Increasing Household Energy Efficiency - Office of Sustainability

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by Kurt Borth – Sustainability Scholar 2015 with City of ..... Literature on best practices and research into household retrofit programs and Energy Audits ...... 34 ..... Marketing/outreach campaigns should also repeatedly “touch” potential participants (a minimum of three ..... as provided in digital form with the report. (link to Best ...
Increasing Household Energy Efficiency: Influencing behavior change A report prepared for City Environmental Strategies by Kurt Borth – Sustainability Scholar 2015 with City of Edmonton Mentor – Robyn Webb

Contents Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction and Background ....................................................................................................................... 6 Deliverables................................................................................................................................................. 11 Methods ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 Results ......................................................................................................................................................... 12 Outreach and Education ......................................................................................................................... 12 Increasing Energy Literacy .................................................................................................................. 13 Segmentation ...................................................................................................................................... 13 Community Based Outreach ............................................................................................................... 14 ‘Priming’ and Neighbourhood ‘Sweeps’ ............................................................................................. 15 Marketing Strategy ............................................................................................................................. 16 Messaging ........................................................................................................................................... 16 Additional Messaging .......................................................................................................................... 18 Aging Household Equipment .............................................................................................................. 18 Geographic related structural issues .................................................................................................. 18 Capacity Building ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Professional Capacity Building ............................................................................................................ 19 Certified Contractors........................................................................................................................... 19 Energy Auditor Training Partnership .................................................................................................. 20 Household Capacity Building .............................................................................................................. 20 Energy Kits 2.0..................................................................................................................................... 21 DIY Classes........................................................................................................................................... 21 EFCL Workshops/Tours ....................................................................................................................... 22 Incentives ................................................................................................................................................ 22 Nuances............................................................................................................................................... 24 Incentive Timing .................................................................................................................................. 24 Financing Structure ............................................................................................................................. 25 Targeted Incentives............................................................................................................................. 26 Energy Efficiency consultants ............................................................................................................. 26 Case Studies ................................................................................................................................................ 27 2

Best Practices .............................................................................................................................................. 28 Recommendations: ..................................................................................................................................... 28 References .................................................................................................................................................. 30 List of Principal Web Resources .................................................................................................................. 32 City of Edmonton Environmental Incentives to date.............................................................................. 33 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................................ 34 Literature on best practices and research into household retrofit programs and Energy Audits ...... 34 Behaviour Change Incentives for Household Energy Efficiency Upgrades ......................................... 35 Community Based Outreach, Education and Marketing to aid in household energy upgrade programs ............................................................................................................................................. 35 Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Case Studies ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Sample Household Profile ................................................................................................................... 37

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Acknowledgements This report exists due to the people who built the Sustainability Scholars program from the ground up. I’d like to thank Dr. Naomi Krogman for her innovative and inspiring vision as well as the always kind and helpful advice and Heather Wheeliker for the wise guidance, supportive encouragement and resolute commitment to making this program not only work but succeed. I’d also like to thank Robyn Webb for excellent direction, insightful suggestions, seemingly bottomless knowledge and friendship, and the whole City Environmental Strategies section for your accommodation of all types of requests and perpetual helpfulness (and cheerfulness). It was a pleasure working on this project and I really looked forward to coming to the office every day. Kurt Borth

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Executive Summary Edmonton’s housing stock contains a large percentage of homes built before 1980. A large number of these homes are considerably less energy efficient than more recently built homes and therefore are prime candidates for energy efficient upgrades/retrofits. Home energy audits, upgrades and strategies to have households adopt them have been outlined by the City of Edmonton as a tool for aiding in lowering the cities overall GHG emissions. Numerous other benefits including increased home comfort, economic savings and increased home value are just some of the additional reasoning behind the City of Edmonton promoting a household energy efficiency upgrade program. Numerous barriers exist for the adoption of household energy efficiency upgrades and this report will address the methods suggested by successful programs from other jurisdictions for minimizing their effects and maximizing participation. By utilizing the stages of the Market Transformation Approach (as outline in the Community Energy Transition Strategy) this report will outline the recommended approaches in designing a successful household efficiency upgrade program. These stages consist of Outreach and Education (Marketing), Capacity Building (both professional and household), and Incentives (both financial and behavioural). Recommendations regarding suggested marketing messaging and community based outreach to increase participation rates, strategies to increase both household and professional capacity for an energy audit/upgrade industry and information pertaining to financial and behavioural incentives will be provided. As outlined in the City of Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy this report will support the ‘encouragement of energy efficiency retrofits and conservation in existing homes’.

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Introduction and Background The Edmonton City Council approved the Community Energy Transition Strategy in April of 2015 clearing the way for the preliminary stages of many strategies and projects. The strategy will reduce GHG emissions, promote resilient energy systems and increase energy efficiency. The Community Energy Strategy responds to three of the twelve Council-approved goals in the City of Edmonton’s environmental strategic plan, The Way We Green. This report, as part of the University of Alberta and City of Edmonton inaugural Sustainability Scholars program, will contribute to Program Three (of the ten community-scale programs) ‘to encourage energy efficiency retrofits and conservation in existing homes’ by investigating the use and application of incentives (both financial and behavioral) to achieve participation in home energy audits and/or consequent retrofits (Edmonton Transition Strategy 4.4.4A, p.37). Eight Year action plan, Opportunity Area: Energy Use in Buildings, 4.1.4 Existing Homes - Encourage and support tactics that will reduce energy use in existing homes. • Establish a Green Renovation program for existing homes in Edmonton. Apply a comprehensive market transformation approach that includes outreach, capacity building, incentives and regulations. Explore opportunities to involve the provincial government, key stakeholders and other municipalities. Present a detailed business case for a pilot project (that can be expanded to community scale as required) to City Council for approval. Figure 1 City of Edmonton Energy Transition Strategy

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F IGURE 2 YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION E DMONTON HOUSING S TOCK

This report will focus on the promotion and eventual adoption of household energy efficiency programs in Edmonton. These programs would most likely involve encouraging households to renovate or retrofit their homes with increased energy efficiency as the goal. A large proportion of the existing housing stock in Edmonton was constructed before 1980 (figure 2). Infill has replaced some of these homes in recent years and many homes have been built since 2001 in new developments yet Edmonton’s average home age is most likely older than the U.S. national average of 35 years (Harvard U.S. Housing Stock, 2013). In relation to household energy use, this means that many homes in Edmonton are still using circa 1980 (or much older) technology when it comes to insulation, windows, and plumbing. F IGURE 3 TYPICAL HOME AIR LEAK SOURCES

