Energy Circle

06/18/2026

Maine's heat pump market has exploded over the past thirteen years, and so has the competition. On the latest episode of The High Performance Edge, Scott Libby of Royal River Heat Pumps shares how he built a thriving business through that growth by focusing on quality work and designing for the home first.

🎧 Listen here: https://www.energycircle.com/podcast/inside-maine-heat-pump-miracle-what-rest-country-can-learn-scott-libby

06/12/2026

If you're an HVAC, plumbing, solar, or electrical contractor, you could qualify for free tickets to the US Heat Pump Summit in a limited time giveaway offered exclusively for contractors new to the conference:
https://hubs.ly/Q04lfDRy0

The Summit brings together some of the brightest minds in the industry. It's a chance to learn from industry experts, discover emerging trends, and connect with contractors who are growing their businesses in a changing market.

As a Silver Sponsor of the event, Energy Circle is excited to support this opportunity for contractors to learn, network, and stay ahead of the curve!

It depends on your ticket type — Expo Only includes 2-day floor access, lunch, networking, and manufacturer demos; Full Conference adds all technical sessions and breakfast; and VIP unlocks all of the above plus a speaker dinner, VIP lounge, and reserved seating.

06/04/2026

Google has been busy in 2026! In our latest episode of The High Performance Edge podcast, our Director of Digital Marketing Strategy, Abby Yolda, joins to break down the updates that actually affect HVAC, home performance, and solar contractors, including a new search bar, review policy changes, the AI Optimization Guide, and the new Ask Maps feature.

05/27/2026

Most HVAC contractors won't touch duct work. Too much labor, not enough margin, and a scope that slows everything else down. In our latest episode of The High Performance Edge, Zach Ortwine of Southeast Clean Air Solutions makes the case for what comprehensive high performance work can look like when specialists handle the parts of the job that generalists avoid.

05/15/2026

Load calculations aren’t just a box to check: they shape the entire retrofit conversation. In this clip, The Energy Conservatory's Chris Hughes breaks down how contractors can use them to recommend the right system and build more trust with homeowners.

Check out the rest of this episode of The High Performance Edge on our website or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Catch our upcoming episode with Zach Ortwine of Southeast Clean Air Solutions next week!

05/08/2026

🎧 We've got your weekend listening all tee'd up!

When a high performance contractor walks into a retrofit with a poor envelope, the path of least resistance is to run a Manual J, size the system, and sell the job anyways.

Permanent load reduction is the better answer, but it's a sell too many HVAC contractors avoid. Chris Hughes of The Energy Conservatory explains why, and how to fix it, in our latest episode of The High Performance Edge.

05/02/2026

Are high-performance contractors forced to choose between profit and quality work? 💡

For a long time, it felt like a trade-off. But the future is changing! By using tools that simplify diagnostics and AI to help explain complex work to homeowners, contractors can now communicate their true value without the heavy overhead.

Catch the full conversation with WorkHero's Furman Haynes on The High Performance Edge Podcast to hear more on how to make invisible quality visible! 🛠️ https://www.energycircle.com/podcast/what-ai-can-actually-do-small-contractors-furman-haynes

04/23/2026

High-performance contractors have always faced a frustrating trade-off: doing the best work often comes at the expense of running a healthy business. In this episode of The High Performance Edge, WorkHero Co-founder Furman Haynes breaks down how AI is changing that, with concrete examples of how small contractors are using it today for job costing, custom quoting, rebate processing, and more.

🔗 Listen to the episode here or wherever you find your podcasts: https://hubs.ly/Q04dhDLy0

04/16/2026

We're big fans of The Heat Pump Summit and the value it brings to the industry. Make sure you're planning to attend this year—you don't want to miss it!

04/02/2026

If you missed it last week, our latest episode of The High Performance Edge is the reality check every solar professional needs. Peter sits down with Chris Mink of Sun Light & Power (who have been at this since 1976!) to discuss how to build a company that survives the "tough years."

Learn how to win over today's cautious homeowners and give it a listen this weekend! 🎧