Cheaper power bills, more jobs, less CO2

But here’s the charm of the idea: the decreased demand in energy lowers utility payments, which means there is little to no net change in the monthly utility bill until the loan is paid off. [...] A contractor cho- sen by the customer notifies the utility company when the work is complete; the utility inspects the work, and sends a funding authorization to the bank, and the bank makes the payment directly to the contractor. [...] According to the director of energy efficiency and conservation at Fortis BC, given the lack of trust in that context, homeowners ques- tioned the intentions of the both utilities and hesitated to participate in the pilot programmes. [...] One of the key elements of success for the Manitoba programme was the training of suppliers to fill in application forms and finish all the work for customers. [...] From the perspective of the contractor, four elements ensure a vibrant programme: • renovations must be of high quality • the programme must be easy to use • the programme must have the capacity to disseminate changes quickly to customers • the government and utilities must support the contractors gaining OBF work through appropriate marketing.