aisr2018 Community Energy Challenge Home | Susta HOW DOES IT WORK? ‘The Community Energy Challenge makes achieving energy efficiency as easy as possible from start to finish. We provide you with a full energy audit, a comprehensive report detailing cost-effective measures, reliable contractors, project coordination, rebates and quality assurance. Lean more about participating in the Community Energy Challenge and sign up today! 1. SCHEDULE AN ENERGY AUDIT BY A HOME ENERGY ADVISOR ‘An energy audit done by one of our Home Energy Advisors takes several hours to perform. It is a thorough analysis of the energy efficiency and performance of your home. The Home Energy Advisor uses diagnostic tools to test for air leakage, combustion safety, insulation levels, ventilation and more. All Community Energy Challenge Home Energy Advisors are Building Performance Institute certified Building Analysts. ‘ntps:i'sustanableconnections.orglcommunky-energy-challenge-nomel “4aisr2018 Community Energy Challenge Home | Sustainable Connections 2. RECEIVE A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT After your energy audit, the Home Energy Advisor creates a comprehensive report and meets with you to discuss all of the findings and recommendations, and outlines the most cost-effective ways to increase the energy efficiency of your home. All advice and recommendations are impartial, and you are not obligated to follow up on any of them. 3. CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS If you are interested in following up on one or more of the recommendations, your Home Energy Advisor will coordinate the entire process, from start to finish. You have your choice of participating contractors, who have all been ‘ntps:i'sustanableconnections.orglcommunky-energy-challenge-nomel 28aisr2018 Community Energy Challenge Home | Susta le Connections vetted to work with the program. Finished projects must pass a third-party quality assurance inspection, so you can be sure all upgrades are completed properly. 4. ACCESS INCENTIVES, REBATES, AND FINANCING We provide incentive rebates on qualifying home efficiency projects done through the Community Energy Challenge. These rebates are in addition to any utility rebates you may qualify for. Contact us for current incentives information. We are also partnering with Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union (PSCCU), who has an Energy Smart loan for homeowners interested in financing a project. It's easy to apply online! QUESTIONS? ‘ntps:i'sustanableconnections.orglcommunky-energy-challenge-nomel 34252019 Community Energy Challenge Home | Sustanable Connections From beginning to end, the Community Energy Challenge makes it easy for you to reduce energy usage in your home. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us for more information about how you can contribute to a greener future! ‘ntps:i'sustanableconnections.orglcommunky-energy-challenge-nomel 482isr2018 FAQ | Sustainable Connections COMMUNITY FREQUENTLY ASKED ele cae le ks Scroll down or click on one of these headings for more details. What happens in a home energy audit? What happens after | have had the energy audit? What are some common recommendations for home energy efficiency? Hitpsi/sustainableconnections.orgicommunity-snergy-challenge-nometiag! ataisr2018 FAQ | Sustainable Connections | already know what energy efficiency work needs to be done on my home. Do | have to get an energy audit? GETTING THE WORK DONE Once | get my list of recommendations, how do | decide which ones to complete? Can | take the audit report to my own contractor? How do | know the work was done right? BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPANTS Will my energy savings really make a difference? Does the CEC contribute financial incentives to reduce the final cast of my project? Is there financing available for my project? Are there incentives for installing water saving appliances? PARTICIPATION DETAILS Who is eligible to be part of the program? How much will my energy audit cost? When is the best time to get an energy audit? How do I schedule an energy audit? | own rental property. Can | still get an energy audit? | am buying a house. Can | get the energy audit before it closes? ‘ntps:'sustainableconnections.orglcommuniy-energy-challenge-nometiag amtaisr2018 FAQ | Sustainable Connections THE HOME ENERGY AUDIT What happens in a home energy audit? An energy audit is a thorough inspection of your home that takes several hours done by one of our Home Energy Advisors (HEA), who are all Building Performance Institute certified Building Analysts. Some common parts of the audit include Examining the exterior of the house. Conducting a blower door test to measure the amount of air leakage in the house Identifying areas of heat loss with thermal imaging equipment. Examining the furnace, ductwork, and heating system function Evaluating the hot water system. Checking insulation levels in the attic, walls, and basement or crawlspace. Checking combustion safety for gas and wood burning appliances and identifying any health concerns. Assessing moisture and ventilation issues. * Evaluating the efficiency of doors and windows. What happens after | have had the energy audit? You will receive ‘ntps:'sustainableconnections.orglcommuniy-energy-challenge-nometiag sitaisr2018 FAQ | Sustainable Connections A comprehensive report and consultation with your Home Energy Advisor (HEA) detailing how efficient your home currently is and where there is room for improvement. Ongoing support from your HEA, and start-to-finish coordination if you choose to move forward through the program with a CEC project. Your choice of vetted contractors to work with who are specially trained in energy efficiency work Access to exclusive incentives for CEC projects. Quality assurance inspection on all CEC projects you undertake. What are some common recommendations for home energy efficiency? Air Sealing and Duct Sealing: Air leakage allows conditioned air to escape, forcing your heating and cooling equipment to work overtime. Sealing up these hidden holes in your home is the first step to dramatically improving energy efficiency. Insulation: Insufficient, damaged, or poorly installed insulation can reduce the effectiveness of heating and cooling equipment. Adding attic or wall insulation where necessary can be a great way to improve a home's energy performance. Furnace replacement: Old, inefficient furnaces use a lot more fuel than they need to. Upgrading an old 70 or 80% efficient furnace to a new 95% efficient furnace or a heat pump