Green Business Growth

Educated energy master craftsmen document 29 % business growth as a result of a demand they themselves inspire in their customers

“Home-owners often encounter challenges when considering energy renovating their home – how to begin? Which solutions to choose? Which craftsmen to rely on? And how to finance the improvement?

50 % of home owners seek guidance with master crafts men when facing a major renovation (Bolius Home Owner Analysis 2015). Therefore project CLEAN Green Business Growth has through 5 years sought to promote the demand for energy renovation. The method is to post-educate master crafts men to know more on general green solutions, and teach them how to promote and develop their businesses into a greener and more energy-friendly model. The master crafts men then function as ambassadors for enhancing the energy-part of an up-coming renovation when meeting customers. Other means of promoting demand and supply is networking, customer matchmaking events, test and demonstration projects and awareness rising activities such as energy fairs and events and evening schools for private home owners.

It has due to Green Business Growth activities been possible to document a growth rate of 29 % for educated energy master craftsmen, where there has been a no growth for this branch in the rest of Denmark. 70 % of the master craftsmen are satisfied or very satisfied with the outcome of their post-education.
Thomas Bork, an energy master craftsman says: “This education has given me knowledge on what to do and how to energy renovate in the correct manner. It is important to choose the right solutions if energy renovation has to work as intended. Without this knowledge you risk making a wrong kind of renovation.”

The homeowners can seek cases on energy renovation and a list of educated master craftsmen at www.groenerhvervsvaekst.dk . Part of the projects success is found in not only the close connection to the master craftsmen but also the deep engagement of the 20 project partners (municipalities, private businesses, knowledge institutions and energy supply companies). The project began with EU-funding, but is self-financed today.

One of the cases that homeowners can be inspired by is the classic 1918 villa, that underwent a major renovation from basement to building top. Besides a renovation of the most visible elements such as kitchen, bathroom and floors, the entire house has been energy checked by an energy master craftsman.

Homeowner Lene Larsen says: “Our energy master craftsman was a great help to us. He gave us a clear heading on this vast project and an overview of in what order we had to renovate to make it most sensible and profitable”. As in many older classic villas there are a lot of energy-gaining to win and money to save, this house was no exception. The sides of the dormers of the house held no insulation, wo no wonder the kids were freezing during fall and winter, when they stayed in their rooms.
“In door climate was important to us as well as looking at our energy consumption and e.g. having the cavity wall insulated,” Lene Larsen says.