Design Research for Whole Building Energy Efficiency Concepts

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted with ETHNO, LLC to conduct research and gather feedback on proposed Market Transformation concepts for the Whole Building Special Project. With ETHNO support, NEEA conducted a three day in-person design workshop to identify promising Market Transformation concepts to accelerate commercial upgrades in small and medium-sized buildings. NEEA then built paper prototypes of the five resulting concepts. In Q4 2025, ETHNO tested these early concepts by interviewing commercial building owners, commercial real estate property managers and brokers, and an Energy Service Company (ESCO) engineer. The objective was to assess the relevance of the prototyped concepts to building owners and those who influence them as well as the concepts’ potential to motivate owners to take action toward completing energy upgrades and meeting Building Performance Standards.  

Five Market Transformation concepts were considered, including retrofit pathways, a capital planning tool, broker advisory training, on-bill financing, and a services finder. The design research found that on-bill financing should be a key priority as it received the most positive feedback. Market actors were also interested in a retrofit pathways tool that helps building owners compare costs, savings, and payback of different energy upgrades paired with a capital planning tool. The report includes recommendations for improving and implementing each of the five concepts and images of the prototypes.  

This report captures findings from design research and early concept testing, which differ from traditional market research studies. The insights are based on qualitative feedback and are intended to inform development of potential strategies, rather than evaluate established market conditions.