At a time of rapid expansion and aggressive rollout of decarbonization initiatives, it’s critical to evaluate and learn from failures – and take steps to protect more building owners from experiencing them. We think it is critical to protect vulnerable decarbonization projects from bad outcomes that could derail broad-scale adoption in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Also, these projects are like canaries in the coal mine, delivering early warning from the dogged pursuit of heat pump projects without taking into account protection practices for disadvantaged customers that do not have the familiarity, expertise, and knowledge to ensure quality outcomes, unlike the large commercial customers with dedicated in-house construction management staff. We will present our lessons about what level of engineering analysis and third-party oversight should be required in heat-pump projects receiving public subsidy? What standard of commissioning is appropriate? How can building owners access affordable commissioning and owner’s representative services? How can building owners be protected against unexpectedly high post-electrification utility bills, particularly in areas with high electricity costs? Our workshop will aim to provide useful findings for HVAC system designers and installers, state and utility program managers, and decarbonization policymakers.