Contractor perspectives on electrification programs: barriers and opportunities for design

• In Event: Factors Affecting Energy Transitions: Politics, Information, and Policies

Abstract

Introduction/Background: Residential electrification is an emerging response to climate challenges. While state and local climate efforts commonly incentivize retrofits and modifications to homes to reduce local dependence on gas resources, these actions rely on a diverse pool of implementers from program officers to residents and contractors. Contractor perspectives on government electrification programs remain relatively unevaluated despite the fact that contractors are commonly responsible for submitting, approving and educating on incentives.

Purpose/Research Question: Our project evaluates how government-contractor interactions, referring to interactions of contractors with both government actors and programs, shape home retrofit recommendations and therefore the choice set available to consumers attempting to electrify. 

Methods: We conduct semi-structured interviews with contractors who perform heating, ventilation, and air conditioning work in Illinois, focusing on government-contractor connections and implications for recommendations and installations. We conduct grounded theory coding of the interview data, because there is a relatively thin theoretical description of the role of contractors in the pathway of governments motivating electrification. 

Results/Findings: Because we received human subjects approval for our study in April of 2025, we do not yet have results, though our project has substantial funding to complete the interviews from May-July of 2025. We are confident this provides adequate time to communicate analysis for the APPAM Fall research conference. 

Conclusion/Implications:  We aim to produce recommendations on how government program designers can better incorporate the needs and concerns of contractors into program design, thereby enhancing their return on beneficial electrification programs. Our paper will provide clear program design recommendations.

Author

• Ryan P Scott, Colorado State University
  Presenting Author