RICHLAND, Wash.-Selecting a contractor or home energy auditor can be stressful when online search engines offer thousands of results. To give consumers a break from wading through endless search results, the Department of Energy has teamed up with Google to make searching for a skilled contractor much easier.
Now, when homeowners search for HVAC contractors, plumbers or energy auditors, a new Energy Skilled™ badge will appear next to a subset of businesses. The Energy Skilled badge means at least one technician employed by the business has completed an Energy Skilled-recognized training or certification program that promotes high-performing, reliable and comfortable buildings.
How it works: buildings researchers at DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who manage the Energy Skilled program, review the curricula of training and certification providers across the country. Programs that meet Energy Skilled criteria are officially recognized by DOE. When a contractor successfully completes an Energy Skilled-recognized training program or certification, their employer's name is shared with PNNL. PNNL then works with Google to add the Energy Skilled badge for those businesses in search results.
In the end, any business that employs a contractor who has completed one of these recognized trainings receives the Energy Skilled badge.
"With this new badge, consumers can be more confident and knowledgeable about the skillsets of the contractors they hire," said Cheryn Metzger, residential and commercial buildings program manager at PNNL. "As of May 2026, more than 80 credentials and training programs have been recognized as Energy Skilled, which means thousands of contractor businesses are highlighted in Google search results. As we add more recognized programs and job categories to Energy Skilled, the badge will become even more well-known and desirable for the consumer-contractor relationship."
Most recently, HVAC manufacturer Carrier received an Energy Skilled recognition for one of its heat pump installation training programs. As contractors complete that training, an Energy Skilled badge will soon appear next to their employees' names in Google search results.
"Carrier is proud to be recognized by DOE as an Energy Skilled training provider with their 'My Learning Center Heat Pump Training' program. For consumers, this means greater confidence in the contractors installing their systems-professionals who are trained to deliver optimal comfort, performance and energy savings. With this recognition, we're helping homeowners make smarter upgrades that can help lower energy bills," said Keith Ussery at Carrier Residential.
