Geothermal heat pumps, geothermal, ground-source heat pumps, ground-coupled heat pumps, GHP, GSHP, GeoExchange, Closed Loop, Open Loop, Direct Exchange, Standing Column Well
How to Build a Renewable Energy Division in an Existing Building Company – PART 1
A lot of residential and light commercial renewable energy work is starting to be picked up by general contractors, like Jamie Leef of S+H Construction in Cambridge. Why? General contractors are in a unique position to pick up this work because they’re used to managing projects, sales, and it supplements their existing business.
Beginning in September, I am going to be working with one of my best friends in Maine to create their renewable energy division. My friend Gilbert took over his father’s residential construction company. It’s a small local company in coastal Maine that has a repuation for building high quality, energy efficient homes.
I’m going to keep a journal of the journey on Heatspring Magazine because many of the issues we’ll be dealing with are common for everyone in the industry. What am I going to be discussing? Everything that a small business must do to make money; establishing our marketing and sales strategies, performing site visits and creating sales proposals, applying for incentives, the design process and lastly, the installation process. My goal is to be 100% open and share everything we learn. I have absolutely no fear that me sharing this material will mean less business for us. In fact, I feel it will sharpen our business strategy, writing has a tendency to do this, and it will help other contractors like yourself. Read below to get this specifics. If you like this idea, have any questions, or are working on a similar project, feel free to leave a comment or ask me on HeatSprings facebook page.
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What’s Special About IGSHPA Geothermal Installer Certification? Do you Really Need it?
It’s a good and valid question.
If you’re curious what certification is, you can see here: What is the IGSHPA Certification? But more importantly, what is the value of IGSHPA certification in the marketplace – who is it valuable for and why would one bother to take the training?
While the certification doesn’t necessarily allow you to pull permits (see the review the geothermal license, certifications, and permitting) it does provide you with the knowledge and confidence to sell a job and then perform the design and installation. In addition, many states are requiring IGSHPA certification to to apply for incentives. Connecticut requires it, and Minnesota will provide higher rebates for IGSHPA Certified installers. Read below for the full description of the IGSHPA certification, and if you have any questions about it, feel free to ask us on our HeatSpring’s facebook page.
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The Economic & Environmental Case for Standing Column Wells
HeatSpring instructor, Dr. Al Koenig, discusses the promise of standing column well geothermal systems in this three minute video. This short video was taken from Dr. Koenig’s ‘Standing Column Wells for Geothermal Professionals’ course.
As the video starts, Al is talking about the market potential for standing column wells. An audience question raises concern about ‘bleeding’, […]
Geothermal Designer Tax Credit: Don’t Leave Money on the Table
“Your database of completed geothermal projects is a goldmine.”
That was the message at tonight’s New England Geothermal Professional Association member’s meeting. Charles Goulding, from Energy Tax Savers, gave a compelling presentation about some underutilized government programs that directly benefit geothermal designers. It would be impossible to do his presentation justice, but here are some of my notes (in layman’s terms) that should be interesting to anyone who has completed (or will complete) a geothermal project between 2005 and 2013: […]
Five Key Items for Writing a Solid Renewable Energy Sales Proposal
If you’re currently a contractor and interested in entering or expanding your business into the renewable energy industry, there are four main hurdles you will face.
Understanding the technology. See this free course to learn more about the technology basics.
Filling out a vast amount of government paperwork, and maneuvering around solar and geothermal permitting and incentives.
Marketing: Getting the attention of potential customers to sign your first project. Here are some tips on bringing customers to you.
Sales: Needing to convince property owner to purchase geothermal or solar AND buy them from you.
Today, lets focus on number four. Like it or not, investing in renewable energy is NOT something that property owners MUST do, and they have other options to choose from. With that in mind, having good sales skills is key to convincing a potential customer that investing in renewable energy will be both profitable and attractive for their home or business. So, you must convince them to invest into solar pv, geothermal, solar thermal or energy efficiency and then convince them to pick YOU as the contractor.
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