Wednesday, December 10, 2014

How To Maximize Energy Efficiency In Wauwatosa, WI

By Claudine Hodges


At any one time, power is being consumed in homes and offices. Lights are constantly on, appliances like the refrigerator and central heating or air conditioning are always running. In the office, computers are on all day as are other office machines. The tendency is to just accept high power bills are keep paying for them. There is something that can be done to increase energy efficiency and it begins with energy evaluations.

Periodic audits are done by companies to keep a rein on expenses. They are also done to see where cuts can be made in order to boost the bottom line. It works the same with an energy audit. It reveals the appliances and devices that are power guzzlers and then steps can be taken to bring down consumption.

It is important that an audit is done professionally. Professionals will keep up with emerging technology and will use accredited equipment and methods to measure the consumption of every electronic device in the house. Achieving maximum efficiency depends on how accurately an audit is done.

Companies and households who had audits done said that they saw their power bills come down by between 5 and 30% when they made the upgrades that were recommended to them after an audit. It is a fact that has been verified by the US Department of Energy. An audit involves an auditor going to a business or home, reviewing the power bill and performing a blower door test. A thermographic scan may be done alternatively. The goal is to find out what the energy wasters are such as window frame cracks and gaps that leak out heated air when the heater is running.

The government offers incentives to help individuals and businesses get an audit done. The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency. Www.dsireusa.org gives summaries of the various policies and incentives that are offered by the federal, state and local governments to the different US territories. It also gives a summary of gas and electricity companies offering incentives for getting audits done.

The website also has summary maps and summary tables as well as a search tool that can be used to help browsers find out which policies and incentives are available for specific projects. Browsers can also use the search tool to look for the ones that are relevant by type, state, technology type, sector and implementing sector.

The policies and incentives that support renewables are of two types. One is financial incentives which include rebates, grants, tax incentives, loans, performance incentives, industry support and recruitment and green building incentives among others. The second type is policies, regulations and rules that uplift renewable portfolio standards, contract licensing, equipment certification, building energy codes, wind and solar wind permitting standards, construction codes, net metering and public benefits funds.

It is well worth it to have an audit done. With the incentives offered to do one and others to switch to green energy, it is an round winner of an idea. After an audit and doing the suggested upgrades, the only way your power bills can go is down.




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