Knowledge is power: Lessons from the United States to strengthen community capacity for co-design and co-delivery of energy efficiency programs

Peer-reviewed paper 5-088-26

Many key players in the energy efficiency industry have recognized the importance of partnering with existing priority audience community members in the design and deployment of energy efficiency programs. However, program administrators’ best intentions on this front are often thwarted by the paucity of priority audience members trained and employed in the energy industry. A consortium of over 80 energy efficiency utilities in the U.S. and Canada includes several industry leaders working to build the skills, knowledge, and resources of communities, while strengthening existing leadership structures, so that communities can play a more central role in program design and co-delivery.

This paper highlights the culmination of this work, addressing efforts to build cultural competency within the existing workforce. Case studies from member program administrators across California and New England compile learnings on how to better support, train, and educate an energy efficiency workforce drawn from the communities intended for enhanced program engagement. In particular, this paper will characterize barriers and challenges in identifying new workforce candidates, training these individuals, and providing the necessary conditions for delivering decarbonization solutions. Data collection for this effort took place in 2025 and 2026 through interviews with utility staff. The findings highlighted in this paper are key to helping utilities learn from each other on how to build trust locally so that energy users are receptive to energy program offerings, and local campaigns can serve to build community knowledge of energy efficiency.