Introducing HomeWise AI – Simplifying Home Energy Retrofits
Despite setbacks in federal climate and clean energy policy, investments in energy efficiency are expected to increase over the next several years, particularly as homeowners confront rising energy costs. Many states are continuing to set and meet clean energy targets, as well as administer incentives to electrify buildings.
Residential energy efficiency is a key component of the clean energy transition. Home energy efficiency improvements contribute to lower household energy bills, reduced carbon emissions, and better indoor air quality for the home’s occupants. Energy efficiency also increases the resiliency of the energy grid during times of high demand (e.g., heat waves) as well as passive survivability, which is the capacity of a building to retain livable conditions for longer during extreme temperatures, power outages, and wildfires.
In some cases, upgrading a home with lower-cost energy improvements, such as air sealing, insulation, or energy-efficient lighting and appliances, may be an affordable first step for homeowners before solar installation or HVAC upgrades.
Homeowners may qualify for incentives and tax rebates from their utility provider or state energy efficiency program administrator to upgrade their homes. But these programs can be administratively burdensome for contractors performing the work, with complex program requirements and lengthy approval times that increase the risk of homeowner dropout. Home energy retrofit can also be expensive for many homeowners, making customer acquisition and retention challenging for small- and medium-sized businesses that rely on volume to remain competitive.
HomeWise AI is here to help.
HomeWise AI addresses the operational challenges that prevent home energy contractors from growing their businesses. The platform offers contractors an integrated software solution to manage projects and boost customer engagement with automated project tracking, utility bill collection, and file storage, as well as real-time reminders and digital, one-click signatures – saving businesses up to 20% in administrative costs. HomeWise also includes a gamified referral program that turns existing customers into the company’s top salespeople by offering rewards to enhance engagement and motivation.
HomeWise AI creates a peer-based marketing strategy that increased the adoption of energy-efficiency home upgrades. Peer-based marketing capitalizes on word-of-mouth and customer referrals to drive adoption of expensive technologies or complex behaviors (such as installing solar or EV adoption) in the early days of any social or community transition. As communication professor Damon Centola writes, “…if we see one close peer adopt something new, we might be interested. If we see two close peers adopt, we are more likely to adopt as well.”
Unlike “nudging” and providing information to make people aware of the benefits of energy efficiency, which are more effective for influencing simple behaviors, interactions with family, friends, or close neighbors who have installed energy upgrades are more likely to influence their peers. Peer-based marketing is particularly effective for many energy-efficient technologies that are “invisible” to many people, such as air sealing and insulation.
HomeWise AI is built for the home energy upgrade industry.
HomeWise AI is a comprehensive software platform that focuses on contractor business growth. Today, many contractors in the home energy upgrade industry rely on multiple software systems to manage different aspects of their business, hindering their ability to scale. Our platform solves a major industry challenge: how to streamline home energy retrofit project management by providing an all-in-one solution for everything from lead management to project completion.
Integration between systems can be a critical pain point, often resulting in manual data entry to complete tasks. This can increase the likelihood of mistakes or duplicate data entry, all of which leads to more resources being spent on administration. Smaller contractors may also lack the resources to build customized solutions, but they need workflow improvements to manage customer and project data more effectively.
The HomeWise Referral Management Tool and MyHome Portal are designed to help contractors and their program partners sell home energy retrofit projects more effectively. These tools can be integrated with an existing customer relationship management (CRM) system or spreadsheets, or used independently as a homeowner portal and customer/community advocate referral system.
Our home energy contractor referral program software leverages word-of-mouth and innovative peer marketing for energy efficiency contractors to drive results. It leverages insights from behavioral science to convert existing customers into high-quality leads, utilizing a unique URL referral code and an automated gift card payout system for successful referrals. Contractors can also create email or text campaigns in partnership with programs, community organizations, or local government agencies to expand community engagement in home energy assessment and retrofits.
The MyHome Portal is a homeowner-facing mobile web application that enables customers to track projects, upload and store documents, and digitally sign paperwork. The mobile app also features a push notification system for milestone completion, AI-powered FAQ features, and homeowner education modules that help customers make informed decisions about their home and keep them engaged during the project.
Later this year, HomeWise is launching HomeWise Pro, an all-in-one CRM for home energy upgrade contractors that includes AI-driven scheduling, appointment creation, and follow-up, and an AI Personal Home Assistant for homeowners. Connect with our team today to ensure you’re the first to be notified when we launch.
The future is HomeWise AI.
According to a recent Zillow housing trends report, 60% of buyers consider energy efficiency to be “very or extremely” important when purchasing a home. Demand for energy efficiency is likely to increase over the next several years as energy costs continue to rise and awareness of the benefits of energy efficiency for health, comfort, and resilience increases.
The energy efficiency industry needs qualified contractors to install weatherization and HVAC upgrades. HomeWise helps contractors increase profitability by attracting more high-quality leads, converting leads into projects, and keeping customers engaged from energy assessment to project close. This includes providing the tools and insights necessary to complement training for BPI-certified contractors, enabling them to increase sales and achieve sustainable growth.
Book a free growth consultation with a HomeWise expert, and learn how the software can help you scale your contracting business.
Julie Caracino (she/her) is the policy director for HomeWise AI. She assists with program development, stakeholder engagement, marketing, and communication.
