Saving Energy Saves Money
Read more: Local, Economy, Environment, Consumer, Michigan Saves, Energy Audit
LEELANAU COUNTY --
About a year ago, we met some displaced workers in a fact finder report who were being retrained for new careers at Northwestern Michigan College.
Now, with the new Michigan Saves Program, some of those workers are doing energy audits in attempt to help homeowners save some money.
I asked Brian Johnson, Co-Owner of Applied Energy Solutions, about the importance of energy audits.
Brian Johnson said, "Michigan Saves is a great opportunity, right now, they've got 50 free audits if you get on their website and you sign up for this Michigan Saves program, which is what they've figured out is if we can fix your house and if you're spending $50 a month to put heat into your attic, we can stop that from happening and then Cherryland Electric can put the $50 a month that you're saving onto their bill to pay back a loan to fix your structure. [and] the importance of the audit is, it's like taking your car to a mechanic and he's got a computer. He plugs into the car to tell him what's wrong with the car so he fixes what's wrong. Instead of guessing and putting in spark plugs. Like with a house, instead of guessing and putting in windows or guessing and putting in a new furnace. It might not be what you need."
The Contractors know what to look for and can typically spot some problems right off the bat.
Johnson says, "when we first showed up. We noticed that there was really good snow cover on the roof."
Johnson said that some houses, without snow on the roof and significant ice dams, indicate poor insulation and a lot of heat loss. But they also have tools that aid in the energy audit.
Johnson says, "we have an infrared camera that, when we create a -50 Pascal vacuum in the house with our blower door, then [with] the camera, we go around and we can detect cold air infiltrating the living space."
The energy audit is just the first step in making your home more energy efficient. After the audit summary, then customer decides what repairs to make and apply for a loan through the Michigan Saves program and Member's Credit Union and finally go forward with those changes.
Click here to go to the Michigan Saves website.
