Every contractor listed here has been through a Balchunas Sustainability assessment of their own operations. The referral relationship is stated openly in every report where a partner appears. There is no hidden compensation.
Two requirements — one for quality, one for trust — apply to every partner, without exception.
A contractor cannot become a partner without having completed a paid Balchunas Sustainability assessment of their own operations. That assessment produces a written record of how they run their business — energy use, waste handling, purchasing practices, transportation. When we recommend them to a client, we are recommending from that record, not from a sales call.
Every assessment report that references a partner names the referral relationship explicitly: the partner's name, the nature of the arrangement, and the flat fee Balchunas Sustainability earns if the client engages them. Clients are never obligated to use a partner. The disclosure is in the report body — not buried in fine print, not in a separate appendix.
Referral fees are flat per engagement, not a percentage of the contractor's invoice. A percentage would create an incentive to steer clients toward larger projects. A flat fee does not. The amount is disclosed by category in the report.
The list is limited to two partners per service category. This is a hard cap — not a soft guideline. A partner list that spans the entire contractor market is a directory. A list capped at two per category is a considered recommendation. The distinction matters.
Categories reflect the five assessment domains. Slots open as assessments are completed.
The practice is in its first operating year. Partner slots open after assessments are completed. If you are a contractor operating in Union County, NJ and are interested in the program, the next section is for you.
The following language appears in every assessment report where a partner contractor is recommended: "[Partner name] is a preferred partner of Balchunas Sustainability. Balchunas Sustainability earns a flat referral fee of $[amount] if you engage this contractor. This relationship is disclosed here so you can weigh it independently. You are under no obligation to use any listed partner."
If you operate in Union County, NJ — HVAC, insulation, solar, weatherization, water heating, or a related trade — and you want to understand whether a partnership makes sense, schedule a 15-minute conversation. No commitment, no pitch deck. We'll talk through the model, the assessment requirement, and whether the fit is real.
The 15-minute call determines whether the conversation is worth continuing. If it is, the next step is scheduling a paid assessment of your operations — commercial or residential depending on your business type. That assessment is a real engagement: a half-day walkthrough, a written report, domain scoring, and recommendations. It is not a formality and it is not free.
After the assessment is complete and the report delivered, a partnership conversation can proceed. If the assessment turns up something that would make a recommendation indefensible, the conversation stops there. If the assessment supports the recommendation, we formalize the arrangement in a one-page letter and you are listed in the partner appendix — subject to the two-per-category cap and ongoing client feedback.
Either party can exit with 30 days written notice. A partner who receives sustained negative client feedback is removed without refund of the assessment fee. The assessment fee is for the assessment — it is not a purchase of partnership status.