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Figure 4 Home envelope from Edmonton's Green Home Guide

Homes built before 1980 that have not been updated with regards to building envelope (figure 4, Edmonton’s Green Home Guide), energy efficient furnaces or water heaters, or plumbing fixtures may be much less energy efficient than newer homes built with much higher standards in building code and efficiency. This report will address the goal of the Energy Transition Strategy “to 8

encourage energy efficiency retrofits and conservation in existing homes”, in the promotion and adoption of a home energy efficiency upgrade program here in Edmonton. This report is based upon case studies and best practices of home energy efficiency upgrade programs across jurisdictions in North America and Europe. Typically, a home energy assessment or energy audit is performed by a professional before any upgrades are done to measure the homes efficiency rating and provide opportunities for improvement (e.g., inadequate attic insulation, drafty windows etc). The energy auditor provides a report to the homeowner that outlines the possible upgrades or opportunities to increase the homes efficiency. In most energy efficiency upgrade programs the auditor or contractor will utilize this report to ‘sell’ the program to the homeowner and give them the opportunity to perform various forms of efficiency upgrades to their homes. The challenge in any program of this nature is the participation of the household in further upgrades (which have the biggest impact on GHG emissions and energy use). Overcoming this challenge will be addressed in the sections below.

IMAGE 2 AND 3 - HOME BLOWER TEST AND FLIR INFRARED IMAGING DURING ENERGY AUDIT

This report will address the goal of the Energy Transition Strategy “to encourage energy efficiency retrofits and conservation in existing homes”, The Energy Transition Strategy utilizes a comprehensive market transformation approach to the adoption and participation in energy efficiency technologies and behaviors that includes outreach, capacity building, incentives and regulations. These stages represent the process an energy efficient program or technology will take from introduction to full adoption amongst households. Using the market transformation approach the City of Edmonton plans on intervening to create lasting change in market behavior by removing 9

identified barriers or exploiting opportunities to accelerate the adoption of household energy efficiency programs and technologies. This report will utilize the outreach, capacity building and incentives stages of the market transformation approach to organize the recommendations regarding increased household energy efficiency. The primary mechanism for these efficiency upgrades (with regards to this report) will be participation in home energy audits and adoption of home energy efficiency retrofits.

(City of Edmonton, Community Energy Transformation Strategy P.28) Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy takes the position that special efforts are needed by governments to encourage citizens and businesses to invest in energy efficiency, energy conservation and clean energy solutions. To this end, it proposes a systematic, four-stage Market Transformation approach. Stage 1 (Education and Outreach): Market transformation begins with a segment of the population understanding and valuing a particular opportunity (e.g., green buildings, renewable energy technology, energy efficient vehicles, etc.). Until there is a threshold of demand, there is no market. As a starting point for the community programs proposed in this strategy, Administration will ensure market awareness exists through education and outreach efforts. Stage 2 (Capacity Building): A number of the energy transition initiatives proposed in the Eight- Year Action Plan (Part 4) involve new and emerging technologies. One of the greatest barriers to their widespread implementation is the ability of professional and trades people to incorporate them into everyday practice. Continuous learning is vital to the advancement of leading-edge, energy transition practices and technologies. Whatever the community program, Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy will assess the industry capacity that currently exists and help to facilitate improvements that may be required.

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Stage 3 (Incentives): In the early stages of a new market there is often uncertainty on the part of suppliers and consumers. Citizens are cautious about buying new technologies (e.g., solar panels, electric cars, net-zero homes, etc.) opting instead to wait-and-see. Similarly, suppliers of emerging technologies are cautious about entering markets where demand for emerging products is uncertain and/or volatile. In these early-market situations, incentives are often needed to help reduce the risks to early adopters and suppliers. At the same time, Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy cautions that financial incentive programs are not intended to become permanent programs. Rather, their purpose is to increase market penetration to a point where the product/service becomes: (a) the preferred option (requiring no further incentives) or (b) a widely supported option (that may require some form of regulatory support). In proposing any financial incentive/ rebate program, Administration will be clear about what the incentive is intended to accomplish, the amount of incentive funding that will be required and how the incentive program will eventually be phased out and replaced with a Stage 4 mechanism (like regulations and building codes which this report will not be dealing with). Stage 4 (Regulations and/or Normal Market Forces): In Stage 4, financial incentives are no longer required as the market is sufficiently mature. Awareness, capacity, demand and community support exist for the initiatives. In some cases, market forces alone will be sufficient to carry the initiative. In other situations, regulations may be needed. While regulations would have been premature in earlier stages, they are appropriate in Stage 4 based on the foundation that now exists. (This stage will not be applied in this report) The key point to understand about the Market Transformation Approach is that it is an integrated approach. Each stage is logically designed to create conditions that are necessary for success for the next stage. As such, this strategy urges it not be applied in a partial or fragmented way. (from the City of Edmonton, Community Energy Transformation Strategy P.28)

Deliverables This report will include a list of all City of Edmonton ‘environmental incentives/rebates’ and (when available) an attached final report or summary of that program. Literature reviews will be attached on: 1) The role of incentives in affecting behavior (with regards to home energy efficiency) and the factors influencing the uptake, threshold and penetration of those behaviors/incentives, and 2) The role of non-incentive based interventions in influencing household energy efficiency. This report will also provide a summary of successful approaches by other jurisdictions and world-wide best practices in the field of household energy efficiency behavior change (with a focus on household energy audits and retrofits). In the conclusion there 11

will be recommendations for strategies on marketing energy efficiency behavior change to Edmonton households and for the design of the best prospective programs, initiatives and campaigns that would be effective in an Edmonton context.

Methods The majority of this reports findings were gathered from research conducted though literature and content searches through leading government agencies, energy utilities, energy efficiency agencies and non-governmental organizations around the world. The most significant sources include the ACEEE (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy), their European counterpart; the ECEEE, The State and Local energy efficiency action network (SEE), SEE’s Residential Retrofit Working Group, The Alliance to Save Energy, and the six regional energy efficiency organizations in the U.S. . Numerous other sources of information were utilized and can be accessed through the list provided in the literature review (see appendix). Information and guidance were also garnered through communications with energy efficiency experts and professionals from the Alberta Energy Efficiency Alliance (AEEA), the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC) and the Government of Alberta.

