It is cold, just in time for a crazy good rebate on heaters, insulation, and more. A very lucrative, new limited time California energy efficiency rebate is available where you can receive up to $4500 in rebates from Energy Upgrade California program. PG&E, SCE, San Diego Gas & Electric – SDG&E, or BVE. customers have this program available. This program is focused on a whole house approach to saving energy. San Francisco Bay Area information line 855-464-8484. This program ends in 2013.

The goal of the program is:

• Get rebates, financing, and incentives to reduce the cost of your home upgrade
• Reduce energy use
• Live in a more comfortable home

Even Larger Rebates

If you live in San Mateo County, you can receive up to an additional $500. San Francisco residents could receive an additional $1000.

Some Counties are even subsidizing the home energy audit costs.  Check with your local County.

Acterra has free energy audits for residents of:

• Atherton
• Los Altos Hills
• Monte Sereno
• Portola Valley
• Woodside

Funding for Energy Upgrade California comes from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as Federal Stimulus Funds, California utility ratepayers, and private contributions.

Qualification:

• You must own a single-family home, commercial, or multifamily property and be a qualifying California utility company customer.
• You must be current on property taxes and liens.
• Participating contractors are specially trained for this program.
• There are 2 upgrade packages:

1. Basic Upgrade Package – 7 required measures (Air sealing, attic insulation, duct sealing, hot water pipe insulation, thermostatic shutoff valve, carbon monoxide monitor) that together could reduce your energy consumption by an average of 10%. Up to $1000 rebate.
2. Advanced Upgrade Package - A home energy audit which includes energy modeling must be completed by a certified energy auditor. A customized solution (Basic upgrade package plus high-efficiency furnace, energy-efficient cooling, water heater system, energy efficient Windows, duct replacement, wall insulation) with energy savings of 15 to 40%, with incentives from $1250 – $4000 depending on efficiency improvement. The amount of the rebate you get is based on energy modeling software that shows how much energy your home will save after an energy upgrade remodel.

Energy Upgrade CA approves the project after the audit is done and before the work is done.

A verification test is done after the work is finished by PG&E auditors.

Contact your qualified local contractor or Home Energy Audit firm via the Energy Upgrade CA website today to participate in Energy Upgrade California.

GreenPoint rating

If you add green measures to the Upgrade Package, your home may qualify for the GreenPoint Rated label and receive up to $1000. This validates that your home has been remodeled according to established green standards.

Be sure to take advantage of the Federal Tax Credit to receive additional money back in addition to those received under Energy Upgrade California!

Energy Upgrade California Analysis

Analysis done at the end of summer 2012, found that the Energy Commission paid out $40.9 million in rebates but spent $56.5 million in creating the program, marketing it, and administering it. Few cash poor consumers were willing to take the plunge. Banks were hesitant to lend money for this energy upgrade work. Stimulus money is now all gone, so energy upgrade California is being funded by our electric bills.

Utility companies have asked that this program be continued for another two years, but it remains to be seen if the California Public Utilities Commission will allow this.

Housing accounts for 20% of total US energy use with heating a cooling consuming a whopping 44% of residential energy use.

Home Energy Audits or Home Energy Assessments can help pinpoint energy problems in your home and offer you fixes that will save you energy and money. These professionals should provide you with analysis of your home, a list of items that need fixing, the cost to fix them, and the estimated cost savings.

We recently had a Home Energy Audit done, to comply with the Energy Upgrade California Rebate Program. Being environmentally conscious, we wanted to ensure everything in to save energy.

SDI Energy Audit November 2011

We had to choose a contractor that was on the approved list for Energy Upgrade California. SDI of Burlingame, California was selected because they seemed pretty thorough, knew about the rebates, and were priced reasonably at $500.

