Mike Rogers and Peter Troast are familiar and respected figures to anyone who watches the home performance industry closely. They work with the top performers across the country, and recently put together their lists of the leading trends to be aware of in the coming year. It's worth your time to read Mike's list and Peter's list in their entirety, but here's a quick overview of where they agree on what's coming down the pike.   

Low energy prices equal advantage to home performance contractors. Dramatically lower prices at the pump and continued low rates at the meter make the economic argument for energy efficiency that much harder to rely upon. The whole-house approach lets contractors make a strong case for those factors -primarily comfort and indoor air quality- that are rising in importance in light of energy efficiency's reduced profile. Contractors who can make a case for delivering services "beyond energy savings" are going to reap benefits during this period.

The Connected Home or "Internet of Things." Items like the Nest thermostat made a big splash in 2014, while smart t-stats and sensor technology are expected to be in 70 percent of homes in the next ten years. The rise of this kind of technology will have a big impact on utility programs and homeowner behavior in the coming years, offering savvy contractors an opportunity to both provide a new service ("connect-ability") and to remind homeowners that true home performance isn't simply a matter of installing a new gizmo.

Innovative Financing. KY Home Performance (KHP) makes use of a new mechanism that ties homeowner investments in energy efficiency to the larger financial market and KHP stands as only one example of the many financing tools that are currently being pursued around the country. Energy-efficient home improvements have been rightfully recognized by the financial community as a viable investment and as new methods for delivering attractive products become available, KHP will be leading the way to make them available to its contractor network.