The SMUD Home Performance Program has just announced a significant increase in rebate levels! The basic Prescriptive Level that consists of air sealing, insulation and duct sealing went from $1,000 to $1,500. For the advanced Performance Level the following increases are now in effect: Improvement Level Old Rebate New Rebate 20% $2,000 [...]
Posts Tagged Home Performance
After kind of a slow start last fall, the SMUD Home performance program part of the Energy Upgrade California program has been going in full swing for a few months now. I thought it would be interesting to share some results of the program by profiling a recent project I completed in Fair Oaks. In [...]
Last Friday I attended the contractor kickoff meeting for SMUD’s Home Performance Program. Promoted as a soft launch, between now and September SMUD staff will verify eligibility requirements of participating contractors and gear up for a media campaign involving print, online, television and radio advertisements. Here are the basics of how the program will work: [...]
Here’s a good article and graphic from Fine Homebuilding by Martin Holladay, Senior Editor of GreenBuildingAdvisor.com. It outlines a 10 step program that’s guaranteed to reduce your utility costs. It’s along the lines of the page found on this site, but includes a pyramid shaped graphic that’s kinda cool. As always the first step is a [...]
In the last few months we have heard a lot of discussion on upcoming home performance incentive programs that will be offering great opportunities for homeowners to increase the comfort and efficiency of their homes. Whether it’s PACE , utility programs or the Home Star legislation, interested consumers and members of my industry have been [...]
We have completed our client interview and are armed with a list of issues based on that conversation and our analysis of the homes energy usage patterns from the last 12 months utility bills. I use a data collection form I put together which is part checklist and part list of prompts that I use as [...]
The last post in this series discussed the benefits of a comprehensive energy audit as a starting point for any serious energy improvements. Not only will the information gathered assist in putting together an effective game plan, it will be required for most incentive programs including SMUD‘s Home Performance Program and Home Star. The [...]
With the emphasis on energy efficiency and upcoming local opportunities like SMUD’s Home Performance Program and AB811 funding, I thought it might be helpful to provide some information on what you can expect during an energy audit. Part of the reason being an audit will be required to take advantage of the larger incentive levels in most [...]
First lets look at some ways a remodel can affect your whole house. You might be planning to do a simple kitchen or bath remodel. You would never think that it could affect the other areas of the your home that aren’t included in the remodel scope of work. Many of the neighborhoods I [...]
Infrared Thermal Imaging
May 3
Originally developed by the U.S. military as an advanced weapon sighting technology FLIR or Forward Looking Infra Red thermal imagers were eventually adapted by firefighters to aid in identifying hidden fires in walls and looking for victims in low-visibility smoke environments. Unlike x-ray technology infrared does not see through a material but graphically measures subtle [...]
Ductwork Testing
Apr 29
Based on field testing conducted statewide over a number of years, the California Energy Commission estimates the average duct leakage in California homes regardless of size and vintage to be 30%.
This translates into an increase in heating and cooling costs of approximately 20% for the average home.
It’s a given that a green home should provide its occupants with superior indoor air quality, but the reality is all homes need good ventilation to exchange indoor air often containing moisture, odors and pollutants with fresh outdoor air. Thanks to environmental programs such as the Clean Air Act and other regulation our outdoor air [...]
California First is a statewide program adopted earlier this year in Sacramento allowing property owners to participate in the state’s AB811 program, providing financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrade to their properties. California First is an example of a Property Assessed Clean Energy or PACE program. Here are some of the basics of how [...]