Results The stages of the market transformation approach will be utilized to aid in the organization of this section. Market transformation is usually pursued through multipronged initiatives to address market barriers that impede the uptake and use of particular energy-saving behaviors and technologies. The report will focus on the Outreach and Education, Capacity Building and Incentives stages of the Market Transformation approach.

Outreach and Education

‘Market transformation begins with a segment of the population understanding and valuing a particular opportunity (e.g., energy efficiency retrofits). Until there is a threshold of demand, there is no market. As a starting point for the community programs proposed in this strategy,

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Administration will ensure market awareness exists through education and outreach efforts (from the City of Edmonton Energy Transition Strategy).’ Outreach and education should form the foundation or first step of a household energy efficiency program. Market research investigating the existing levels of knowledge of households in the varying neighbourhoods of the city should be conducted first. Without this data, appropriate program goals and design processes will be exceptionally challenging. Increasing energy literacy, segmentation, community based outreach, marketing strategies, messaging and the ‘priming’ of neighbourhoods will be discussed in this section.

Increasing Energy Literacy Research has shown that households have misconceptions regarding conserving energy that often confuse curtailment (e.g., driving less, turning off lights and appliances) rather than improvements in energy efficiency (e.g., installing a high efficiency furnace, insulation or LED lightbulbs). This same research recommends well designed efforts to increase the public’s knowledge regarding energy use efficiency measures and savings potential while having an understanding of knowledge gaps and needs before designing an education program (Attari et al, 2010). Recommendation – The City of Edmonton design an outreach and education campaign specifically directed towards the most effective energy efficiency measures a household can adopt. “Too often in traditional home energy retrofit programs, there is a tendency to maximize incentives at the expense of both marketing and market research. This tendency results in inadequate marketing being squandered on poor target identification” (High 5 Energy Retrofit Program backgrounder).

Segmentation Past energy efficiency programs and rebates/incentives have traditionally been marketed on a city-wide scale with little difference in what type of messaging or education is provided to various types of homes or demographics. Programs that use focus groups and market segmentation research to identify the specific target audience (sometimes down to the neighbourhood level); 13

can then further understand the specific barriers and effective messages to reach this audience. Different messages may be effective for different customer segments. The Michigan Saves program (2013) reported that the homeowners most likely to participate were generally younger, college educated, had slightly higher than median incomes and resided in an older home for less than 10 years. This goes against the majority of program summary findings that older populations usually partake in these programs.

Community Based Outreach Community based approaches to outreach and marketing for energy efficiency programs have been theorized as important components of increasing the uptake and participation in home energy upgrades. These strategies work by mobilizing homeowners who might otherwise lack knowledge/information or motivation to engage in home energy efficiency upgrades. Community Based Social Marketing or Community Based Outreach (CBSM, CBO) utilize community networks to propagate outreach/engagement to facilitate home energy assessments and efficiency retrofits. Research by Gilchrist (2009) shows that robust community networks can enhance the delivery of programs within neighbourhoods by outside agencies or municipal governments. Other research has shown that community networks can effectively facilitate the participation and uptake of efficiency upgrades and behaviour changes through various methods (Berry, 2010; McKenzie-Mohr D, and Smith W, 1999).

“Tapping trusted sources of information—such as local leaders, local organizations, and peers— can get attention and overcome uncertainty by building upon existing relationships and networks.” (Zimring et al, 2011) Edmonton has an existing resource in the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) that could be utilized to aid in the mobilization and dissemination of a home efficiency upgrade program. The EFCL has decades of involvement building trust and robust communication networks within neighbourhoods in Edmonton. Research into the advantages of a Community Based Outreach program shows that trusted messengers within the existing community relationships (like the EFCL) can help the program gain participation and buy-in from a community or neighbourhood (McEwan, 2012; Zimring et al, 2011). Environmental behaviour change studies also show that the messenger’s credibility to the household significantly influences the possibility 14

of participating in a home upgrade program (Stern, 1992). Administrators in Oregon, Connecticut, and Waterloo, Ontario all attribute community led ‘word of mouth’ referrals to the success of their efficiency programs and overall participation rates (McEwan, 2012). If possible, the program should try and recruit trusted leaders in the community to communicate the program’s benefits. F IGURE 5 - M AP OF E DMONTON F EDERATION OF C OMMUNITY L EAGUES , 2015 (FROM EFCL . ORG/ LEAGUE-DIRECTORY /)

‘Priming’ and Neighbourhood ‘Sweeps’ A home energy retrofit program in Michigan (Better Buildings for Michigan Toolkit, 2013) found that preparing neighbourhoods for an upcoming intervention greatly improved the participation and conversion rates (homes that perform the related energy upgrade recommendations after an energy audit) of households in a neighbourhood. A neighbourhood “sweep” is a targeted intervention of energy efficiency services and information over a defined period of time in a defined area. Michigan Saves points out that the community ‘feel’ is also sometimes more important than the actual geographic boundaries of a neighbourhood. The program identified three main factors: existing robust communications networks, trusted local champions, and awareness of energy efficiency benefits (can be achieved through education and outreach campaign) that primarily contribute to a neighbourhood’s participation rates (Better Buildings for Michigan Community Sweep Toolkit, 2013). The program garnered a 14% participation rate with over a third performing further upgrades in household energy efficiency.

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Recommendation - The community league network in Edmonton could be engaged to help provide ‘sweep’ style education and outreach programs to targeted neighbourhoods to aid in the participation rates of a future municipal or provincial household energy upgrade program.

Marketing Strategy Analysis of large scale retrofit programs in the U.S. have found that participation in energy audit programs usually corresponds to homeowners seeking to save money with increased energy efficiency and improve thermal comfort (Eilbert et al, 2013). The City of Edmonton can leverage these findings by tailoring the education and outreach to provide messaging that utilizes research findings. An analysis of the Michigan Saves upgrade program found that the more marketing channels that households were exposed to the higher the participation rates. Flexibility on tactics is important as some strategies like community meetings will just not work in some areas. Marketing/outreach campaigns should also repeatedly “touch” potential participants (a minimum of three times); combining traditional marketing tactics with creative, grassroots approaches and community level communication channels. Any potential program should endeavor to ensure households are receiving consistent and coordinated messages. Like any brand, a programs core messages must be kept on track and not be subject to multiple interpretations or angles.

