REA Residential Energy Sales Standards: A Compliance Guide for Contractors

By REA Editorial Team · Published 2026-08-20 · Whitepaper

The complete REA sales standards, annotated with implementation guidance: representative identification, disclosures, pricing accuracy, cooling-off rights, financing explanations, and complaint handling.

This guide translates the Residential Energy Association's sales standards into an operating checklist a company can adopt in a single quarter. It is written for the people who have to make compliance real: owners, sales managers, and the operations staff who build contracts and proposals.

## What the guide covers

Section 1 explains the purpose of the standards and how REA reviews escalated complaints. Section 2 covers representative conduct: identification, badging, permitted claims, and prohibited pressure tactics. Section 3 addresses proposal accuracy, including production estimates, savings ranges, incentive assumptions, and rate escalators. Section 4 details financing disclosures for loans, leases, and power purchase agreements. Section 5 covers the contract: cooling-off rights, change orders, and cancellation. Section 6 sets out complaint intake, response timelines, and escalation to REA.

## How to use it

Each section closes with a checklist and, where relevant, sample plain-language disclosure text that companies may adapt. Appendix A maps the standards to common state requirements; Appendix B provides a one-page summary suitable for training new representatives.

## Who wrote it

The guide was prepared by REA staff with input from the Standards Committee, which includes installers, dealers, financiers, and consumer advocates. It is reviewed annually.

Download the PDF to read the full guide.

• standards
• compliance
• sales