Homeowners Cash in on Conserve and Save program
By: Ashley Peterson
Posted: Monday, October 18, 2010 10:14 pm
Kirchner Siding and Windows insulators Jeremy Carey, left, and Jake Rudningen work on attic bypasses and air sealing at the home of Bob and Pat Fischer in Owatonna.
By ASHLEY PETERSON
apeterson@owatonna.com
OWATONNA — As temperatures dip and frost threatens to make an appearance on grounds and windows, homeowners become especially aware of energy loss throughout their homes.
At a time when both federal and local rebates are available for many kinds of energy saving products and procedures, Owatonna Public Utilities is teaming up with energy auditors and qualified contractors to conduct “house calls” for any homeowners that are interested in conserving both energy and money.
Both OPU and Austin Utilities have implemented the Conserve and Save House Call program — a process of home energy audits that begins with an energy auditor coming to a home and assessing any points of energy loss. Common targets for poor energy usage are inadequate or old insulation, leaky windows and gaps in air ducts as well as outdated appliances.
Roger Warehime, Manager of External Relations and Energy Management at Owatonna Public Utilities, said the OPU-sponsored program has been up and running since the beginning of the year and as of mid-October, 106 house calls have been made in the Owatonna area.
“It’s part of our energy conservation requirement and goals,” Warehime said of the Conserve and Save program. “So it adds more value for our customers and helps us achieve a greater energy savings.”
A standard house call includes a consultation with a qualified energy auditor who studies the history of energy use throughout the home, assesses appliances and performs a blower door test which can determine the amount of energy that is wasted through heating vents, poor attic insulation and windows. From there, the auditor suggests procedures to fix those issues and the homeowner can call a quality contractor who will take care of those issues, as well as help the homeowner cash in on rebates available for attic air sealing, attic insulation and wall insulation — all of which can add up to more than $650.
In addition to the local energy audit program, there are larger state and federal rebates available for Owatonnans looking to start saving on their energy bill.
Though only 12 days remain in October’s National Energy Awareness Month, homeowners have until the end of the year to take advantage of a possible $1,500 worth of Federal Energy Tax Credits through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and have ample time to reap the benefits of a local solar thermal system rebate.
In addition to the Conserve and Save program and federal tax credits, local power utilities in Owatonna, Rochester and Austin along with Minnesota Office of Energy Security are offering solar thermal system rebates — rebates that could pay for up to 30 percent of the total cost of a solar thermal system.
Warehime said though local rebates for solar thermal have been available since the beginning of the year, no business or resident in Owatonna has taken advantage of the energy saving system and the rebates available just yet.
“We haven’t really marketed it strongly yet,” Warehime said of the rebate.
Solar thermal systems are a specific form of solar technology that uses solar panels to utilize the sun’s rays to then heat water and air. Solar panels have been popular in conserving electric energy; so much that all of the state’s $2.5 million of solar electric rebates have been claimed. The solar thermal rebates, however, still have most of the $500,000 allocated for solar thermal reimbursement available through the state.
The Minnesota Office of Energy Security estimates the average cost of a residential solar thermal system for both water and space heating can range from $20,000 to $25,000 before rebates or incentives.
“The financial investment is pretty significant. It is still a fact that energy conservation is much more effective than renewable energy systems,” Warehime said.
In an effort to make solar thermal systems more affordable, a federal tax credit of 30 percent (with no cap) of the cost of a residential or business system installed between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 16, 2016 is available. In addition to the federal tax break, OPU is offering up to an additional $1,200 rebate.
Warehime said OPU’s current primary focus is on conservation, which is encouraged through rebates for energy efficient windows, attic air sealing and insulation — energy savers that Warehime said are the “biggest bang for the buck.”
Also echoing the value of conservation is Dean Kirchner from Kirchner Siding and Windows. He said before he begins any insulation project or energy savings procedure, he recommends homeowners have the home energy audit completed through OPU’s Conserve and Save House Call program.
“If I come in and do insulation, the homeowner would get 10 cents per square foot for insulation rebates. Whereas when an auditor comes in and suggests the insulation, homeowners get 15 cents a square foot in addition to $200 for adding bypass ceiling and $150 for attic insulation,” Kirchner said. “That’s why homeowners need to have a home energy audit done, because there’s more rebates you can get through OPU if their auditor comes in and says the stuff needs to be done.”
Most of the local OPU rebates are offered only for work recommended by auditors contracted through the Conserve & Save House Call program. Upcoming Conserve & Save workshops are slated for Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Owatonna Senior Center and Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the JC Hormel Nature Center in Austin. The workshop is a free educational workshop that educates homeowners on how to lower their energy use and save money. Childcare is available. By attending the workshop, owners can schedule a Conserve and Save House Call — a $300 value — at a reduced rate of $25. Anyone interested in scheduling a local house call can call OPU at 507-451-2480.
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