Raising awareness and boosting adoption of weatherization solutions across the Pacific Northwest

Bonneville Power Administration

Portland, OR

Our award-winning home efficiency program boosted awareness of heat pumps and weatherization options in marginalized communities, leading to a measurable uptick in installs and rebates issued to low-income households.

Impact

Users connected with qualified installers via the program website

The amount by which we grew the program’s contractor network

Contractors trained on best practices via online and in-person workshops.

A smiling person adjusts the window blinds so daylight can pour into a home.

Weatherizing the Northwest with Comfort Ready Home

Weatherization isn’t flashy, but it’s an incredibly effective way to save energy. When our long-time partner Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) launched the weatherization program Comfort Ready Home, they tapped Evergreen Energy Partners to design and implement the program. Working directly with both residential customers and trade allies across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, Evergreen delivered outstanding results.

When BPA chose us as their partner for Comfort Ready Home in early 2020, the outlines of the program were already well defined. We needed to work directly with residential customers to motivate them toward increasing their homes’ energy efficiency, while engaging trade allies across the entirety of BPA’s territory to increase engagement with their incentive programs. The details, however, were up to us. After kicking off the project, we got to work searching for ways to improve tactics, optimize the approach, and deliver great results.

To deliver the ideal combination of depth and accessibility, we knew we’d need an easy-to-use website that could serve as a one stop shop for all program details. To inform what went on the site and how it was designed, we spoke with both new trade allies and BPA’s existing network to see what needed from the program. The result is a site that serves the distinct needs of both homeowners and the trades.

“Comfort Ready Home makes it easy for homeowners, contractors and utilities to connect and take advantage of the benefits of weatherization.”

Rob Burr

Residential Sector Lead, Bonneville Power Administration

The site is full of tools that empower contractors and trade allies to be effective advocates for Comfort Ready Home. In addition to writing and designing a robust array of on-site resources, we built a white-labeled version of our EvergreenIQ platform to provide an expansive array of online learning opportunities under the Comfort Ready Home brand. Making continuing education credits and trainings on new technologies available online ensures a steady supply of contractors with the specialized skills necessary to make the most out of residential efficiency improvements.

For homeowners, it’s a great source of up-to-date information on weatherization best practices, complete with interactive graphics and thorough guides describing how to approach each project. These resources make it easy to see the advantages of a more efficient home and plan an approach that works for each unique dwelling.

Of course, it’s not enough to make a website – you need people to see it. We created a suite of marketing and educational materials to promote the Comfort Ready Home program and deployed them throughout BPA’s service area. In addition to outreach, we’ve also been handling inbound inquiries from all audiences; we guide homeowners, contractors, and utilities to the information they need to get the best results.

While the project is ongoing, the results have been exceptional. The site we created for the program was recognized with an award, trade ally participation & engagement continues to exceed expectations, and utility participation is still increasing. And with another year on our contract to run the program, plus a strong chance of renewal, Comfort Ready Home is still delivering. We’re excited to keep bringing better comfort and lower bills to our communities, to keep training allies and contractors, to save more energy, and to help save our planet.

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