Executive Summary
Our Mission
The California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Energy Management Plan is an unprecedented, statewide collaborative effort to assist CHCC membership and the local community in meeting that daunting challenge total Energy Management and will create a new industry and transform the market for energy efficiency upgrades to existing buildings.
The overarching goal is to create a sustainable market for a whole business and home energy-efficiency performance approach that may lead to long-term jobs within the California Hispanic Community.
Outreach will be aimed at a targeted audience e.g. Northgate Gonzalez Markets and two other business members yet to be determined through an introduction by Julian Canéte. The goal is a “one stop shop” for CHCC property owners to easily find clear, consolidated information about the program elements, certified contractors, and all the rebates, incentives and financing options available.
Most of the approximately 14 million housing units in California were built before state energy efficiency standards (Title. 24) were implemented, beginning in the early 1980s A property owner investment of $5,000 to $15,000 to implement a single-family home energy retrofit can often achieve an average of 20% or more energy savings.
Energy Management USA and its partners are collaborating with the CHCC on community outreach to leverage efforts and funding, and to maximize participation in the Program—with a goal of property owners completing energy efficiency upgrades beginning 2019.
Marketing Strategy
The strategy is focusing on those property owners most likely to undertake a business energy upgrade. Marketing and outreach efforts will be multi-layered and multi-faceted, targeting audiences by who they are, where they live, and the events going on in their lives.
Efforts Include:
“Early Adopters”: Those who are strong environmentalists already poised to “do the right thing” for the environment and who just need to hear about a program and rebates.
“Retrofit-Ready”: Those who are already planning business improvements and just need a little more information about what steps to take to save money and “do the right thing” for the environment.
“Retrofit-Persuadable”: Those who are thinking about their utility bills, energy costs, and the environment or our dependence on fossil fuels/foreign oil, and who need information about what types of improvements they could make and what steps to take to save energy and reduce fossil fuel consumption.
Marketing & Outreach To Include;
Statewide Incentives; Several incentives are available depending on the individual project, including incentives for energy assessments.
Federal Tax Credits; Tax credits for residential renewable energy products are still available through December 31, 2021. Renewable energy tax credits for fuel cells, small wind turbines, and geothermal heat pumps now feature a gradual step down in the credit value, the same as those for solar energy systems.
Energy Makeover Contest; Energy Makeover Contests generate a tremendous amount of publicity and have been successfully conducted in many other cities and states. The concept is to model the behavior the Program is trying to encourage by showing the “whole office approach,” how easy upgrades can be, how much the rebates can reduce overall project cost, and how much difference upgrades can make to a business.
Direct Mail; Under the auspice of the state and local CHCC can generate interest, and be a powerful way to get the word out when conducting a “Lunch & Learn” either at a Regional CHCC office, or local business.
CHCC Events; The CHCC annual convention will bring more than 3,000 entrepreneurs, small business advocates and corporate representatives together in Sacramento August 20th-22nd of 2019. This year’s convention celebrates the history of CHCC leadership, reflects on past accomplishments as well as promotes the growth of Latino business in California and its contributions to the overall California economy.
Pilot Area Marketing
The intention is to stimulate the market and generate positive word-of-mouth via marketing efforts in specific pilot marketing areas where, based on extensive research, a high percentage of target audiences live and work. Pilot marketing programs in the chosen areas will test the extent community-based marketing positively impacts participation rates, both by membership and the community at large.
To determine where to create the pilot programs, we used characteristics based on statistically significant market research—identifying those who showed the highest interest in participating in an energy upgrade at work/home. We then analyzed neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County to determine areas where high percentages of those audiences live.
Characteristics include:
· High percentage of houses built before 1978
· High Percentage Of Homeownership
· High Energy Usage
Targeted Demographics:
– Income $50,000-$100,000
– High percentage of (some) college-educated
– High percentage of population age 35-50
– High percentage of households with 4+ people
Additional considerations include:
· A cluster of homes and businesses small enough to enable us to reach the majority and generate word-of-mouth interest, yet large enough to offer a good sized pool of people with a propensity to be interested in an energy savings/upgrade.
· Buy-in from strong neighborhood and community organizations that we can engage as partners, as well as existing communication vehicles, mainstream and multicultural.
· Offers “spill over” opportunities to nearby neighborhoods that also have a high percentage of our target audiences.
· Based on the market research, pilot-marketing areas will be developed at launch focused on one CHCC region with the other three phased in during the following six – 12 months.
· More than four-in-ten (44%) of Hispanics live in the 10 largest metropolitan areas. The Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA, metropolitan area has the nation’s largest Latino population—5.8 million—and alone accounts for about one-in-ten (11%) of Latinos nationally.
Trigger Event Marketing
Strategies will be aimed at capturing energy efficiency opportunities from multiple trigger events. Participants will mainly come through the CHCC however, we want to reach out to non-member contractors, realtors, retail partners, and of course property owners. It is understood that new CHCC members maybe generated during the outreach process.
Trigger Events May Include:
· Replacing old or non-functioning HVAC systems and water heaters.
· Remodeling for life-stage changes (growing family) or just to renew the house.
· Improvements made when purchasing, selling or remodeling a house.
· Complaints about high-energy bills or a cold/hot house.
CHCC Outreach
CHCC outreach will be critical because of their existing relationships with local constituencies. Regional leadership should be provided with a mini-marketing (abbreviated) plan, talking points, video should it be available, customizable templates of fact sheets, articles for their newsletters and advertising materials so they can develop low-cost out-reach to their residents.
Cities with communities targeted in the Pilot Area Marketing plans must be informed and encouraged to do out-reach to those areas. All Regional Offices will be encouraged to:
· Coordinate and run stories via social media, print media and online newsletters.
· Send information to Hispanic Neighborhood Associations, Homeowners Associations, Historic Preservation Districts, and other appropriate Hispanic Community Organizations.
· Provide information at strategically located Environmental Information Centers and at CHCC office locations.
· Provide information to realtors in “new homeowners” welcome kits either directly from the agent or through title companies/ mortgage brokers.
Energy Experts International
Energy Experts International should be listed on the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce website, and Facebook page and linked to a landing page with program information. The objective is to send as many leads directly to them as possible. Energy Experts International (EEI) will no doubt be developing an advertising campaign.
CHCC Leadership should be invited to attend orientation sessions to ensure they thoroughly understand the program being offered, rebates, financing options that can help guide their CHCC members through the process. The Contractor members should be provided with Contractor Kits to ensure they have key messages at hand that have been resonating with homeowners and have information to give to potential customers who may or may not have visited the website. Kits can be sent directly to contractors or distributed at the orientation sessions.
Kits should contain:
· Talking points
· Printed fact sheets to leave with customers, with room for contact information
· Printed brochures that have the “whole home” approach
· Printed in-depth brochure for business-owners
EEI should have access to a separate section of the CHCC website and Facebook Page where members they will be able to order additional customizable supplies and materials “on-demand,” find information about EEI program events, promotions and advertising, any changes to the EEI Program, and a database for customers who would like solar panels or new windows, for example.
Realtor Networking
Given that the national average length of home ownership is roughly six years, real estate agents can be in contact and advising a large percentage of the new and existing homeowners that Energy Experts International is targeting for home energy retrofits.
This high level of influence makes realtors one of the largest partner groups. Realtor Kits should be assembled, and be similar to the Contractor Kits.
Retail Marketing
Energy Experts International should partner with CHCC member-retail outlets e.g. Northgate Gonzalez, Vallarta Supermarkets, and Cardenas Supermarkets. Participating retail outlets should be provided:
· Information centers
· Program collateral
· Window clings