Messaging Language is important, any future City of Edmonton energy efficiency upgrade program should select the words for their marketing and outreach carefully. The terms “audit” and “retrofit” may be too technical and may not be effective for many homeowners. Terms like ‘check-up’, ‘home assessment’, ‘tune-up’, ‘efficiency upgrade’, ‘home performance upgrade’ or ‘home energy improvements’ may have better traction with homeowners. The style of communication also matters and may require training amongst outreach and education networks (e.g., EFCL), contractors and energy auditors (who are usually the point of sale for further upgrades) and even within social media and peer-to-peer networks within neighbourhoods. Regional program providers of Michigan Saves reported that homeowners received messages regarding ‘increasing comfort’ better than energy efficiency laden terminology like ‘reducing air leakage’.

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Recommendation - Messaging - Energy upgrade programs should consider personalizing information, using vivid examples (like Michigan Saves success stories see figure 6) and when possible using statements of loss (e.g. wasting energy) rather than gain (energy savings). F IGURE 6 M ICHIGAN SAVES MARKETING EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS STORIES

It’s important that the marketing materials and outreach information provide a solution to a problem that Edmonton households can relate to. A recent CIBC pool (2015) found that about 42% of Canadian homeowners plan on doing some type of renovating this year and will spend an average of $17000 each. This home improvement market opens another marketing opportunity to make the connection between efficiency improvements and higher home value which has been shown in research by Kahn and Kok, (2013) to command a 2-4% premium in home price. Maintaining or increasing the value of a home while improving quality of life through comfort and health benefits (high efficiency furnace) can be a powerful message for homeowners and provide another entry point for marketing and outreach. The City of Edmonton can help frame energy improvements as investments in maintaining the value of their citizen’s largest asset. Recommendation – That the City of Edmonton solidify the link between energy efficiency home improvements and home value within the Energy Efficiency upgrade marketing/outreach campaign.

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Additional Messaging Health & Safety – Program evaluations in other jurisdictions have found that specific healthrelated causes can open significant opportunities for energy improvements amongst middle and low-income families. In Alberta, our winters provide many months of conditioned air (hot or cool) which could provide an opportunity to focus on households with asthmatic children where unhealthy home air quality is a trigger for asthma attacks. These households could benefit from a new high efficiency furnace or improved air envelope and airflow.

Aging Household Equipment – Many homes in Edmonton are still operating with insulation and building technologies from before 1980. Educating, empowering and enabling households to invest in more efficient, innovative equipment can be an attractive proposal for a home that may have been neglected.

Geographic related structural issues – Certain issues can relate more to homeowners in our northern climate. In Minnesota, the Center for Energy and the Environment (CEE) used ice damming on roofs to create higher demand for its energy efficiency insulation programs (see figure XX). Edmonton’s northern climate could also provide an entry point for classes or community outreach on DIY entry level weather stripping installation and thermal window film application. F IGURE 7 ICE DAM THEMED MESSAGING AS ENTRY POINT FOR HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY UPGRADE (CEE, 2012)

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Capacity Building – One of the greatest barriers to their widespread implementation is the ability of professional and trades people to incorporate emerging technologies into everyday practice. Continuous learning is vital to the advancement of leading-edge, energy transition practices and technologies. Whatever the community program, Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy will assess the industry capacity that currently exists and help to facilitate improvements that may be required.

Professional Capacity Building The City of Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy states that ‘continuous learning is vital to the advancement of leading-edge, energy transition practices and technologies’ and ‘help facilitate whatever improvements may be required’. Capacity building in the industry of household energy auditors and contractors represents an exceptional opportunity for the COE to develop partnerships with local employment and training organizations like the Oteenow Employment & Training Society for First Nations and Inuit people or Women Building Futures trades training.

Certified Contractors At present the City of Edmonton utilizes partnerships with many retail, professional and academic institutions to promote and advance its initiatives and programs. In other jurisdictions contractors are vetted to ensure they possess the proper credentials to work in this field, including minimum insurance standards, business licenses, and all suitable certifications. This process was streamlined by the Michigan Saves program to include a web portal for contractor application and evaluation by program administrators. The contractors in this program were continuously monitored through a comprehensive quality assurance program which helped maintain the core messages of the program while allowing for adaptability when dealing with emergent issues and concerns from households.

Contractors may require complementary sales and marketing training in addition to their technical skills. Some programs utilize energy auditors and contractors as the primary sales force for home energy improvements. Contractors are also ideally positioned to sell energy efficiency upgrades as an add-on to ongoing renovation projects. The City of Edmonton could leverage relationships with certified contractors to take advantage of the home renovation market. Contractors’ existing relationships and markets could have them place the ‘energy efficiency = increased home value’ message firmly into households during the renovation decision making process. Having the 19

contractor on board with the programs message can be a cost-effective way to increase demand for comprehensive household energy upgrades. Households may view private contractors as extensions or spokespersons of the program (a role for which they can be trained), and the quality of the contractors’ work and the reality of their assertions will significantly impact program success. Quality assurance is imperative and can help both the contractor and the program provide better services.

Energy Auditor Training Partnership There also exists an opportunity for the City of Edmonton to form a partnership with an energy auditor training program within the city. If an expected provincial program serves as a catalyst for the energy auditing industry there should be a greater demand for the service in the province. When the federal government’s ecoEnergy home retrofit program was in effect there were various training programs available for auditors and a healthy industry performing audits and energy efficiency upgrades in Edmonton. That industry has largely faded away and any new federal, provincial or municipal upgrades program would most likely stimulate new training programs to prepare auditors. The City of Edmonton could partner with a non-profit work training program like the Oteenow Employment & Training Society for aboriginal applicants or Women Building Futures and in return for being a City of Edmonton certified auditor, the trainees could perform some or all of their required training audits for the city at a reduced cost to the customer. These low cost audits could be offered in conjunction with a program that prioritized middle income, senior citizens or working poor demographics.

