Energy Audit Information – Save $ and Stay Warm!

By Christin Walth

This week I had the long-awaited pleasure of having Bob Hadley visit my home. Bob works for Conservation Services Group (CSG), a nonprofit organization, with a contract from National Grid and NStar to provide free energy audits for their gas and electric customers in the Merrimack Valley and North Shore. As the project coordinator for multifamily buildings of 5+ units, Bob came to audit my unit in Merrimac Landing (across from the Firehouse) to create a proposal that ideally, my neighbors would participate in as well.

Bob did a room by room inspection of my condo, with most of the time spent looking at lighting fixtures and noting how many would be eligible for free CLF bulbs – and possibly entire new fixtures. In the kitchen alone, he noted that free upgrades to the fixture and different bulbs would cut my energy consumption by close to half for that fixture.
Bob took a look at my refrigerator which was purchased in 2005. He noted that it was not Energy Star compliant but would definitely not recommend replacing it. As a rule, refrigerators purchased before 1992 should be replaced – and may be eligible for a $150 rebate through the program. One note Bob made was how many people use older refrigerators in basements or garages to store extra food or drinks. Some of these refrigerators from 1992 and earlier could be costing up to $30/month to operate – making for some mighty expensive beer!

Bob said he would put a new programmable thermostat in the proposal and also offered this tidbit: when you want to increase the temperature in your home, do so a degree or two at a time instead of turning it up five or more degrees. When my particular type of electrical heating (heat pump) is engaged, it draws warm air from outside. When you demand a large, fast increase in room temperature, the unit then employs heating coils to warm up air faster – and this also makes your meter run faster! Slow and steady increases will cost you much less.

When looking at my hallway fixtures, he said that he would, as a part of his report, send a link to a website where I could look at entirely new fixtures that would be far more energy efficient – and the cost could even be covered by the program! He then looked in the bathroom and noted that my current light fixture used eight 40-watt bulbs. These could be replaced by similar bulbs using a mere 5 watts per bulb!

Finally, for my unit, the attic. Because I have insulation in the attic roof, I have “corrupted” the “envelope” of my unit. Ideally, insulation would only be in the floor of the attic and not the roof so as to not create a warm space where moisture can condense. In addition, because my attic is fully floored, it was difficult to know how much insulation was in the floor. Bob said to wait until the air blower test was done to see if the roof insulation should be pulled down and additional insulation piped under the attic floor. Also, as a part of his proposal he would note the benefit of having a “thermo dome” for the attic door and fold down stairs. This will be provided and installed through the program.

Bob was unsure that upgrades to the common areas of my building would qualify for program funds but was kind enough to go on a full tour and will include aspects in his proposal. One of the biggest things that could be done would be to change our 12 EXIT signs to LCD signs. This would bring energy usage from 40 watts to 1.5 watts per hour. This is especially significant when you consider there are 12 signs lit 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. This single action could save 96% energy consumption from ~4200 kilo watts per year to ~157 kilowatts per year for an annual savings of over $620! Numerous other light fixture and bulb upgrades could result in significant savings, in many cases bringing energy consumption down by ~50%.

While most if not all upgrades within residential units in my mixed-use building will be covered in full through the program, upgrades in the common area will most likely require some investment from the multiple unit owners. Bob will detail costs and see if and how much the program will cover in his proposal – that will be sent via email in a couple of weeks!
If you live in a 5+ residential unit building and would like to schedule an audit, call 1- 800-594-7277. If you live in a 1-4 residential unit structure and are interested in an audit, please call 1-800-632-8300. After viewing your home and talking with you in person, an expert will assess your current energy use, develop customized recommendations, and set up an appointment with a weatherization contractor.

Additional information:
CSG is a Massachusetts company located in Westboro but in its 25+ years, has expanded to 21 states providing this same auditing service as a contractor to numerous utilities.
There are three different energy conservation programs funded by the Massachusetts mandate on utilities to collect from customers (not funded by tax dollars).

1. Mass SAVE for residential buildings, single family homes and condos with 2-4 units.
2. National Grid’s EnergyWise, is for multifamily dwellings of 5 or more units.

Both of these programs are administered by CSG through the NGrid or NStar utilities.

Finally there is also Small C&I (commercial and industry) which is contracted out to a firm called RISE Engineering. The benefits and rebates are different for each program.

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Christin Walth is a contributing editor to Newburyport-Today. She lives in Downtown Newburyport and will be penning a weekly column on life in the City. We welcome Christin to the staff of Newburyport-Today. She can be reached for comment at cwalth@comcast.net