What will you offer: energy management, connectivity, LED lighting or a mix of services?
If you’re interested in selling energy management and green tech services, Jim Sweeney of Hometronics Lifestyles and Eco-Tronics, the subject of our recent case study and CE Pro profile, suggests the following.
1. If you’re doing residential, get green building certifications from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). This will give you knowledge and get you hired onto green home jobs more often. “If you don’t know what you’re talking about, you’re behind the 8-ball,” Sweeney says.
2. Complete the prerequisites for becoming a LEED AP (Leadership and Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional). This will get you on more LEED-certified jobs.
3. Start going to Green Drinks through the USGBC’s (United States Green Building Council’s) local chapters.
4. Become an LED Expert. The ROI for businesses is attractive. Sweeney’s company focuses on parking garages, where the lights are on 24 hours a day. And don’t discount replacing LEDs in homes, particularly those of your clients. It’s a great way to get into a home and keep coming back, as many won’t want to replace all their lights at once. Sweeney’s pitch to homeowners is that they’re not going to be happy with the low-lumen output of LEDs available at stores like The Home Depot, and that an LED shouldn’t be considered just a light bulb but a piece of electronic equipment.
5. Look into tangential business opportunities like energy brokering and solar thermal. What most people don’t realize, Sweeney says, is that they can get a much quicker ROI and more bang for their buck via solar thermal than with solar electric (or PV)—and discount energy brokers are popping up all over the place.
For more on making a business out of LED lighting, solar thermal or energy brokering, see Case Study: Building a Green Electronics Installation Business.
Also see:
Must-Dos To grow Your Energy Management Business in 2011
5 Biggest Drivers for Energy Management
10 GreenTech Trends and How To Plan for Them
3 Simple Ways to Sell High-Tech Energy Efficiency
Steve,
Please do an article on low lumen LEDs. Why the don’t cut it.
“Sweeney’s pitch to homeowners is that they’re not going to be happy with the low-lumen output of LEDs available at stores like The Home Depot.”
What up with this?
Thanks, Brad
Hi Brad,
Thanks for the comment. See this link for a previous post about looking for proper brightness in LEDs: http://greentechadvocates.com/2010/09/30/the-promise-and-peril-of-big-box-hardware-stores-going-green/
You want to look for at least 800-850 lumens (which a 60-watt incandescent will produce) for task lighting and reading. I will also work on an updated post with some recommendations as well. I know Solais and Cooper have good recessed LED lighting solutions if you are seeking those.