Tom Harris joins W&C again for this podcast of “If Walls Could Talk.” Tom Harris is owner of Tom Harris PUR Consulting. Today’s theme is on the Inflation Reduction Act – Stimulus or Deterrent?

So what impact has the Inflation Reduction Act had on your business?

According to Harris, the phone is ringing and the questions are coming in, but it’s still too early to tell if it’ll turn into energy efficient work.

“The early adopters to saving energy have already converted and are working their plan,” said Harris. “I think the rebate and tax credit offering will push a big number of building owners into doing the work they’ve wanted to do for years – they’ll spend the money over the next few years toward energy conservation activities in both residential and commercial markets.”

Improvements in energy conservation address two key areas for the building owner:  1) The reduced impact of your building on the environment and; 2) Financial benefit through lower operating costs. There’s a host of other benefits but these are the two primary drivers. Since the IRA was introduced last year, Harris is seeing the selling conversation “consumed” with discussion around rebates and credits.

“We’d all like to see a lower cost for the things we buy, but that is exactly what energy conservation is— it’s reducing monthly operational costs and over time reducing our impact on the planet.”

How is the BEAT auditing program going?

“It’s doing well,” says Harris. “We’re building a nation-wide team of building envelope auditors and demonstrating that our approach to separating the building envelope out as a stand-alone energy conservation measure can provide building owners with a first step towards decarbonization and an immediate reduction in operational costs for a small investment.

“We’re teaching auditing skills that give potential employees, an opportunity to generate revenue to their employers—not a labor skill.”

More information can be found at www.letstalkpur.com/beat.