Marketing & New Customer Acquisition for Home Performance Contractors in a Changing Landscape

The home performance industry is undergoing rapid transformation, presenting new challenges and opportunities for contractors. During next month’s National Home Performance Conference & Trade Show in New Orleans, one session will tackle the issue head-on: “Marketing & New Customer Acquisition for Home Performance Contractors in a Changing Landscape.” This panel discussion will feature insights from contractors across the country into the changes affecting their businesses and what they’re doing in response.

As we gear up for the big event, here’s a sneak peek that unpacks just a few of the factors creating this changing landscape.

What’s Different for Contractors in 2025?

Uncertainty Around Incentives

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was supposed to be a huge driver of consumer interest in home performance services. But the first few months of 2025 have instead been highlighted by uncertainty around the future of IRA rebates and tax credits, leaving contractors waiting for answers and homeowners largely unconvinced about incentives that have the potential to spur real market growth.

Economic Factors Remain

An unclear economic outlook is making homeowners more hesitant to invest in home services, forcing contractors to create demand for their services instead of simply capturing existing demand.

The Power of Expanded Service Offerings

Many home performance contractors are finding marketing success through expanded service offerings beyond just insulation and air sealing to include HVAC, solar, and other whole-home solutions. The contractors doing this have to manage a wider array of incoming lead types. The ones who aren’t are having to reexamine their messaging and competitive edge.

Rise of AI

From chatbots like ChatGPT that could change the way homeowners research and find local service contractors to automation tools that are changing the ways companies operate, AI hasn’t fully captured our industry yet, but more and more contractors are paying attention.

Google Product Changes

Google continues to adapt and make updates to Local Services Ads (LSAs), Google Business Profile (GBP), and Google Ads that affect the way contractors market themselves online, not to mention the rise of fake company listings and online spam.

Increased Competition

The competitive landscape for contractors is becoming more crowded and diverse, with tech startups, third-party review sites, online directories, and other entities vying for the same digital space and leads. As a result, customer acquisition costs are rising. 

New Opportunities for Affordable Advertising

Contractors in 2025 have easier access to advertising channels that were once prohibitively expensive through streaming and programmatic ads, enabling them to reach potential customers in new ways.

Private Equity Affecting Marketing

Private equity (PE) acquisitions are continuing to rise throughout HVAC and, by extension, are impacting the home performance sector. PE-backed contracting businesses can upend competitive landscapes, influencing marketing tactics and strategies with different spending behaviors and goals.

What to Expect from the Panel Session

The “Marketing & New Customer Acquisition for Home Performance Contractors in a Changing Landscape” panel session will be held Wednesday, April 9, at 8:30 am. Peter Troast, CEO and founder of Energy Circle, will moderate the panel, which will include Bill Graham, Chief Marketing Officer for HomeWorks Energy, and several other leading contractors from across the country who will discuss their experiences navigating this dynamic environment. Panelists will discuss not only which of the above issues are affecting them directly but also what changes they’ve made to their marketing and operation efforts to keep quality leads coming in and their crews’ schedules full.

If you haven’t already, register today—see you in New Orleans!