Overview
Southern California Gas Company wanted to promote the sales of high-efficiency gas water heaters by offering incentives to plumbing contractors who purchased the heaters.

Southern California Gas Company hired APT to assist with program design and train its partner, ADM Associates, to implement the utility’s high-efficiency gas water heater program and to meet the utility’s goal of processing 20,000 rebates in six months.


Implementation
In addition to designing the program, APT trained all of ADM’s personnel to implement the program, and APT personnel performed the field work during the program’s initial implementation

• Manufacturers: Identify and enlist the participation of manufacturers in the program. Facilitate communication between the manufacturers and dealer/distributors to ensure availability of the high-efficiency water heaters. Qualify which products are eligible for rebates in the program.
• Dealer/distributors: Identify and enlist the participation of dealer distributors in the program. Educate their sales personnel about the availability of products and the rebate offered. Motivate dealer/distributors to stock the high-efficiency heaters. Train sales personnel to sell the eligible products to plumber contractors. Develop, produce and deliver point-of-purchase sales materials to dealer/distributors.
• Plumber contractors: Identify plumber contractors likely to purchase the high-efficiency water heaters. (Plumber contractors number in the thousands.) Perform outreach to educate them about the availability of the high-efficiency heaters and rebates. Educate plumber contractors about the advantages of the high-efficiency heaters.
  
  

Summary of Results

• APT took a leadership role in the design of the program with ADM Associates.
• APT personnel trained all of ADM Associates’ personnel in all phases of program implementation.
• APT personnel took charge of the initial execution of the program, including all field work.