Free Home Energy Audits for DC Residents
Posted on August 27th, 2010 by Sulaiman
Calling all DC Residents!!!!
Guess what? If you are a homeowner in the District of Columbia, and your home is a:
The program promotes energy efficiency assessments for single family homes in the District. Based on a home energy rating system, auditors will suggest specific cost-effective, energy efficient improvements that should be done to reduce the home’s operational costs and improve comfort.
Such improvements and ratings may help you qualify for lower rate mortgages or energy efficiency home mortgages. Your energy rating should also help sellers be more attractive to home buyers.
What is a home energy rating?
The Home Energy Rating is a standard measurement of a home’s energy efficiency. An energy rating allows a homebuyer to easily compare the energy costs for the homes being considered. A homeowner who wants to upgrade the home’s energy efficiency can use the energy rating to evaluate and pinpoint specific cost-effective improvement needs.
Home energy ratings involve an on-site inspection of a home by a residential energy efficiency professional, a home energy rater. DDOE has selected Elysian Energy, LLC to conduct the Home Energy Ratings. As a rule, home energy raters come from either the housing or energy fields. Their backgrounds include experience as home inspectors, appraisers, energy auditors, low-income Weatherization contractors, and energy efficient homebuilders and designers.
The home energy rater inspects the home and measures energy characteristics such as: insulation levels, window efficiency, wall-to-wall ratios, the heating and cooling system efficiency, the solar orientation of the home, and the water heating system. Diagnostic testing, which may include a blower door for air leakage and duct leakage testing, is often part of the rating.
The data gathered by the home energy rater is entered into a computer program and translated into points. The home receives a point score between 1 and 100, depending on its relative efficiency. An estimate of the home’s energy costs is also provided. The home’s energy efficiency is then equated to a STAR rating ranging from 1 STAR for a very inefficient home to a 5 STAR for a highly efficient home. Along with the rating sheet, homeowners receive a report listing cost-effective options for improving the home’s energy rating.
FIVE STAR + (PLUS) = EXTREMELY EFFICIENT
FIVE STAR = VERY EFFICENT
FOUR STAR + + = EFFICIENT
FOUR STAR = GOOD
THREE STAR + + = ABOVE AVERAGE
THREE STAR = AVERAGE
TWO STAR + + = BELOW AVERAGE
TWO STAR = FAIR
ONE STAR + + = POOR
ONE STAR = EXTREMLY POOROne of the major differences between a home energy rating and an energy audit or Weatherization assessment is that the rating is a recognized tool in the mortgage process. Home energy ratings are valuable to the housing industry and can be utilized in a variety of ways. The information derived from the home energy rating provides important information about a home’s performance and the economic analysis necessary to support lending decisions.
Sign Up Here for your “Free Home Energy Audit”
In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) extends, expands, and simplifies the federal income tax credits for homeowners who make energy efficiency home improvements. The law extends the consumer tax benefits for another year, through 2010; triples the total available tax credit from $500 to $1,500; and increases the tax credit to 30 percent of the cost of each qualified energy efficiency improvement. The law also removes the cap on geothermal heat pumps and solar water heaters through 2016
More green info? Also enjoy some very cool videos at sobukaTV for more emerging green news. Sobuka can also help you find a green contractor in your area. Search with your zip code and also find out which rebates you may qualify for in your area.
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- Greening your home: Part 5 of 5
- Greening your home: Part 1 of 5
- Time to eMonitor your home
- Greening your home: Part 2 of 5
Tags: Dc residents gets free energy audits, Energy Audits, energy efficiency, energy usage control, Free Energy Audits, Home, Home Energy Audits in DC, Solar Energy, thermal image, Washington DC, weatherization, windows
This entry was posted on Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 11:15 pm and is filed under Energy Audits, Environment, Featured Content. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Free Home Energy Audits for DC Residents
via sobuka.com
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