Recommendation – The City of Edmonton could partner with non-profit work skills training programs (like Oteenow and Women Building Futures) to have Energy Auditor/Contractor trainees provide low cost audits for eligible households. Household Capacity Building As mentioned previously, the City of Edmonton enjoys partnerships with various businesses, organizations and institutions. These existing relationships could be leveraged to provide households with opportunities to provide their own (entry level) energy efficiency upgrades through DIY based entry points. 20

Energy Kits 2.0 The City of Edmonton is releasing a home energy kit through a partnership with the Edmonton Public Library (EPL) and the Alberta Real Estate Foundation that will allow citizens to perform some low level energy efficiency assessments of their homes. These kits contain DIY inspired gear like electricity plug monitors to inspire households to take that first step towards increasing their energy literacy and understanding their homes energy efficiency (or lack thereof). A household energy efficiency upgrade program could instigate a larger, more advanced version of this kit that would be available for interested homeowners through the EPL. This kit could contain items found in the current kit, like an infrared heat gun to measure cold spots and energy loss, a whole home energy monitor, instructions on how to conduct a ‘lite’ energy audit other relevant equipment and could serve as marketing and outreach and yet another entry point for a household’s participation in a home energy upgrade program. Zimring et al (2012) also state that ‘basic, prescriptive, or do-ityourself improvement packages may make energy efficiency more appealing to households’ and propose using this DIY concept as another pathway to home energy efficiency.

DIY Classes The City of Edmonton already enjoys a successful relationship with RONA with the Home$aver events. The City of Edmonton could partner with RONA (or other home improvement stores) to provide classes for DIY energy efficiency home upgrades. Hands on instruction in weather stripping, thermal window film and low flow plumbing fixtures could be sponsored by a COE home efficiency program. Many home improvement stores provide classes on laying tile, installing taps and other DIY home improvements; these classes could be easily tailored towards efficiency improvements and could be coupled with a small incentive to inspire further improvements. Classes on DIY home efficiency could also serve as another ‘touch’ or entry point for deeper home upgrades that may come to light once the homeowner has performed some work on their own. Evaluation of various U.S. efficiency upgrade programs showed that over half of participating households completing energy upgrades did ‘some’ of the work themselves. Most of this DIY work was sealing for drafts which included caulking and weather-stripping. Other research has found that small DIY projects like these are often somewhat outside of the homeowners technical comfort zone, but might be too small to justify hiring a contractor (Sanquist et al. 2012). This research shows that providing classes 21

or kits to homeowners might help them perform these small projects or provide them with an opportunity to participate in the upgrade program.

EFCL Workshops/Tours As stated earlier in the Community Based Outreach section of this report, the City of Edmonton has a valuable resource in its’ Community Leagues. This resource can be tapped once again for a scaled down and higher frequency form of the Eco-Solar Home Tour. The Eco-Solar Home Tour is a free, once a year, open house style tour of Edmonton and area homes that display practical and attainable examples of household renewable energy (solar, wind, and geothermal), energy and water efficiency, low emission technologies and natural landscaping. Homeowners, Home builders and home renovators employing these efficiency upgrades welcome the chance to exhibit their achievements and are usually enthusiastic to participate. This tour provides excellent education and outreach for energy efficiency technologies and home energy upgrades/retrofits and many of its participants are interested in adopting some level of energy efficiency in their own homes. The tour happens only once a year with these homes and their eager homeowners, home builders and renovators all within Edmonton neighbourhoods the Community Leagues could help facilitate smaller scale open houses throughout neighbourhoods and provide yet another entry point for energy efficiency education/outreach and possible participation in a household program.

Incentives – In the early stages of a new market there is often uncertainty on the part of suppliers and consumers. Citizens are cautious about buying new technologies (e.g., energy upgrades, solar panels, electric cars, net-zero homes, etc.) opting instead to wait-and-see. Similarly, suppliers of emerging technologies are cautious about entering markets where demand for emerging products is uncertain and/or volatile. In these early-market situations, incentives are often needed to help reduce the risks to early adopters and suppliers. At the same time, Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy cautions that financial incentive programs are not intended to become permanent programs. Rather, their purpose is to increase market penetration to a point where the product/service becomes: (a) the preferred option (requiring no further incentives) or (b) a widely supported option (that may require some form of regulatory support). In proposing any financial incentive/ rebate program, Administration will be clear about what the incentive is intended to accomplish, the amount of incentive funding that will be required and how the incentive program will eventually be phased out and replaced with a

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Stage 4 mechanism (like regulations and building codes which this report will not be dealing with) (City of Edmonton Community Energy Transition Strategy, 2015).

Financial incentives have been employed by the City of Edmonton in past sustainability centered programs in order to encourage the uptake of high efficiency washing machines, high efficiency furnaces, home insulation and most recently; solar panels. Financial incentives have been shown to help motivate the adoption of new technologies and spur efficiency upgrades yet there are many nuances and complexities that program designers should be aware of. Incentives for household efficiency upgrades can be financial or non-financial. Financial incentives might drive early interest in a program, but funding for financial incentives is normally limited and hard to secure long term, so programs need to prioritize the steps or goals of the program and the level of funding for each level. Large financial incentives may initially stimulate demand, but even these incentives can be unsuccessful if the program in question does not offer a (generally) barrier free and positive experience for participants and contractors. Non-financial incentives (like normative marketing campaigns and on-bill household energy reporting) can motivate households to complete a home energy assessment or upgrade by assisting them in overcoming barriers or giving validation for households changing behaviours, which can in turn result in positive endorsements and community driven word-of-mouth recommendations. Regardless of incentive type and program design the COE needs to first understand and assess the context of the local market, the target audience, and any past incentive history by engaging stakeholders before any resources (financial or not) are assigned to an incentive program. The programs goals must also be clarified as research has shown that certain goals require diverse forms of incentives (See figure XX). Research has found that financial incentives are very important for generating household participation, but that a financial case alone cannot predict participation in energy efficiency upgrade programs. This research shows that successful energy upgrade programs require effective 23

and diverse communications avenues; an efficient, convenient process of engagement and recruitment into the program; and to further smooth implementation, involvement of contractors and energy auditors in the design and management of programs (Mast and Ignelzi 1994). F IGURE 8 DIFFERENT GOALS REQUIRE DIFFERENT INCENTIVES (BETTER BUILDINGS, USDOE)

Nuances Reviews of other programs have found that when too large of an incentive is provided for an energy audit (or a free audit), the participation rates for any further upgrades drop considerably. The cause is most likely due to households agreeing to having a service provided for no or little cost without actually being serious about efficiency upgrades. Having a potential participant pay for most of the initial audit fee helps to filter out the ‘window shoppers’ that would most likely not follow through on further upgrades. Making these audit fees refundable (partly or fully) if the household performs more intense upgrades, has been shown to help considerable raise participation rates. Regarding energy audits, program reviews have found audit subsidies to be most effective when they reduce the upfront cost to homeowners to the $200 range (research compiled in the U.S. in 2010).

