Rising energy costs are on everyone’s mind. For high performance contractors, this moment is an opportunity to connect with homeowners looking for answers and turn concern about bills into demand for your services.
Below are messaging and marketing ideas you can use for your home performance, HVAC, or solar company, along with effective marketing channels to help you amplify them.
Show Homeowners You Understand Them (and Offer Solutions)
Recent data is showing that people:
- Are stressed over energy costs
- Feel powerless over what to do about it
- Don’t understand what is driving the price hikes
Contractors should acknowledge that reality directly, but once you’ve recognized the problem, make sure you offer a clear solution:
“You can’t control utility rates, but you can control how much energy your home uses.”
Position yourself as the trusted advisor who not only understands the stress but also delivers a clear path to relief.
Example: The messaging in this Google ad from Healthy Home Energy & Consulting acknowledges the pain of energy costs on homeowners, but emphasizes solutions.
Empower Homeowners to Take “Control”
Consumers feel powerless in the face of rates, regulations, and grid instability headlines. Your marketing can offer control over energy prices by tying it directly to reducing waste and building resilience:
“Stop wasting energy. Take back control of your bills.”
Example: Energy Circle client Premo Solar puts “take control of your energy” messaging front and center on their homepage with website copy and video.
A well-sealed, efficient home keeps families comfortable during spikes or outages, and a roof that generates its own electricity makes the household more independent. Emphasize how your services guide homeowners toward stability and long-term resilience.
How to Market Insulation: Reducing Energy Waste, Fast Payback
Insulation is a natural place to demonstrate how cutting waste equals gaining control over rising energy costs.
Example: Insulation is easily connected to high energy bills in this Facebook ad from Energy Circle client Neeeco.
Insulation is a hidden upgrade: out of sight and lacking the “wow” factor of solar panels or the tech appeal of heat pumps. But it also comes with a lower overall cost and faster payback compared to many other upgrades.
The comfort benefits of upgrading, combined with the gains in energy efficiency, make insulation a straightforward, practical way to take control of rising energy costs.
How to Market Heat Pumps: Overcoming the Electricity Cost Objection
Heat pumps present a tougher marketing challenge. Asking a homeowner to move off gas or oil and onto electricity at a time when electricity prices are perceived to be rising fastest creates understandable hesitation.
The key is not to dodge that concern but to reframe it:
Efficiency first: Show how heat pump technology moves heat instead of generating it. Their higher efficiency makes them less vulnerable to price hikes.
Incentives and rebates: Federal and state programs still exist in many markets, including Inflation Reduction Act Home Energy Rebate programs (both HOMES and HEAR) that are either already launched or remain forthcoming. These incentives can help offset cost concerns.
Keep messaging clear and benefit-driven:
“Heat pumps use cutting-edge technology that uses less energy to keep your home comfortable year-round.”
How to Market Solar: A Hedge Against Energy Price Volatility
The upcoming expiration of the 30% federal credit will be a very big challenge for the solar industry, but rising energy costs only strengthen one of solar's primary selling points.
Your messaging should emphasize:
- Predictable bills for the long haul
- Protection from utility price swings (the more electricity rates rise, the faster the payback period)
- Greater resilience when paired with storage
Example: A Facebook ad from Energy Circle client My Generation Energy leaning into the long-term energy benefits of solar panel installation.
Even without the benefit of the solar tax credit, “Produce your own power and stop depending on utilities you don’t trust” is a powerful message right now.
Why Demand Creation Marketing Matters More Than Ever
Too many contractors are focused on capturing demand—waiting for homeowners who are already shopping for services. But with rising energy prices (and maybe the exception of insulation), most homeowners aren’t going to immediately connect their bill stress with solutions like heat pumps, solar, or efficiency upgrades.
That’s why demand creation advertising and marketing is now critical: you need to reach people who don’t yet realize these services can address their energy anxiety and draw them into your sales funnel.
Tactics and marketing channels for demand creation advertising include:
- YouTube
- Connected TV (streaming services like Hulu or Roku, where your ads run during shows and movies, digital radio and podcasts, premium placement display ads, digital billboards, and more)
Focus messaging on stress reduction, waste elimination, and resilience. Use visuals that show relief and comfort—not just equipment—so you connect emotionally before you sell practically.