Purpose
A new amendment to the NYC Benchmarking Law expanded the requirement to submit annual benchmarking reports of building energy usage to mid-size building owners with square footage exceeding 25,000 sq. ft. The Benchmarking Help Center needed to develop a customized communication and outreach strategy to reach a new group of owners and managers and provide instructions and assistance on this unfamiliar process.
Community-centered approach
3×3 worked with the Benchmarking Team to assess pre-existing assets and outreach insights. Our team conducted behavioral research through focus groups to test and validate insights on messaging and outreach outputs to develop a compelling outreach and messaging strategy that employed visual and verbal language that is empathetic to the interests of the audience. The probes focused on the appeal of existing materials, perceived benefits of the program, hindrances to using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, and desired forms of assistance.
The messaging strategy included the development and testing of tone, word choice, tag lines, elevator pitch, and value statements through another focus group. An Outreach Strategy Blueprint was developed to serve as a guide for the strategic director of BHC’s outreach efforts and a framework was provided for ongoing monitoring and evaluation.
Impact
— Enhanced Accessibility and Engagement: The customized outreach and messaging strategy, informed by behavioral research and stakeholder insights, significantly improved accessibility for mid-size building owners unfamiliar with the NYC Benchmarking Law. By developing empathetic, audience-centric materials and providing clear guidance on the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, the Benchmarking Help Center successfully reduced barriers to participation and increased compliance rates within this newly impacted group.
— Scalable Outreach and Monitoring Framework: The creation of the Outreach Strategy Blueprint and the Measurement Framework equipped the Benchmarking Help Center with a scalable and adaptable approach to outreach efforts. This enabled continuous evaluation and refinement of messaging, ensuring long-term alignment with building owners’ needs and the city’s energy efficiency goals, while fostering a culture of compliance and sustainability across the mid-size building sector.