Incentive Timing Success has been found with combining more education and outreach alongside smaller initial incentives and then coming back later on and providing another opportunity for further deeper upgrades at a later date. Also some high rates of participation were garnered after returning to a 24

neighbourhood that had been ‘swept’ (small audits performed and DIY kits handed out) up to one year before (Better Buildings for Michigan, 2013). Deadlines or a set duration (for varied levels of incentives) for partaking in incentive programs has also been shown to greatly help raise participation rates (limited time offer).

Financing Structure Research shows that well-designed financing mechanisms can provide accessible, convenient repayment options to households and help to reduce the burden of subsidies while still providing an attractive financial case for upgrades to households. Over 90% of participants who declined further upgrades in the Better Buildings for Michigan program after the initial incentivized package provided ‘cost of upgrade’ as their primary reason for declining. Although the majority of participants choose the instant cash rebate option by providing low interest rates for home energy upgrade loans, participation rates were increased significantly (48% upgraded when given 0% financing for 10 yrs figure 9). Securing long term funding for financing can be very difficult for municipalities without having other levels of government or energy utilities involved. In Toronto they have recently initiated the Home Energy Loan Program (HELP), a household efficiency upgrade funding structure using Local Improvement Charges (LIC). The Ontario provincial government made a small change to provincial legislation that paved the way for this innovative mechanism to be utilized in order to take some financial burden off municipalities. The LIC program addresses the traditional household barriers of up-front funding costs and the perceived inability to recoup any large efficiency upgrade costs if selling a property. The program based on the legislation change allows the City to leverage its ability to raise low-cost, long-term financing for property owners by tying the repayments to the property rather than to the property owner. This enables homeowners to make significant energy efficiency upgrades and link the repayment to the home itself rather than to their own personal finances (CHEERIO - Collaboration on Home Energy Efficiency Retrofits in Ontario, 2014).

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F IGURE 9 - EXPERIMENTS WITH VARYING FINANCE RATES (BETTER BUILDINGS FOR MICHIGAN FINAL REPORT , 2013)

Targeted Incentives A criticism of some incentive based home upgrade programs are that a large majority of funds are absorbed by a demographic that can already afford them. The COE could take measures to provide a designated percentage of the incentives/rebates to marginalized segments of the population that would not qualify for the COE’s housing opportunities program (HOPE) but aren’t in a position to make energy efficiency renovations themselves (senior citizens on a fixed budget, low-middle income, working poor, bought in to older housing stock before average home prices increased). Priority could also be given to the age of house, assessment age or neighbourhood average. Incentive levels could be adjusted based on income levels, home state or similar criteria. This would address the concern that financial incentives are merely handouts to households already planning on renovating.

Energy Efficiency consultants For decades North America and Europe have been utilizing household efficiency programs to conserve energy. The City of Edmonton can design the goals and desired outcomes of a household energy efficiency upgrade program and contract a company that has much more experience in implementing retrofit incentive/rebate programs. Companies like CLEARresult, Dunsky energy consulting and Virta Energy Consultants have designed and implemented many efficiency focused incentive and rebate programs in climates similar to Edmonton and have worked in the Canadian municipal context as well. The COE can send out a request for proposals (RFP) with specific goals 26

and objectives to be achieved. A sample RFP for an energy efficiency program in the U.S. has been included in the appendix.

Recommendations regarding Incentives •

Limit free services, higher participation rates result from higher household commitment levels in paying for their energy audits. Filters out the ‘window shoppers’.

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Use refunds (or partial refunds) as incentives on audit fees when household sign up for further upgrades.

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Make the process and information on incentives accessible, clear, and as simple as possible.

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Understand the size of the incentive needed in order to motivate varying demographics and home types (requires data on home type and demographics).

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If funding is not long term (years) then an exit strategy is important, incentives can be used to stimulate uptake but being clear about the end of the promotion is important to drive strong participation.

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Timeliness of offers can be helpful in addressing limited funds and short timelines. Limited time, phased level offers can aid in the promotion and uptake in certain neighbourhoods and amongst certain demographics.

Regardless of the size and final form of any incentives used to stimulate households to adopt energy efficiency upgrades the program should have its goals firmly clarified beforehand. As the Home Performance Resource Center’s white paper on the best practices for energy retrofit program design (2010) cautions, ‘it is important to emphasize that there exists no one-size-fits-all solution that can address local variations in climate, housing stock, affluence, market maturity and cultural considerations.’

Case Studies Energy Efficiency programs have been running in Europe and the rest of North America for decades. In the U.S. many states have regulated that their energy utilities must promote efficiency to their customers. The U.S. Better Buildings program was launched by President Obama in 2011 and comprises a broad, multi-strategy initiative whose goal is to improve the energy use of the entire 27

nation’s commercial, industrial, public and residential buildings by 20% over a decade. These various programs as well as others are outlined and provided with detailed descriptions of case studies in the appendix. (link to Case Studies)

Best Practices White papers and reviews dealing with best practices have been performed on numerous household energy upgrade programs in the U.S. and Canada and are listed in the appendix as well as provided in digital form with the report. (link to Best Practices and Primary Resources)

Recommendations: •

Government of Alberta coordination and complimentary program design. The Government of Alberta has indicted that it could be releasing a program to address household energy efficiency upgrades sometime in early 2016. Whatever this program may look like, the City of Edmonton must use its existing strengths to provide essential context and data that will support whatever form the new provincial governments program takes. Any program designed by the COE needs to be adaptable and supportive of a provincial program. Setting up a working group with the provincial government, City of Calgary and other major stakeholders would be advised.

•

In anticipation of a new government program the City of Edmonton could hit the ground running and help identify, target, and ‘prime’ households and neighbourhoods for upcoming provincial incentives. Identifying household types and age of construction and organizing census data to find out who lives in these homes is an essential step in designing any program attempting to change household’s behaviors. Any work in this area would also benefit a city designed program should a potential provincial program not address the goals outlined in the Energy Transition strategy.

