Details

What: Two community Energy Upgrade California workshops are scheduled locally

When and where: 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at the Woodland Community and Senior Center, 2001 East St., and 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 14, at the Community Chambers at Davis City Hall, 23 Russell Blvd.

Info: http://www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org or Jenifer Segar, project manager, [email protected]

You want to reduce your carbon footprint and save money on your utility bills but you don’t have time to research your options. A new statewide program, Energy Upgrade California, is now offering you the whole package: a list of most cost-effective investments, rebates, tax credits, financing and certified contractors.  It’s one-stop shopping.

Thousands of dollars are available for energy upgrades to residential property this year through a new statewide program, Energy Upgrade California. More than $4,000 in rebates, incentives and tax credits (even more depending on the utility provider) are available for home improvements that save energy.

Information about upgrading your home is now located in one place — a new Web portal covering all 58 counties at http://www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org.

Consumers no longer need to sort through a maze of websites and time-consuming phone calls to research their home improvements or connect to qualified contractors.  Using the program’s Web portal, property owners can enter their ZIP code or county to learn about available upgrade options, rebates, financing options and local participating contractors.

The program is available now for single-family detached homes. Later in 2011, the program may expand to include multi-family and commercial properties.

The Energy Upgrade California website describes a homeowner story. The Sanchez family lives in a three-bedroom, two-story house built in 1970. They upgraded their attic insulation when they bought the house in 2004, but upstairs still felt stuffy in the hot summers and some rooms remain cold in the winter.

The Sanchezes decided they needed an energy upgrade. A whole house assessment by an Energy Upgrade California participating contractor showed they could achieve a 35 percent energy savings by sealing and better insulating their house and replacing their old furnace and air conditioner with a new energy-efficient system.

The $12,000 upgrade cost the Sanchez family $7,500 after a $3,500 energy upgrade incentive, a $500 federal energy efficiency tax credit and a $500 additional incentive from their city. Their $7,500 investment will net $7,980 in utility savings over 10 years (based on $190 monthly gas/electric bills).

For the Sanchez family, the same money that used to go out the window every month to pay the energy bill is now going to create a more comfortable home and a more valuable property, says Jenifer Segar of Davis, a spokeswoman for Energy Upgrade California.

Learn more about the Sanchez family’s upgrades at https://energyupgradeca.org/news/watch_the_video_vignette-145.

Energy Upgrade California emphasizes a “whole house” approach, in which a home is viewed as a complete system. All of the elements and systems — heating, air conditioning, water, and structural features like windows, ducts and insulation — should work together effectively to minimize energy use, Segar says.

Currently, homeowners can choose from one of two packages that qualify for utility rebates and incentives. A basic package consists of seven required elements designed to improve energy efficiency by approximately 10 percent, and includes a rebate of up to $1,000.

An advanced package is a customized solution that starts with a home energy assessment. Rebates range from $1,500 to more than $4,000 for energy savings from 15 to 40 percent (depending on the utility provider and energy savings achieved).

Mark Braly, president of the Valley Climate Action Center in Davis, says: “This is what we have been waiting for — the whole enchilada wrapped up in one tortilla. There are even low- or no-cost 100 percent loans available to those who act before the money runs out.”

The Web portal includes a list of financing options for funding energy-efficiency and onsite energy-generation projects. Program representatives say they are in the process of developing additional, innovative financing models that will be added to the Web portal over time.

Local grant and loan programs are also listed on the Web portal. One example is the CHF Residential Energy Retrofit Program for low- and moderate-income property owners. This program can be combined with the Energy Upgrade California incentives to finance energy upgrades with a 3 percent fixed-interest 15-year loan and provides grants up to $1,250 toward those upgrades.

Homeowners can find information about this program on the financing page of the Web portal.

For more information about Energy Upgrade California, visit http://www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org.

EnergyW

Darren Reynolds measures the amount of air coming through the vents during a recent energy audit at Mark Braly’s Davis home. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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