The company was pretty thorough with their energy audit and performed the following tests:

1. We provided statistics regarding our home, including one year of PG&E bills
2. They photographed and mapped out the entire house
3. We voiced our concerns over problem areas and upgrade interests
4. They identified all air vents and sealed them to perform duct pressure test. This checks to see how much our ducts leak by blowing air into the return
5. Gas and carbon monoxide leak tests – appliances, water heater, heater, stove. This actually found a leak by the water heater and the heater, which PG&E fixed for free.
6. They performed a 64 point combustion safety test
7. Combustion gas test with all fans turned on, doors set to worst case, they attempted to find whether gases or carbon monoxide was being emitted by our gas burning appliances. This test found that some of our stove top burners were emitting carbon monoxide. We had them check by a pro.
8. They checked the walls, attic, and floorboards for insulation
9. They used a pressure and flow gauge to measure how much air was flowing in and out of the home
10. Blower test – with all windows closed, fans off, they checked how leaky our home was
11. Crawl space inspection. Checking for insulation, noting whether rodents were present, and looking for plumbing penetrations
12. Checking the amount of air exchanges our receives. Adequate fresh air is important

In the end, they offered some useful suggestions including additional insulation and weather stripping. We were interested in replacing our 20 year old central gas forced air furnace, so they went back to analyze the costs and benefits of doing so. In contrast to an energy audit the previous year, SDI did not have equipment to look inside walls like a borascope. The criteria that they used was similar. Our home performed better than expected, probably due to all the changes we have made over the years.

Recurve Energy Audit 2010

Previously we had an energy audit performed by Recurve.

They where formerly known as Sustainable spaces. We had a 50% off coupon which made the decision to use them easier. Their normal price is $750.  We feel that the price should be a lot cheaper or free considering they want to sell you items.  Before the audit, we sent them the last years gas and power bills.

They had a team of people mapping out the layout of the house with laser measuring equipment, this generates information for their energy internal modeling software.

Recurve used a borascope to look inside our walls and check for insulation.

They ventured deep into our crawlspace to check out our heating and ventilation.

This found many interesting holes in our floor like this one. Every wire or cable that is run helps turn your floor into Swiss cheese.

A Fluke Thermal Imager was used to look at our walls and ceiling for insulation and possible heat leaks using infrared technology.  It is hard to rip up walls to add insulation but they make it clear that future remodels should incorporate more insulation. A $50 Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector can help you pinpoint air leaks the DIY way.

Air vents were covered during their air blower tests.

Checking airflow at the vents with a balometer.

Checking heating equipment, operation, make, model.

Recessed light fixtures can be a source of heat loss.

Air blower test with conduct in this special apparatus in our front door.

A couple days after the odd results were sent over to us. They detailed where energy was being lost in our home. The energy audit then suggested how to mitigate these problems.

This report examined our heating equipment and made some recommendations. They found some broken air vents, and asbestos in heating boots. Our home was relatively well sealed resulting in less air changes than suggested.

In the end, we found the home energy audit to be useful in analyzing our home’s energy profile. Recurve focused mostly on our heating – HVAC needs. The firm made several recommendations, many of which were very pricey. No return on investment information was provided. Clearly they make their money on repairs not on doing the audit itself. They should have provided some basic information on how to save energy and how things tie into our solar power system. We had several drafty areas that did not receive the analysis we asked for.

We tried to contact them for some followup work and they never returned our emails.

Here are some certifications to look for in a firm:

RESNET or Residential Energy Services Network certification means the firm has been trained and demonstrated technical proficiency.

BPI or Building Performance Institute Accredited companies have completed rigorous training, administered by a network of affiliates, in home performance evaluation focusing on this house-as-a-system concept.

Be sure to read our article: Ways to Save Energy, Money on your energy bill

We recently did a home energy audit, and as a result found out that there was some asbestos in our heating system.  It causes Mesothelioma cancer if it becomes flaky and is blown around. Obviously we want to remove it from our home. Doing it ourself by wearing Personal protective gear, was out of the question.

You need equipment to cover you from head to toe and to filter the air you are breathing to avoid any contact with asbestos fibers. Non-fogging goggles for eye protection, rubber gloves and boots, and disposable coveralls including booties will protect skin and eyes. You will need a special respirator with a pair of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.

We contacted several asbestos abatement companies, got bids, and selected one that looked reasonable.

The company first covers all heating vents, sets up a negative air flow and containment area. They then removed the offending asbestos while wearing protective gear. The containment area needs to stay in place overnight so you cannot use your heating or cooling systems during this time. Try to do this asbestos removal during the summer months otherwise you might freeze for a couple days. Most companies do not do HVAC work, so you need to hire a firm to restore your heating system.