•

The identification of household types and targeting of certain households demographics for an education/outreach and marketing strategy will require a thorough categorization and (re)organization of the various forms of housing and energy data that currently exist within the COE. Housing stock age, housing type, assessment age, energy use, and numerous related types of data reside in just as many departments. Tracking down and utilizing these data effectively will aid in the design and support of a household energy efficiency upgrade program.

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•

Creation of household profiles that Edmontonians can relate to and what to be aware of with regards to energy efficiency in each home type profile. These household profiles will personalize pertinent energy information/data, making it more relatable and accessible (web based as well) to the homeowner regarding their specific type of home. These profiles can aid in outreach and education, DIY efficiency project suggestions as well as ‘priming’ households with information and providing another entry point for participation in an upgrade program (see appendix for household profile sample).

F IGURE 10 - SAMPLE HOUSEHOLD PROFILE (CLICK TO SEE FULL VERSION)

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The City of Edmonton could utilize this organized data and household profiles in a web based portal for household energy efficiency upgrades and information. This portal (as well as traditional marketing methods) could provide a ‘one stop shop’ for education, outreach and marketing, sign up and participation in a household energy efficiency upgrade program, and capacity building for DIY home efficiency upgrade opportunities.

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The City of Edmonton could prioritize segments of the population for incentives programs that are usually underrepresented.

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The adoption of a home energy labelling program could require all older model homes in Edmonton to have a home energy audit performed before selling or buying a home. These labeling programs could become the new baseline in Edmonton and provide the impetus for a parallel energy upgrade program. This would spur the energy audit and improvement economy and would greatly increase the need for professional capacity building within the home energy audit and retrofit industry in and around Edmonton. 29

References Attari SZ, DeKay ML, Davidson CI, Bruine de Bruin W (2010) Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. USA 107:16054–16059 Berry, D (2010). “Delivering Energy Savings through Community-Based Organizations.” The Electricity Journal 23 (9): 65–74. Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy, (2015). The City of Edmonton. Draft Version 1.1. Clevey M, Williams J, and Templeton M,. (2013) Better Buildings for Michigan – Final Report. Home Performance Resource Center (2010) Best Practices for Residential Energy Retrofit Program Design. Dietz T, Gardner GT, Gilligan J, Stern PC, Vandenbergh MP (2009) Household actions can provide a behavioral wedge to rapidly reduce US carbon emissions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. USA 106:18452–18456 Eilbert A, Cui L, Jiang H, and Wang W, (2013) From Home Energy Audit to Retrofit and Beyond: An Integrated Approach to Residential Program Evaluation for Utilities. Report for DTE Energy, Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan. Frederick S, Meyer A, and Mochon D, (2011) Characterizing perceptions of energy consumption. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. USA 108:(8) E23 Fuller, M. (2008). Enabling Investments in Energy Efficiency: A study of programs that eliminate first cost barriers for the residential sector. Efficiency Vermont. Gardner, G, and Stern P, (2009) The Short List: The Most Effective Actions U.S. Households Can Take to Curb Climate Change. Environment Magazine. Ingle A, Moezzi M, Lutzenhiser L, and Diamond, R. (2012). How well do home energy audits serve the homeowner? ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. Mast B, and Ignelzi P., (1994). The Roles of Incentives and Information in DSM Programs. ACEEE Summer Session. Washington DC: Amercian Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. McEwen, B. B. C. F. (2012). Community based outreach strategies in residential energy upgrade programs (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). McKenzie-Mohr D, and Smith W,. (1999). Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Communitybased Social Marketing. New Society Publishers. Sanquist T, Diamond R, Sanstad A, and Lutzenhiser L. (2012). Selected Review of Literature Pertinent to the Question: What can be done to Increase the Adoption of Home Energy Retrofits? Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Report, PNNL-21353 Stern, P. (1992). What Psychology Knows About Energy Conservation. American Psychologist 47 (10): 1224–1232 30

Templeton M, Talberg S, Tucker, S, and Corvidae J, (2013). Better Buildings for Michigan Community Sweep Toolkit. Zimring, M, Borgeson, M G, Hoffman, I, Goldman, C, Stuart, E, Todd, A and Billingsley, M (2012). Delivering Energy Efficiency to Middle Income Single Family Households. Environmental Energy Technologies Division - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Photo Image Credits – Image 1 Cover Page - FLIR home – http://www.termosistem.com.mk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ Image 2 - http://energy-savingsolutions.com/home_energy_audit.html Image 3 - http://powerlines.seattle.gov/2011/03/01/february-really-was-cold-keep-warm-without-bigbills/

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List of Principal Web Resources

These web sites and portals provide access to a vast receptacle or knowledge from case studies, best practices, lessons learned, and research on designing programs. Most questions relating to program design can be answered within these pages. Better Buildings Residential Program Solution Center – https://bbnp.pnnl.gov/ Better Buildings Residential Program Solution Center – Assess the Market - Market Position and Business Model https://bbnp.pnnl.gov/handbooks/market-position-business-model-%E2%80%93-assess-market Driving Demand for Home Energy Improvements – Lawrence Berkeley Technologies Division http://drivingdemand.lbl.gov/ Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency® - DSIRE Resources http://www.dsireusa.org/resources/ Home Performance Resource Center – Best Practices for Residential Energy Retrofit Program Design http://www.hprcenter.org/best-practices State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network – Residential Energy Efficiency https://www4.eere.energy.gov/seeaction/topic-category/residential-energy-efficiency US DOE - Designing Effective Incentives to Drive Residential Retrofit Program Participation (webinar) http://energy.gov/eere/wipo/downloads/designing-effective-incentives-drive-residential-retrofitprogram-participation

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City of Edmonton Environmental Incentives to date

(pertaining documents and

final reports attached in digital appendix) The COE (CO2RE) $500 High Efficiency Furnace Rebate was run in conjunction with the Federal, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) rebate program and database. The COE (CO2RE) $2,000 Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) Low Income High Efficiency Furnace Rebate Climate Change Central (C3) was contracted to manage and distribute $75 rebates for the purchase of High Efficiency (HE) washing machines. New Home “Green” Builder Rebate program The COE’s insulation rebate, each household could receive up to $250 for insulation upgrades if they participated in having an energy audit done on their home. The COE’s Oxford Green Building Grant Program (details) The COE Solar panel pilot rebate program (details).

