Energy Use Effects of Working from Home

As we continue to work from home, you may notice your utility bills spiking. Keeping our homes comfortable over the summer has meant running air conditioners and fans more often or continuously. If those systems are inefficient and if the home is not well sealed and insulated, then you are wasting money and potentially increasing contaminants in the air. Utilities are struggling to keep up with demand and some continue to incentivize residential solar installs to help reduce the load on the grid.

So you want to cut down your energy use and utility bills but how do you do that during a time of uncertainty and financial stress? Here are some things you can do.

1. Practice energy conservation. Turn off those lights and water when not in use.

2. Have an energy consultant assess your home. (That’s us if you are in the Gorge!)

3. Contact your local utility and see if they have incentives for energy efficiency and solar energy upgrades.

4. Contact your mortgage lender to see if they offer refinancing for energy efficiency upgrades. Rates are awesome right now so a great opportunity!

5. Contact your local solar installer to see if solar is right for your home.

Plus, did you know that energy efficient homes sell for more and for faster? HERS rated homes sell for 2.7% more than unrated homes. They also realize a long term financial advantage of lower utility bills and maintenance costs. More great reasons to improve your home today!

Resiliency in Power Outages

Imagine: you are sheltering in place in your grid connected home and it shuts down for days due to an ice storm or wildfire. You have no backup power to stay comfortable, keep food cold and communication devices charged. Now imagine the same scenario but your home has been weatherized so it remains more comfortable for longer and you have a solar energy system with a battery backup that powers your critical loads: refrigeration, lights and communication devices. Through our energy consulting services, we can help discuss and prioritize upgrades that will make your home ready for the future! Click here to learn more about limited time opportunities in the Columbia River Gorge to make your home more resilient.

How Not to Waste Your Money with Energy Saving Solutions

Our friend Janine Ehrentraut, with eXp Realty, wrote a blog post about how to not waste your money by implementing energy saving solutions that can also make your home healthier and more comfortable. Check it out here. Also, if you are looking to buy a home and work with Janine, she offers you one of our home assessments for FREE!!!

Benefits of a First-Time Home Buyer

Hello Columbia River Gorge friends! My friend Janine, a Realtor with eXp Realty, wrote a great blog post about some of the benefits of being a first-time home buyer. They include low or no down payment loans, grants and federal tax credits. In addition, she puts together a special offer package that includes interior design tips, a Home Depot gift certificate and a Home Energy Score from us! This way you can be better informed about your first home purchase beyond the upfront costs and aesthetic appearance. We are so excited to partner with Janine to provide a better home buying experience! You can read Janine’s full post here.

Q&A With an Oregon Home Energy Assessor

This month we sat down with the Oregon Department of Energy to talk about what it’s like to be an Oregon Home Energy Assessor. Check it out here!

Understanding Your Home Energy Report

After we complete your Home Energy Assessment, we enter all of your home's data into an online modeling tool which produces the Home Energy Report. For existing homes the report is 2 pages and for new homes the report is 1 page. In this blog post, we will help you understand how to read your report.

Page 1

At the top left of the first page, you will see the City of Portland Home Energy Score logo. At the center is the U.S. Department of Energy logo because they developed the scoring system. Your home's score is just below the U.S. DOE logo. At the top right is the your home's estimated annual energy costs. This top bar is a quick reference point to go back to for simple numbers.

Along the left side is a bar which includes the basic details of your home: address, year built, square footage and number of bedrooms. It also includes the assessment date, assessor contact information and the score's expiration date. *Note that the score expires in 8 years but the report expires in 2 years to take into account weather and utility rate changes. You can download a new report within the 8 year period for free from the Green Building Registry. If you make any energy upgrades to your home, you will need a new score regardless of when your existing score expires. And you will want to! Energy upgrades will likely increase your home's score, especially if you choose to make more than one improvement.

The remainder of page 1 includes the Home Energy Score scale, energy use breakdown and carbon footprint scale.

• The Home Energy Score scale indicates where your home is at today compared to the average reference home scoring a 5. Homes with lower scores are not poorly built, they were likely built at a time before code required insulation and high performing heating systems so they have more room for improvement than today's code built homes. Don't be surprised if your beautiful 1920's home receives a 1!
• The next section outlines the estimated annual energy use by fuel type; electricity, natural gas and other. These numbers are helpful to homebuyers so they can get an idea of what it will cost to operate their new home. This cost may vary due to occupant behavior just like a car's MPG. It also showcases renewable energy production that will help offset the utility cost.
• The last section shows where your home is at in regard to its carbon footprint based on estimated energy use. Part of the reason for the Home Energy Score requirement is to help Portland with its climate action goals.

Page 2

The second page is designed for existing homes because it offers suggestions for improving your score. Home improvements are not required to sell your home but could help increase its value. New homes will not have a second page because they are built to current energy code.

Once again, the top bar is a quick reference point to go back to for simple numbers. It shows your home's score today, score with all improvements, estimated annual energy savings with improvements and percentage of estimated carbon reduction.

The next section is a checklist if you would like to move forward with energy improvements. Congrats on checking off the first step! Enerstructa LLC does not install energy upgrades but can refer you to local contractors. We are also happy to talk with you to narrow down which improvements to choose first and which to do down the road. Financing options for improvements are available as well.

The following section lists the home's features we evaluated during the assessment, their current condition and recommended improvements. Keep in mind that the listed improvements must have a 10 year or less payback time. Other upgrades may improve the home's energy efficiency but are outside of that payback period.

Lastly, if you are a handy person like me, the report lists resources to learn more about how to do it yourself. As an Energy Trust of Oregon Trade Ally and having worked for the Community Energy Project, I highly recommend you check them out!