It’s no secret that rising energy costs are catching up to Alabama. Just recently, Alabama Power announced that their rates would increase by more than 13%.* With rates rising, many consumers are finding new ways to manage their energy bills.
One way to get control is to have a home energy audit performed on your home. Dixie Electric offers its members a free home energy audit. A power company member service representative inspects your home and makes recommendations for improvements to make your home more energy-efficient. Alabama Power offers an Energy Check Up, where you can spend a few minutes entering information about your home and receive a report on your energy consumption.
If you are looking for a more thorough report about your home’s energy consumption and specific ways to slash your energy bills, it may be best to contract with a company to perform an energy audit using infrared thermography and a blower door test.
To find out just how much money can be saved, more magazine contacted ARC Energy Auditing Services in Montgomery and followed up with MAX members who recently had an energy audit completed on their 1986 two-story home.
“The results were surprising,” stated MAX member Stuart Davidson. “We knew our house would probably have some issues, after all it’s an older home, but we found out from the detailed report that our house virtually has a 3-by-6 foot hole in it where it is leaking air. The estimated cost for the air leakage in our home is $437 per year, and that’s just a portion of what the audit uncovered.”
Kathy Gaylor, Certified Energy Auditor with ARC, said that air leakage is the primary concern in almost every home. “The average home leaks 60% of its air every hour. I haven’t been in a house yet that didn’t have a problem with duct leakage.”
How Does an Energy Audit Work?
Thermographic Imaging An ARC Energy Audit starts with a detailed visual inspection of the outside of the house with a thermographic imaging camera to detect and pinpoint problems of air leakage. The house must have a 20 degree temperature difference between the outside air and the air inside the house to obtain accurate pictures.
Blower Door Test The heart of the energy audit is known as the blower door test, which pulls in air from outside the house, identifying specific locations of air leakage. “Light switches that are not insulated, plumbing pipes, air vents and light fixtures that are not properly sealed are all areas where you have air infiltration,” says Gaylor.
The audit also includes a questionnaire identifying the age of appliances, heating and air units, and any problem areas in the house including drafty rooms or drastic temperature variances. Once the audit is completed, ARC provides a detailed energy report making recommendations on what can be done to increase the home’s energy-efficiency. The report also includes estimates of the repair costs, as well as the number of years it will take to recoup your investment. The report provides an overall figure for estimating your total energy savings.
Real Savings
“Energy-efficiency is not about making people uncomfortable in their homes; it is about saving money, increasing air quality and doing something to protect our environment,” says Gaylor. “Everyone is interested in saving money. The recommendations we make typically cost a homeowner less than $1,000 and often are things they can do themselves.”
“The savings in our home,” states Davidson, “came out to be $800 a year … 23% of our current energy bills. The recommendations included things like wrapping our hot water heater, caulking our attic door entrances, light fixtures and ceiling fans, replacing our attic ventilation fan and weather-stripping our exterior doors. The only thing we need to hire professional help on is re-sealing our duct work and adding more insulation to our attic.”
Save more with 2009 Tax Credits
The good news is that Congress signed into law new consumer tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements. These provisions were included in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
You can get a one-time income tax credit of up to $500 in total for installing energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in your home. The home improvement tax credits apply for improvements “placed in service” from Jan. 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2009. Visit energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm for more information.
* Source: Associated Press, The Montgomery Advertiser, “Power Rates to Rise Twice,” Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008.
Quick Energy Saving Tips
- Washing clothes in cold water instead of warm or hot water can save up to $167 per year.*
- Setting your thermostat at 68 degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer can save you big. You pay about 3-5% more for every degree you adjust your thermostat above in the winter and below in the summer.**
- Change the setting on your hot water heater. Dixie Electric recommends 120 degrees for electric, and the warm setting for gas hot water heaters. Water heating is the third largest energy expense in your home.***
- Put a dry towel in the dryer with a wet load of clothes to speed drying time.
Install aerators on faucets. The less hot water you use, the more money you save.
* Source: Saving Electricity.
** Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
*** Source: Interview with Amy Calhoun, Dixie Electric Cooperative.
