Green Options » energy audit

Group Purchasing Yields Discounts on Home Energy Audits

Brad Burton — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:04:37 +0000

In the United States today, 21% of all carbon emissions come from our homes. Even more startling is that, on average, 40% of all energy consumed in our homes is wasted, but is still paid for every month. Simply bled off into the atmosphere, we lose our heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. Inefficient buildings not only harm our atmosphere because of all the energy required to run them, but also take a hefty chunk of change from us. Happily, there is something to be done about it. Enter One Block Off the Grid and their new model of collective bargaining for discounted home performance retrofits and big-ticket green home improvements.

One Block Off the Grid is the nation’s largest and fastest growing community purchasing group for residential solar, and was founded to cause the tipping point in its adoption. Grouping people together to make bulk purchases has lowered the upfront cost, as well as streamlined the oftentimes-complicated process of solar installation. This bulk-purchasing model is widely applicable, and in the process of engaging people on the topic of solar, it became clear that the power of community-based bulk purchasing could and should be applied to other services as well. Home performance retrofitting, sometimes referred to as weatherization, was an obvious choice.

1BOG has partnered with its first non-PV integrator to offer Bay Area residents a steep discount on home performance retrofits. Home performance retrofitting can help eliminate wasted energy, and make your home a more comfortable place to live. Leaky windows and ducts mean that temperature control is more difficult than it needs to be. Home performance retrofits solve this. Mold and dampness make air quality indoors three to five times worse than air quality outdoors. Home performance retrofits solve this.

By partnering with Sustainable Spaces, the Bay Area’s leading provider of these services, 1BOG is able to offer a 15% discount on all retrofitting work done. Sure, home performance retrofitting isn’t free, but when you take into consideration that you can begin saving up to 40% on your energy bills (gas and electric), the value of this service becomes clear. Regardless of age, location, shading, etc., chances are your home, your family, and your wallet can all benefit from a home performance retrofit through 1BOG and Sustainable Spaces.

For more information, visit 1BOG at: http://1bog.org/home-energy-efficiency-from-1bog/

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Berkeley Architect Constructs Self-Heating Home

Becky Striepe — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:00:39 +0000

A California architect has constructed a home that heats itself from the warmth of its appliances. Homes like this have been popular in Germany, where a local architect built the first of its kind in 1991, but they are only just starting to catch on here in the States.

[Creative Commons photo by KeWynn Lee]

Nabih Tahan’s “Passive House” on Grant Street in Berkeley is the first one in California. It uses a ventilator to recycle the heat that radiates from the appliances, reducing the use of heat from fossil fuels by 80%-90%.

Daily Tip: Get a Home Energy Audit

Amy Stodghill — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:18:22 +0000

Whether you do it yourself or leave it to the professionals, conducting a home energy audit will help you determine what improvements you’ll need to make your home more energy efficient, so you can live more comfortably and start saving money on utility bills.

An energy audit requires a look at your annual energy usage and an examination, or walk through, of your home. Unfortunately, since houses aren’t built as energy efficient as they could be there will inevitably be improvements you’ll need to make. Older homes are obvious culprits considering that building codes and energy standards have changed over the years, however as GO’s Philip Proefrock points out, newer homes aren’t necessarily up to par either.

Production homebuilders would rather save a few hundred dollars so that they can keep their costs low and sell homes at the lowest price they can. They are unconcerned about the operating cost of the home, and many homebuyers are following them and only asking about the seling price. The cost of this negligence arrives in high energy bills for these homes, which buyers must deal with year after year.

DIY Energy Audit. When doing your own, simple, energy audit keep track of the problems you find. Things to look for include drafty rooms, or indoor air leaks around doors, windows, baseboards, and areas where there may be condensation. The U.S. Department of Energy provides a helpful guide to help you through the process, including tips on how to locate air leaks, how to inspect your heating and cooling equipment and how to determine where you might need more insulation.

Professional Audits. For a more thorough audit have a professional take a walk through. They have specific testing techniques and may find things you missed in your DIY audit. Check with your electricity or gas provider to see if they offer free or low-cost energy audits. And always check references before hiring a professional energy auditor.

Saving Energy. Once it is determined what areas of your home need improvements you’ll have to decide what energy saving measures you can afford. As with any home improvement think of it as an investment, because whether you decide to upgrade your appliances, replace your heating system, or improve your insulation you will end up saving yourself money each year that will more than make up for the initial expenditure.

DOE Consumer’s Energy Audit Guide

Further reading from Green Options:

Home Energy Audits

How To Get Your Home Ready For Renewable Energy

Using Snow & Ice for Energy Analysis