If you’ve been around for a while, you’d know that I foster deep admiration for Peter Troast, founder and CEO of Energy Circle. Peter is a friendly, knowledgeable, upbeat, and charismatic energy efficiency aficionado. He writes for the Energy Circle blog, maintains the Energy Circle presence on Twitter, and is a frequent presenter at national conferences on topics of energy efficiency marketing and communications (using social media and web design strategies).

Peter developed the idea for Energy Circle after he had an energy audit conducted on his home. The individual performing the energy audit opened Peter’s eyes to a whole new world; shortly after the audit, Peter enrolled in a building science class and learned everything he could about the home performance industry. He made it his mission to educate homeowners on the “whole-house approach” to building performance – the same mantra that drives Everblue’s BPI training courses to prepare future energy auditors. With this fascination and curiosity, Energy Circle was born.

One feature that I find particularly interesting is called Energy Circle Pro, which is a complete marketing program for home performance professionals. At Everblue, we see a number of individuals coming through our BPI and RESNET classes who are changing careers and wanting to start their own business in energy auditing. After completing one of the Everblue courses, these individuals feel confident and competent regarding the technical subject matter that they will soon be immersed in. The hesitation comes when they realize they need to create a website for their new company, as well as brochures, business cards, and a social media presence.

The wonderful thing about Energy Circle Pro is that everything involving marketing and communications will be handled for the home performance professional. Those who have registered with EC Pro gain the following benefits:

• a professionally designed website,
• home performance-specific articles and content,
• support for pay-per-click advertising,
• landing pages to capture new leads,
• professionally designed brochures and trade show materials,
• social media support,
• full integration of Google Analytics, and
• email marketing support.

I know from my personal interactions and exposure to Peter and his team that they are a pleasure to work with. Like Everblue’s staff, the Energy Circle team genuinely cares about their clients’ success. A certified energy auditor with a newfound business on his or her hands should get a chance to make a difference. Some people aren’t technologically-savvy or literate when it comes to search engine optimization, and Energy Circle’s robust business model truly speaks to the passion and enthusiasm that Peter and his team have toward residential energy efficiency issues, as well as small business success. And that’s something to celebrate.