can be a very effective way to reduce your heating bills. | already know what energy efficiency work needs to be done on my home. Do | have to get an energy audit? Yes, The energy autit is necessary to measure and quantity exactly where and how much work needs to be done in your home. It allows us to calculate the energy savings, payback period, and run through a variety of scenarios to see ‘ntps:'sustainableconnections.orglcommuniy-energy-challenge-nometiag anaisr2018 FAQ | Sustainable Connections what measures or appliances are most appropriate for the house. For example, you may know that your house is drafty and needs air sealing, but the blower door test can help identify exactly how much seeling is necessary to achieve maximum comfort while maintaining good air quality. Likewise, you may have your heart set on some new windows when an energy audit could reveal that new insulation would give you an even greater increase in comfort at much less cost. The energy audit also allows you to receive program benefits, including project coordination, incentive rebates, and third-party quality assurance. Back to top GETTING THE WORK DONE Once | get my list of recommendations, how do | decide which ones to complete? The Home Energy Advisor will go over the recommendations with you and help you make an informed decision on which measures make the most sense for your home. You do not have to do every measure recommended, but if you decide to move forward, you will start with the project that gives you the greatest energy efficiency while being the most cost effective. All CEC advice is impartial; as a non-profit program, we have no financial interest in any projects. Our goal is to give you the most accurate information so you can decide what makes the most sense for you. -ntps:i'sustainableconnectons.orglcommunty-energy-challenge-nomeltag smaisr2018 FAQ | Sustainable Connections Can | take the audit report to my own contractor? The incentives and quality assurance are only available by coordinating a project through the CEC using one of the participating contractors, We have vetted the contractors and they are trained to perform weatherization work that meets current standards. It is your decision which of the participating contractors you want to work with. You are not obligated to move forward on any recommendations through our program, but If you decide to use your own contractor or do the work yourself, you would not be able to access program incentives and benefits. How do | know the work was done right? Projects completed through the CEC receive a quality assurance inspection by professionals who operate independently of the contractors. So you know ‘that an expert third party has reviewed the work and ensures that it meets ‘our high standards. Back to top Fe) ee Will my energy savings really make a difference? Yes! By increasing your energy efficiency you: ‘ntps:'sustainableconnections.orglcommuniy-energy-challenge-nometiag emtaisr2018 FAQ | Sustainable Connections © Save money. Weatherization can cut energy costs up to 30%! Improve the comfort of your home. Increase the durability of your home. Increase the resale value of your home. Reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. © Create green jobs and boast our local economy. Does the CEC contribute financial incentives to reduce the final cost of my project? Incentives are available for qualifying projects. The Community Energy Challenge is grant-funded, and incentives are subject to availability and may change at any time. Contact us to find out about current incentives. ls there financing available for my project? The Community Energy Challenge is partnering with Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union. PSCCU offers Energy Smart loans, which can be used for many household energy efficiency improvements. You can read more about PSCCU's loan offerings here. Many CEC participants use existing lines of credit, or choose to work with their own financial institutions. Are there incentives for installing water saving appliances? The Community Energy Challenge and the City of Bellingham Water Conservation Program have teamed up to offer rebates on low-volume toilets and clothes washers for City of Bellingham water customers participating in ‘ntps:'sustainableconnections.orglcommuniy-energy-challenge-nometiag mtaisr2018 FAQ | Sustainable Connections ‘the CEC. You can learn more about the City of Bellingham's Water Conservation Program here or call us for more details. Back to top PARTICIPATION DETAILS Who is eligible to be part of the program? This program is designed to serve homeowners throughout Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, and Island Counties regardless of income level. If you think you might be eligible for low-income weatherization services, we may refer you to another program or agency that can better meet your needs. How much will my energy audit cost? The audit is valued at $600, and is discounted based on the size of the house. Homes that are 2,500 square feet or larger are $350; Smaller homes are $195. Moderate income homeowners may be eligible for a reduced audit fee of $96. When is the best time to get an energy audit? An energy audit can be done year-round; temperature does not affect the accuracy of the audit. Keep in mind that we may be booked out several weeks -ntps:i'sustainableconnectons.orglcommunty-energy-challenge-nomeltag entaisr2018 FAQ | Sustainable Connections ahead, so we encourage you to contact us soon. How do | schedule an energy audit? © Online form: You can complete the online form to let us know you are interested in either scheduling an energy audit, or in finding out more information about the program. The form indicates your interest; there is no obligation to schedule when you submit the form Email: You can email us at communityenergychallenge@oppco.org with your name, address and phone number, and we'll get in touch with you. Phone: You can call (360) 676-6099 (or outside of Whatcom County our toll-free number is (866) 444-5028) | own rental property. Can | still get an energy audit? Yes. We have worked with many rental-property owners. The house does not need to be owner occupied for you to participate in the CEC. | am buying a house. Can | get the energy audit before it closes? No, the house must be owned by the homeowner before we can do an energy audit. If you have an anticipated closing date, you can call ahead of time and schedule an energy audit for shortly after it closes. Back to top ‘ntps:'sustainableconnectons.orglcommuniy-energy-challenge-nometiag ant