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Literature Review Literature on best practices and research into household retrofit programs and Energy Audits Eilbert, A., Cui, L., Jiang, H., & Wang, W. (2013). From Home Energy Audit to Retrofit and Beyond. An Integrated Approach to Residential Program Evaluation for Utilities. Project Report for DTE Energy and the University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems. Gram-Hanssen, K. (2014). Retrofitting owner-occupied housing: remember the people. Building Research & Information, 42(4), 393-397. Haines, V., & Mitchell, V. (2014). A persona-based approach to domestic energy retrofit. Building Research & Information, 42(4), 462-476. Henderson , S. (2013). Chapter 5 - Residential Deep Energy Retrofits in Cold Climates. In Sustainability, energy and architecture: Case studies in realizing green buildings. Sayigh, A. editor (2013). Academic Press. Ingle, A., Moezzi, M., Lutzenhiser, L., & Diamond, R. (2012, May). How well do home energy audits serve the homeowner? Proceedings of the ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. pp. 2-217. Jackson, R. K., Boudreaux, P., Kim, E., & Roberts, S. (2012). Advancing Residential Energy Retrofits. Proceedings of the ACEEE 2012 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, 1, 127-140. Keesee, M. (2012). Deep Energy Retrofits: Six Real World Examples and Lessons Learned. Proceedings of the 2012 ACEEE Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings-Fueling Our Future with Efficiency (Vol. 1, pp. 141–152). Pacific Grove, CA: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Palmer, K., Walls, M., Gordon, H., & Gerarden, T. (2013). Assessing the energy-efficiency information gap: results from a survey of home energy auditors. Energy Efficiency, 6(2), 271-292. Polly, B., Gestwick, M, Bianchi, M., Anderson, R., Horowitz, S., Christensen, C., and Judkoff, R. (2011). A Method for Determining Optimal Residential Energy Efficiency Retrofit Packages. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Mallaband, B., Haines, V., & Mitchell, V. (2013). Barriers to domestic retrofit: learning from past home improvement experiences. Residential Retrofit Working Group. (2011). Residential Retrofit Working Group Blueprint. Presentation. The State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network. Residential Retrofit Working Group. (2011). Roadmap for the Home Energy Upgrade Market. The State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network. Vlasova, L., & Gram-Hanssen, K. (2014). Incorporating inhabitants’ everyday practices into domestic retrofits. Building Research & Information, 42(4), 512-524. 34

Wierzba, A. L., Morgenstern, M. A., Meyer, S. A., Ruggles, T. H., & Himmelreich, J. (2011). A study to optimize the potential impact of residential building energy audits. Energy efficiency, 4(4), 587-597.

Behaviour Change Incentives for Household Energy Efficiency Upgrades Attari SZ, DeKay ML, Davidson CI, Bruine de Bruin W (2010) Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. USA 107:16054–16059 Dietz, T., Gardner, G. T., Gilligan, J., Stern, P. C., & Vandenbergh, M. P. (2009). Household actions can provide a behavioral wedge to rapidly reduce US carbon emissions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(44), 18452-18456. Case, S., and Guilbault, K. (2012). Using Social Psychology to Drive Deep Energy Retrofits. 2012 ACEEE Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings. Pacific Grove, CA: American Council for an EnergyEfficient Economy. Residential Retrofit Working Group. (2011). Residential Retrofit Working Group Blueprint. Presentation. The State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network. Residential Retrofit Working Group. (2011). Roadmap for the Home Energy Upgrade Market. The State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network. Stern, S., and Bates, D. (2014) Achieving Residential Energy Savings: Combining Behavior Change and Home Upgrades. 2014 ACEEE Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings. Pacific Grove, CA: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Vigen, M., & Mazur-Stommen, S. (2012). Reaching the “High-Hanging Fruit” through Behavior Change: How Community-Based Social Marketing Puts Energy Savings within Reach. American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy

Community Based Outreach, Education and Marketing to aid in household energy upgrade programs Gupta, R., Barnfield, L., & Hipwood, T. (2014). Impacts of community-led energy retrofitting of owneroccupied dwellings. Building Research & Information, 42(4), 446-461. McEwen, B. B. C. F. (2012). Community based outreach strategies in residential energy upgrade programs. Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. McKenzie-Mohr, Doug, and William Arthur Smith. (1999). Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-based Social Marketing. New Society Publishers. McMichael, M., & Shipworth, D. (2013). The value of social networks in the diffusion of energy-efficiency innovations in UK households. Energy Policy, 53, 159-168. Scot, K., Kociolek, E., and Castor, S. (2014) Customer Engagement Experiment: Which Follow-Up Strategies Turn Home Energy Audits Into Energy Savings? In 2014 ACEEE Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings. Pacific Grove, CA: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. 35

Appendix Case Studies – These links through the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings retrofit program provide detailed statistics and review of these various household energy efficiency upgrade programs. All case studies (and supplemental material including marketing examples included in digital appendix).

Austin Clean Energy Accelerator – http://energy.gov/eere/better-buildings-neighborhoodprogram/best-offer-ever-accelerated-texas-upgrades Better Buildings for Michigan (Michigan Saves) – http://energy.gov/eere/better-buildingsneighborhood-program/michigan-sweeps-neighborhoods-energy-upgrades Energy Impact Illinois - Chicago House Parties - http://energy.gov/eere/better-buildingsneighborhood-program/chicago-house-parties-show-ways-upgrade New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) http://energy.gov/eere/better-buildings-neighborhood-program/new-york-bolsters-cleanenergy-upgrades Clean Energy Works Oregon - http://energy.gov/eere/better-buildings-neighborhoodprogram/portland-shows-how-clean-energy-works City of Boulder Energy Smart - http://energy.gov/eere/better-buildings-neighborhoodprogram/boulder-county-customers-get-energysmart-and-save Community Power Works - Seattle - http://energy.gov/eere/better-buildings-neighborhoodprogram/seattle-helps-communities-power-buildings-efficiently

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Sample Household Profile (information is speculative)

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Sample RFP -Electric Energy Optimization Program for Lansing Board of Light and Water (Full RFP in digital appendix)

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