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Username
Travis Estes
Proposer First Name
Travis
Proposer Email
travis.estes@abodeem.com
Proposer Last Name
Estes
Proposer Company/Organization
Abode Energy Management
Proposer Phone
(339) 707-0918
Proposer Job Title
Chief Operating Officer
Proposed Session Description
Original title: Can behavioral economics really drive enhanced heat pump adoption and better installs? Through this interactive session, Travis Estes, from Abode Energy Management, and Shawn Intorcio, from Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD), will discuss their heat pump rebate and QA program’s approach to capturing more data about installs happening in the RMLD service area, including the role of customer consulting before speaking with a contractor and pre-approval sizing and design reviews prior to install. Shawn will discuss why RMLD chose to implement this program and her experience during the first year. Travis will provide a summary about why Abode designed the program to capture as much data as possible, while still providing effective quality assurance and respecting the contractor’s process. Through the use of survey questions throughout the presentation, participants will explore their own assumptions about heat pump installs, customer motivation, and contractor behavior as preliminary case studies are shared. This session is intended to be the first in a series that will explore the heat pump adoption process with a level of granular data not often captured. We anticipate sharing our findings in the following months and years with the NESEA community to better understand why customers and contractors act as they do.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Our speaker panel is diverse in terms of gender.
Learning Objectives
Attendees will understand how data can be used to improve insight into the behaviors of multiple stakeholders regarding heat pump adoption, which could be applied to other technologies as well.
Attendees will share their own opinions about customers and contractors related to heat pump adoption and learn about the assumptions of others regarding what drives behavior and how it could be influenced to improve the quality and performance of projects.
Through the lens of behavioral economics, attendees will learn about the role and potential of utility incentive programs to reduce the environmental impact of our built environment.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Additional Comments
It's our intention to share the most current data during this session and subsequently follow up to provide updates on the outcomes compared to our assumptions. This could be presented as either articles with NESEA or sessions for future conferences.
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 2 - Some prior knowledge helpful.
Session Format Details
This session will begin with slides that include brief attendee surveys that can be conducted by phone during the session. The results of the surveys will be incorporated into the presentation and will serve as a primer for discussion and engagement. We will end with Q&A.

Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2021

Comments about your speaker roster
Both Travis and Shawn bring extensive resumes related to utility conservation programs and sales related to clean energy solutions.
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
We believe that the approach of this session will be engaging and foster thoughtful conversation. Pending the reception of the presentation, we believe that follow-up articles or presentations would be a great way to continue the learning given that we'll continue to glean insights based on the data as the months and years progress. We imagine a scenario where, in the coming years, we are sharing the survey results from this session as yet another data point reflecting the connectedness between the NESEA community and customers and installers that may not share our commitment to sustainability.
Reviewer 1
Field, Keirstan
Reviewer 2
Howard, Meg
Proposal #
177
Committee Decision
Being Considered
Full Description
Is there a disconnect between customers, contractors, and electric utility providers regarding heat pumps? Through this session, we’ll dive into that question with data. While the program discussed in the session is relatively new, the preliminary data collected will provide a sneak peek into the heat pump adoption experience, starting with the customer goals, contractor approach, and real outcomes based on electric usage. We will challenge the current utility rebate and QA approach and ask attendees about their current beliefs related to heat pump adoption. We will ask attendees to think critically about the role of data, how it’s collected, and how it’s used to ensure that high-performing heat pumps are being effectively installed.