How you can help the economy and save money

We all know Nevada’s construction industry took a big hit in the economic storm we’re still trudging through.

Now imagine if you personally could help put contractors back to work while saving money on your energy bill so you can spend it on other things — a one-two punch to help the local economy.

That’s the idea behind the statewide Energy Fit Nevada program, which uses federal grant money to give homeowners rebates from $1,000 to $2,000 on work that increases the energy efficiency of houses by 20 to 30 percent.

But wait, there’s more. No, it’s not a free set of steak knives. Instead, you can pay for the home improvements with a 2.3 percent low-interest loan from Nevada State Bank — normally such a loan would be 15 percent and require a higher credit rating.

It sounds like a great plan but there’s $1.75 million in the pot to pay for the rebates — and when it’s gone, the program ends. That might be a problem because Southern Nevada has a lot more people so if we don’t jump on this program, Las Vegas will pump the bulk of that money into its economy and we’ll get crumbs.

By the same token, if we step up, we can snatch the lion’s share for ourselves — and because we’re smaller, that money will have a bigger effect.

How it works

Ideas on contests to boost participation in Northern Nevada, a homeowner telling about his experience and a contractor talking about what the program means for his business — they are all coming up.

But, face it, you want to know how the program works to decide if it’s right for you so let’s cut to the chase. It works this way:

* You’ll go to EnergyFitNevada.com or 775-230-7133 to sign up.

* You’ll pay $199 for an energy advisor to come out and perform an assessment on your home. This is a discounted rate that’s only for sure good through August, according to Kevin Hill of the State Office of Energy. You may be thinking this is still an expensive hurdle to clear, and Hill says that’s intentional. The program’s purpose is to increase energy efficiency, not increase energy assessments. “If there’s some cost involved, people are more likely to follow through with the upgrades,” Hill said.

* Extensive tests will be done that generally take two to three hours. Among the things that will be done is a blower door test where your house is sealed up with the doors and windows closed, then the air is sucked out in order to measure how much comes back inside. Another test involves an infrared imaging device to look into the walls and attic for air leaks. These tests are done again after work is completed to show you the difference.

* The energy advisor will input the findings into a software program that spits out a report with a list of each thing that can be done to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Beside each action will be the projected amount of better efficiency and the cost of doing it. For example, it might say putting insulation in the attic will boost energy efficiency by 12 percent and cost $800 while fixing leaky ducts will increase it by 4 percent and cost $400.

* With this report in hand, you can pick which actions you’d like a licensed and vetted contractor to undertake and which ones you want to do yourself (if any). If the total cost for the contractor work is at least $2,000 and your home’s energy efficiency would be improved by at least 20 percent, you qualify for an instant rebate. If your energy efficiency is increased by 20 percent, you’ll get a $1,000 rebate; if 23 percent, the rebate is $1,300; and if 30 percent, the rebate is $2,000. You need to kick in a minimum of $1,000, for which you can get that low-interest loan.

Let’s give a real-world example: Robert Tracht of northwest Reno went through the program.

“What they showed me was a $2,800 bill” for the work he picked on his home, Tracht said. The increased efficiency was pegged at 20 percent, which meant he paid $1,800 and the contractor collected the extra $1,000 from Home Free Nevada.

The homeowner experience

Hill from the state energy office went through the program.

“It was eye-opening for me,” he said.

For him, the benefits weren’t so much the savings on his energy bill — although there was that — but comfort and health.

“For me and my wife, the A/C doesn’t come on as much and it was pulling air from under the house,” he said. “You can imagine what’s there so you don’t get that bad air quality from under the home. Every room is (now) the same temperature. It’s quieter.”

Neil VanCitters — of Pro Energy Consultants, which does assessments in Northern Nevada — said he hears from customers that they don’t have to dust as often because pathways have been closed off for dust to enter the home.

This can happen from the crawl space or the attic.

“Recessed lighting is often a big hole going into the attic and so air can be transferring attic dust and fiberglass fibers,” VanCitters said, adding that people with allergies and sensitivities to mold often find efficiency improvements boost their quality of life.

Tracht has lived in his home for a year since doing the Energy Fit program, which he says took about six weeks from first contact, through the assessment and work, to final follow-up test.

“I could tell the overall temperature in the house stays cooler in the summer, the a/c doesn’t run as long,” he said. “In winter, it stays warm longer and the heater doesn’t run as long.”

He said he’s seen substantial savings — his energy bill was cut by 20 percent — and that this will pay for the work done in about three years.

The contractor experience

“As a contractor, right now it’s tough to get business and to get a program like (Energy Fit) that I can promote to my customers can really make a difference,” VanCitters said.

It helps in two related ways: it generates awareness of the need for energy efficiency and it generates specific leads for new customers.

VanCitters also said the program helps customers by connecting them with someone they can trust.

“The first (thing many homeowners do) is say, ‘Let’s call the heating and cooling guy or insulation guy and what are they going to say? They’re going to say you need a new air-conditioner or new insulation,” he said.

“Energy Fit requires that we go through a complete process to certify us so we’re certified by the state as a licensed energy auditor so homeowners can rest assured the job will be done right.”

An example arose when VanCitters was asked about the concern a home will be sealed too tightly.

The training — paid for with energy grant money, done at Truckee Meadows Community College, and certified by the Building Performance Institute and Residential Energy Services Network — teaches auditors to understand standards for ventilation that help them balance efficiency with health and comfort.

“We want a home to be tight but not too tight because that could influence air quality in the house so that’s why it’s tested before and after,” he said.

About that trust thing again, the program includes money for random upgrade projects to be reinspected to make sure the contractors’ work is as good as they claim.

On your marks

Denee Evans is excited about the Energy Fit program. Her nonprofit group Home Free Nevada is the point of contact when homeowners want to sign up.

She suggested that cities, neighborhoods, schools or homeowner associations could start competitions to see which ones get the most homes to do assessments and upgrades.

Hill said other states have developed such competitions but that Connecticut took them to the next level.

“They go out and actually pick a few target neighborhoods and canvas on a grassroots level,” he said.

He suspects such proactive campaigning will work best if there’s a leader within the neighborhood or school that takes on the task, rather than an outsider.

Evans has an additional contest idea: “a home energy makeover contest — who can get the most savings for the least money.”

She says she would be happy to act as judge for any group that sets up a competition, just contact her through HomeFreeNevada.org.

Get set, go!