In addition to upgrading attic insulation and installing a radiant barrier, homeowners can save big by swapping out old, inefficient, appliances with new energy star approved appliance that require far less energy to operate.
Texas’ rebate plan for upgrading to energy efficient appliance last April was not exactly the success it was meant to be. The company hired to operate the rebate program was unprepared for the onslaught of applicants and couldn’t keep up. Their website and call centers we’re overloaded to the point that the majority of calls we’re dropped and the website crashed, leaving a lot of hopeful applicants disappointed. Luckily there are still funds available and the state is gearing up to try again. Here is an excerpt from a Dallas Morning News article about the rebate program.
The Dallas Morning News
8:46 AM CDT on Thursday, September 2, 2010
The state still has $10 million left over from April’s grueling attempt to give away $23 million in federal energy efficiency money to people who upgraded appliances.
Last time, the comptroller asked people to reserve rebates online or over the phone before buying the appliances. The website and call center became overloaded. Then, many of the lucky reservation winners didn’t even use the rebates.
So the comptroller’s office is going to keep it simple this time: Buy an appliance, mail in a rebate application. The comptroller will hire an outside company to dole out money until it runs out.
“We didn’t want to deal with another potential problem with reservation systems, and we also looked at what other states had done,” comptroller spokesman R.J. DeSilva said.
He said the state will offer rebates in December or January.
The money will go toward the same categories of appliances: refrigerators, air conditioners, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, heat pumps and water heaters. You can’t give the old appliance away or sell it – the idea is to replace the old appliance with a more efficient model.
DeSilva said the company that operated the last rebate program that so infuriated applicants won’t get full payment for the service. He said the comptroller will pay Helgeson Enterprises Inc. $250,000 for running the website and call centers in April, rather than the full $876,500 in the contract.
A spokesman for Helgeson declined to comment.
DeSilva said the comptroller will put out a request for bids to find a company to run the follow-up rebate giveaway.
The Helgeson call center dropped three-fourths of the calls from people seeking rebates in April. The call center was flooded when the website became overloaded. DeSilva said Helgeson didn’t have as much server capacity as it claimed to process Web applications.
Windows are great for seeing stuff that’s outside your house, but they’re terrible at regulating indoor temperature. Aside from upgrading your attic insulation and adding a radiant barrier, making your windows work harder to keep out heat in the Summer is one of the best ways to reduce utility bills and increase energy efficiency. And we really love energy efficiency.
1. Install energy-efficient low-e (low-emissivity) windows. Note that soft-coat low-e windows provide somewhat higher efficiency than hard-coat low-e windows.
2. Plant a tree to shade a hot window. Choose a deciduous tree if you want the sun to warm the window in wintertime.
3. Install wood shutters (either colonial or plantation style) or two-inch-wide wooden venetian blinds over the window and close them when the sun beams directly in. Wood has excellent heat-blocking properties.
4. Hang pleated window shades with three (or at least two) layers of honeycomb fabric.
5. Apply a thermal window film. Do-it-yourself films are available at home centers.
6. Layer traditional window treatments by putting generously shirred sheers (don’t let them touch the glass) followed by an air gap and then a lined window treatment that you close during the heat of the day. The air gaps between the glass, the sheers, and the lined window treatment provide insulation.
7. Line draperies with suedelike, thermal fabric.
8. Mount a roller shade behind your curtains or drapes and pull it down during the heat of the day. Or install a custom-made foil-core roller shade that’s energy-efficient enough to be a stand-alone heat barrier.
9. Select the right vertical blinds if that’s your window treatment of choice. Choose curved louvers with fabric inserts that close snugly for the best barrier; you can enhance their efficiency with a window shade installed behind the vertical blinds.
10. Sew your own “sheers” out of white shade cloth, a sun-filtering mesh sold at garden centers.
Ceiling fans make a huge difference in our hot Texas summers. If you don’t have a ceiling fan in the rooms you spend time in, Mills can help. Click here or call us today!
Circulating fans include ceiling fans, table fans, floor fans, and fans mounted to poles or walls. These fans create a wind chill effect that will make you more comfortable in your home, even if it’s also cooled by natural ventilation or air conditioning. Ceiling fans are considered the most effective of these types of fans, since they effectively circulate the air in a room to create a draft throughout the room.
If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort. In temperate climates, or during moderately hot weather, ceiling fans may allow you to avoid using your air conditioner altogether. Install a fan in each room that needs to be cooled during hot weather.
Ceiling fans are only appropriate in rooms with ceilings at least eight feet high. Fans work best when the blades are 7–9 feet above the floor and 10–12 inches below the ceiling. Fans should be installed so their blades are no closer than 8 inches from the ceiling and 18 inches from the walls.
Larger ceiling fans can move more air than smaller fans. A 36- or 44-inch diameter fan will cool rooms up to 225 square feet, while fans that are 52 inches or more should be used in larger rooms. Multiple fans work best in rooms longer than 18 feet. Small- and medium-sized fans will provide efficient cooling in a 4- to 6-foot diameter area, while larger fans are effective up to 10 feet.
A larger blade will also provide comparable cooling at a lower velocity than a smaller blade. This may be important in areas where loose papers or other objects will be disturbed by a strong breeze. The fan should also be fitted to the aesthetics of the room—a large fan may appear overpowering in a small room.
A more expensive fan that operates quietly and smoothly will probably offer more trouble-free service than cheaper units. Check the noise ratings, and, if possible, listen to your fan in operation before you buy it.
When buying window fans, look for the ENERGY STAR® label. Fans that earn the label move air 20% more efficiently, on average, than standard models.
Upgrading your attic insulation and adding a radiant barrier may be the best ways to efficiency-ize your home, but there are some other things you can do. Installing and correctly using a programmable thermostat is incredibly easy and often overlooked. But if this is a bit overwhelming for you, Mills would be happy to help you choose, install and learn to use a programmable thermostat. This video from US Dept of Energy is a great introduction.
In 2010, Americans will spend $101.6 billion on controlling the temperature of their homes. The average person spends 90% of their time indoors, more than half of which is at home. The more time we spend inside, the more money we spend on heating and cooling our home. If your home is not as efficient as it could possibly be, you are throwing your money away!
When we refer to your home’s efficiency, we’re talking about how well it uses it’s heating and air conditioning system. A poorly insulated home or one with ducts, windows and doors that leak air wouldn’t able to stay cool even with the most powerful AC system. Right now, you may be spending thousands of dollars every year that you don’t need to spend. With a more efficient home, a single upfront investment takes the place of repeated monthly investments that will never end.
Your home is where you spend the majority of your time and it only makes sense to make your home as efficient as possible. Take control of your utility bills and start telling your money where you want it to go, instead of being forced to pay your house to work harder than it has to. Get your money’s worth by giving Mills Efficient Home a call today. Our online quote builder help you figure the best and cheapest way to get your home back in shape and start saving you some serious cash.
Did you know that the typical U.S. family spends about $1,900 a year on home utility bills? Unfortunately, a large portion of that energy is wasted. And each year, electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars.
Right in your own home, you have the power to reduce energy demand, and when you reduce demand, you cut the amount of resources, like coal and gas, needed to make energy—that means you create less greenhouse gas emissions, which keeps air cleaner for all of us…and saves on your utility bills! Plus, reducing energy use increases our energy security.
