FEI-FEVI 2010 EEC Report filed March 31, 2011 - FortisBC

FORTISBC ENERGY INC. AND FORTISBC ENERGY (VANCOUVER ISLAND) INC.
2010 ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION ANNUAL REPORT
gas contractor companies registered with the BCSA. It is anticipated that registration activity will
continue through 2011 and beyond. Registration drives are planned in the latter part of the
second quarter to promote the Contractor program and will continue throughout the year.
11.3.2.3 Focus on Outreach and Communication
Relaying the benefits of the Contractor program to both the contractor community and
customers seeking products and services from contractor companies is key to the success of
the expanded program; therefore, this will be the focus for the latter part of Q2 and will continue
through to the end of the year. The continued development and enhancement of the
Companies’ website will offer one of the major benefits to contractor companies, namely, to
have their business listed on the website. For customers, the benefit is the ability to use the
website to seek out a local contractor that offers the products and services they require. The
contractor portal will include information related to the Companies’ EEC initiatives and activities,
training opportunities, emerging technical information related to codes and standards, links to
the Contractor program application, co-op advertising reimbursement forms, and related terms
and conditions, and links to the contractor newsletters. The customer portal will include a listing
of the Companies’ member contractor companies. Customers seeking a contractor company will
be able to search by various fields, including geographic area and services required. Contractor
listings will include affiliations, training, and Better Business Bureau accreditation, with a
description of each and link back to the organization should the customer wish to learn more
about these affiliations. Value-added tips like ‘how to find a qualified contractor’ and knowing
what questions to ask when hiring a contractor will also be featured.
Additional activities to promote the Contractor program include developing promotional
materials to support participation in events and tradeshows, placing ads in trade publications,
magazines, and e-newsletters, participating in stakeholder events like lunch and learn sessions,
and exploring speaking opportunities through associations.
The Companies recognize that direct contact with gas contractor companies, manufacturers,
suppliers, and other service groups connected to the gas industry (i.e. home auditors and
inspectors) is essential. These stakeholder groups must be educated about the benefits of high
efficiency equipment and their concerns about availability and complexity need to be alleviated.
11.3.2.4 Training Development and Promotion
Understanding the training needs of the contractor community will be achieved through research
findings that will be available in the first quarter of the year. Based on these findings, the focus
for the third and fourth quarters of the year will be on development training opportunities,
identifying educational partners, and determining delivery options. At this time, anecdotal
evidence suggests the following are training areas to explore:
• How to perform heat-loss calculations to determine optimal sizing of boilers (in particular
for commercial applications);
• Taking a whole-home or HAAS approach to identifying energy efficiency opportunities;
SECTION 11: ENABLING ACTIVITIES Page 246