4.1.2 Ongoing Operation Tasks

The R-DEER Business Case identified five core business functions: General Administration, Finance and Credit (including order acceptance and fund management), Marketing, Sales, Retrofit Management (including quality control and materials management). Retrofit installation would be in partnership with local contractors.

4.1.2.1 How would it work for a homeowner?

John and Emily moved to Windsor 6 years ago buying their first home. They could only afford a fixer upper. Their plan was to renovate and sell at a profit to be able to afford a larger home to raise a family.

However, with two young children, Brittany and Lucas, and a third child on the way, life soon got in the way. Most of their free time and discretionary funding now goes to their growing family. While they love developing their DIY skills, they simply don’t have the time anymore. They would be happy to borrow money in the short term to finance home improvements but any investment they make must increase the resale value of their home. Their pain points are professionals that don’t turn up on time, work that takes longer than promised and having to spend time getting quotes or finding professionals to do the work right. With a young family, too much disruption of their daily routine is also a worry.

One day their neighbour mentioned a new energy retrofit program being offered for detached homes twenty years or older. They went online and liked what they saw being offered in the standard package. They knew they needed new windows and a furnace. So, they signed up to see the price being offered for their home. It looked good. They asked their neighbour, a local homebuilder, for his opinion. He confirmed they would not be able to match it on their own, so they signed up. When they learned which contractor had been assigned to them, they were thrilled because the company had a great reputation in the community.

Much to their delight, the job was done in four days - as promised. They took advantage of the 20-year financing plan offered through a partnership with the municipality. Since their goal was to move within a few years, they liked the assurance their investment would be passed on to the next owner, in case they wanted to use more of their profits for their next home. They tracked their savings carefully for the first year and were delighted to see they more than covered the additional monthly payment on their tax bill. Now, understanding the resale value of their energy retrofit, they were excited to get their first home energy label.

4.1.2.2 How would it work for the contractor?

Bob Carter had been renovating homes for over twenty-five years. He had seen his fair share of energy retrofit programs come and go. So, he was naturally sceptical when he heard of a yet another one. Though, what piqued his interest in the new program was its commitment to delivering a quality, deep-energy standardized retrofit. Mostly, he stayed away from home energy retrofits