Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

The High Performance Edge Podcast

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by Peter Troast, CEO/Founder Energy Circle

5.0(4 reviews)

23 episodes

Updated Daily

Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸

Podcast Overview

Welcome to the podcast for contractors who lead with building science and want to turn that advantage into a stronger, more successful business. Whether you’re in HVAC, insulation, solar, or home performance, we dig into the strategy, sales, marketing, operations, hiring, and customer experience approaches that power stable, more profitable companies. Hear from top contractors and industry experts as we explore what it really takes to thrive as a very different kind of contractor. - Listen on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-high-performance-edge-podcast/id1850981282) - Listen on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7FDtXrTnfsckZ9yPeMq3Jf?si=0f6f2b7109384585) - Energy Circle website (https://www.energycircle.com/) - Energy Circle LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/energy-circle-llc/) - Peter Troast, Energy Circle CEO and Founder LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/petertroast/)

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Publishing Since

11/5/2025

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Recent Episodes

July 16, 2026

How a Whole-House Contractor Beats the Tech Startups with Larry Waters

Tech and a slick process can't replace the work itself. Larry Waters of Electrify My Home explains how his all-electric, whole-house model, and a virtual screening process that closed 10 of his last 11 leads, still put quality first.

July 2, 2026

Permanent Load Reduction and the Path to High-Margin Envelope Services with Ken Allison

Permanent load reduction, the practice of fixing a home's envelope first to reduce the load before sizing equipment, is gaining traction in high performance contracting. The building science behind it is well understood. The business case gets far less attention. In this episode, Peter Troast talks with Ken Allison, who leads training and business development at insulation distributor IDI, with decades of experience in the business and building science of insulation. Ken lays out the economics: The contractor who tests the house with a blower door and infrared camera, then shows the homeowner what's actually wrong, doesn't just close more jobs. They close bigger ones at far better margins. Ken also walks through how to ramp into this work without making a big upfront bet on equipment, crews, and trucks. For contractors who already believe in the envelope but haven't fully committed to it as a business model, this episode makes the path concrete. But the real story is differentiation: how a quality-first, whole-house company stands apart, not just from venture-backed newcomers, but from the entire HVAC sector still doing things the old way. Larry breaks down his all-electric model, why he tackles the envelope and mechanicals together, and how a rigorous intake and virtual assessment process lets him invest only in serious buyers—10 of his last 11 closed. Most importantly, the process and technology serve the work; they don’t replace it. Listen to hear how one contractor thrives in a crowded market while never compromising a high-quality, house-as-a-system approach."

June 18, 2026

Inside the Maine Heat Pump Miracle: What the Rest of the Country Can Learn with Scott Libby

Scott Libby spent his first 25 years in HVAC insisting heat pumps didn't belong in his home state of Maine. Today he runs a 40-person company that installs nothing else. Maine has since become the country's heat pump proving ground: installations have crossed 200,000, oil's share of home heating has fallen from roughly 70 percent to half, and hundreds of contractors now compete for the work. In this episode of The High Performance Edge, Peter Troast talks with Scott about how to stand out in a crowded market, not by being the biggest or chasing every rebate, but by being the best. Scott's instinct has always been to design for the home and its occupants first, and to refuse to compromise the work just to qualify for an incentive. It's a front-row account of how the Maine miracle happened, and a blueprint for high performance contractors anywhere watching their own market begin to turn.

23 total episodes available

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What is The High Performance Edge Podcast?: Welcome to the podcast for contractors who lead with building science and want to turn that advantage into a stronger, more successful business. Whether you’re in HVAC, insulation, solar, or home performance, we dig into the strategy, sales, marketing, operations, hiring, and customer experience approaches that power stable, more profitable companies. Hear from top contractors and industry experts as we explore what it really takes to thrive as a very different kind of contractor.

Listen on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-high-performance-edge-podcast/id1850981282)

Listen on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7FDtXrTnfsckZ9yPeMq3Jf?si=0f6f2b7109384585)

Energy Circle website (https://www.energycircle.com/)

Energy Circle LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/energy-circle-llc/)

Peter Troast, Energy Circle CEO and Founder LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/petertroast/)
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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