Times Argus
This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.timesargus.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.
Back
Article published Feb 3, 2008 Audit shows a vapor trail The first step to breaking a home's addiction to foreign oil is finding where its problems are
By Bruce Edwards Staff Writer
Vermont homeowners bemoaning heating oil prices that are well above $3 a gallon still have significant control over their heating and energy costs.
It starts with an energy audit.
An energy audit can detect any number of "holes" in a home where heat and energy are being lost. Those so-called holes can be filled with better insulation, caulking and sealing around doors and windows, cleaning and tuning the oil burner and using energy efficient lighting and appliances.
Efficiency Vermont, the state's energy efficiency utility, which works with homeowners and businesses, has seen a marked jump in the public's interest on a variety of energy-related issues.
"Our customer service staff is getting hundreds and hundreds of calls, week after week on the issues," said Blair Hamilton, executive director of Efficiency Vermont.
Efficiency Vermont's Web page saw 30,985 hits last year, nearly five times the number of hits the year before.
The utility's customer service department handles an average of 46 calls per week (888-921-5990) on energy audits or calls related to energy savings.
The Efficiency Vermont Web site helps homeowners find one of 20 private contractors that are certified to perform audits and energy-saving improvements through the Home Performance with Energy Star program.
Hamilton said a specialist trained and certified by Efficiency Vermont will come into a home and not only look at energy savings.
"When you look at energy improvements to a home you're really looking at a complex system, where you have to be concerned about combustion safety, indoor air quality, moisture," he said. "All of these things get changed when you start doing things like tightening up a building, adding insulation or changing out heating equipment."
Those improvements can cost between $1,000 and $10,000, according to the Efficiency Vermont Web site. For a homeowner spending $3,000 a year on energy, energy improvements can reduce that cost by $1,000, "resulting in a short payback period."
"I would say savings can vary considerably but the vast majority of houses can profit by reducing air leakage, which is usually the most cost-effective thing to do," Hamilton said.
He said getting a handle on air leakage is not a do-it-yourself project but requires a professional.
Bill Calfee of Peak Energy Solutions in Dorset will spend between 5 and 8 hours performing a home energy audit.
Calfee comes to a home armed with some pretty sophisticated equipment to measure heat and energy loss. In his arsenal is a digital infrared camera that sees blue and red that represents variation in temperature.
"If I look at a wall that doesn't have insulation in one of the bays inside the wall, that bay would show up as cold or show up as blue," he said.
A poorly insulated home is a major source of heat loss, with the attic a prime culprit.
Fiberglass insulation has been the most popular insulating material but Calfee says that if not fitted properly or disturbed over the years, fiberglass insulation lets cold air into a home.
A better choice, he says, is using cellulose that's blown in walls and attic. Made from 80 percent recycled paper and 20 percent borates (similar to boric acid), cellulose is a far better insulating material because it's loose and better able to fill all the nooks and crannies. He said fire resistant cellulose also has the added advantage of deterring mice.
"Correcting problems in an attic is much easier and less expensive and gives you a much quicker return on investment than doing stuff in the walls," Calfee said.
Interior walls and chimneys that aren't sealed well are other sources of heat loss as are foundations. For foundations, Calfee suggests using a foam insulation.
Another piece of high-tech equipment that Calfee uses is what's called a blower door. When attached to an exterior door, the equipment - a calibrated fan - checks for air leaks, both cold air coming in and warm air leaking out.
His audits also check heating and gas systems for safety and efficiency.
Unless absolutely necessary, Calfee says replacing an oil burner is an expensive proposition with a return on investment that is years down the road.
With energy prices at levels never seen before and people more environmentally aware, Calfee has no shortage of customers.
"I've always been busy but right now I think I'm scheduled going into March," he said. "So it's definitely busier now than it's been."
Depending on the size of a home, he said a typical energy audit costs between $400 and $700.
"I typically save people 30 percent of their heating and electric bills," he said, adding those investments usually pay for themselves in five years.
In addition to having the attic properly insulated, Calfee says the least expensive improvements with a faster return on investment are caulking and weather stripping and making sure the furnace and hot water heater are properly maintained.
Calfee, who has a degree in biology, owned a water testing business before starting his energy audit business. He is one of Efficiency Vermont's approved specialists, certified by the Building Performance Institute.
Following completion of a written audit report, Calfee has a list of certified contractors to perform the recommended improvements.
Homeowners can also save money on their electric bills.
The easiest and most cost-effective improvement is to install energy-efficient fluorescent lighting. Energy Star-rated appliances, including washers, dryers and refrigerators, will also save a homeowner money.
For low-income Vermonters, the five community action agencies around the state will pick up the tab for energy audits and recommended improvements to the home.
Ed Fuller, weatherization program manager at BROC - Community Action Agency in Southwestern Vermont, has a backlog of audit requests.
"We're backed up right now about three to four months out," Fuller said.
Higher fuel prices have increased demand for audits among low-income homeowners, especially for those receiving fuel assistance.
"People are using up their allotment a lot quicker this year than they have in past years," Fuller said. "Matter of fact, a lot of people are already out of their fuel assistance money because it's based on dollars not gallons."
Again, one fairly inexpensive way to save on heating costs is caulking and sealing doors and windows and other weatherization measures. According to the Department of Energy, such improvements can reduce heating bills by an average of 31 percent and reduce overall energy costs by $358 a year.
One of the challenges with buttoning up a home in the state is that Vermont's housing stock is among the oldest in the country, Fuller said.
But Fuller's job goes beyond overseeing the agency's weatherization program.
"A lot of what we do is educate our clients on how to use their home," he said.
That means common-sense solutions, including closing doors and windows and shutting off lights. Installing setback thermostats saves energy by automatically lowering the thermostat at night and raising it in the morning. Another energy-saving tip is to lower the temperature on the electric water heater from 140 to 120 degrees.
BROC and the other community action agencies also pay for recommended improvements including energy-efficient fluorescent lighting, refrigerators and in some cases even standalone freezers.
And if deemed unsafe, Fuller said BROC will pay to replace a furnace.
For other homeowners, Efficiency Vermont can put homeowners in touch with banks that offer low-interest financing for home improvements. Hamilton also said that rebates are available for residents for some appliances that are Energy Star rated.
Contact Bruce Edwards at bruce.edwards@rutlandherald.com.