Climate Showcase Communities
Local Climate and Energy Program
Effective Practices for Implementing Local
Climate and Energy Programs:
Working with Contractors
Lessons Learned by Communities for Communities
The views expressed in this document are those of the Climate Showcase Communities grant recipients. U.S. EPA does not endorse any
products or commercial services mentioned.
WHAT IS IT?
Contractors often do the "real work" of reducing greenhouse gases and saving energy. They
are on the front lines of program communication, and they are critical to the reputation,
integrity, and quality of many programs.
WHY DO IT?
• Generating work for contractors can create local jobs and economic development.
• Contractors often have the specialized skills, certifications, and contacts to do the work
more effectively and efficiently than program staff.
• Contractors can enhance the reach of your program.
WHAT WORKS?
• Emphasize your program's role in creating opportunities, not competition, for
contractors.
• Provide customers with a list of all qualified contractors.
• Hold contractor "open houses" where participants can get multiple bids at one time for
energy efficiency or other work.
• When possible, leverage your program's scope to get discounts for large volumes of
work from contractors.
• Have a comprehensive quality assurance program in place to ensure quality work.
• Invite customer feedback on contractor quality.
• Provide training and certification opportunities to local contractors, which helps them
get work and invests in the community.
• Establish an equipment "lending library" for contractors.
• Establish a standard format for routine jobs or customer engagement by contractors.
WHAT SHOULD YOU WATCH OUT FOR?
• Ensure that contractors have the right skills and a proven record of honest, reliable
service. They will be representing your program in the community.
• Verify that a company's training requirements meet your program's needs.
WHAT RESOURCES HAVE PROJECTS FOUND TO BE USEFUL?
• Green for All—Resources on green job creation: greenforall.org
• Efficiency First—Association of energy efficiency contractors: www.efficiencyfirst.org
• Building Performance Institute—Energy efficiency training and certification body that
provides a database of certified professionals: www.bpi.org
"They are talking to
customers who will use the
program (a win for you)
and your program will
increase business for them
(a win for them)."
Cori, Smarter Sustainable
Dubuque, Iowa
"Provide direct training
and quality assurance for a
minimum of 10
implementations, and
provided those go well, 10
percent quality assurance
thereafter."
Keith, Home Energy
Affordability Loan Program,
Little Rock, Arkansas
£EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
April 2015
EPA-430-F-15-009
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