at_navigantconsulting.com