What you need to know about green energy barrier scams

While making energy saving improvements to your home is backed by both APS, SRP and the Department of Energy's Home Performance With Energy Star Program there are many unethical companies out there that are taking advantage of these programs and making a bad name for those home performance companies that are doing things right. Many of the unethical companies are using the APS and SRP program as a cover, making it appear that they follow the strict guidelines of their program by simply using their logos, mixing the solar rebate program with the home performance rebates, and taking the rebates off the top of the costs so it appears you are getting the rebate when actually it is just a smoke and mirrors trick. These companies are hurting both homeowners and home performance contractors alike.

Here are some guidelines to help you spot a phony from a real home performance contractor.

1. The company has called you from an auto dialer blast.
2. The company rep does not go past the attic hatch in their inspection of your attic (the pros know this is where the majority of your problems lie and it's not just about adding insulation or radiant barriers)
3. The company rep does not do a blower door test or a full energy audit on your home .
4. The green energy company rep is not BPI certified. This is the basic certification all energy consultants will have to know what to look for in your home and to give you energy saving recommendations based on what your home needs.
5. The company will start at a price point in the range of $20,000 for a solar/ solar water heater/ radiant barrier/ solar attic fan package.
6. The company will not perform a test-out audit with a blower door fan.

Here is what you can ask the green energy company to protect yourself from buying something that will not fix your hot and cold rooms or make your home more energy efficient.

1. The green energy companies BPI certification and make sure the energy consultant at your home is BPI certified.
2. Call APS and SRP at (602) 532-2991 to verify they are on the Home Performance With Energy Star Program.
3. Your energy consultant should talk to you about at a minimum hour air leakage, duct leakage, room pressure and duct static pressure. These are part of the required tests all APS and SRP certified companies need to do or their inspection.
4. You should complete a home performance authorization form found on APS and SRP's website.

Don't get us wrong, there is nothing wrong with solar electricity or solar hot water heaters. The danger or harm comes from homeowners thinking they are making their home more energy efficient when many issues are still left unfixed and things that were never tested for or addressed. Things like air balancing, high room pressures, high static pressure, insulation that is installed wrong, air barriers that leave the house uninsulated and overpromising the cost savings from radiant barriers.  An additional benefit to using a home performance contractor is that the utility companies will audit our work, so you have another party watching your back.

Disclaimer: Green ID's energy auditors are all BPI Certified. Green ID's founder, David Byrnes, is a BPI trainer and LEED AP professional. We do not recommend radiant barrier products without first addressing a homes' priority needs by performing a whole home energy audit.

What to ask before going solar?

Congratulations on making a commitment to a more sustainable future by reducing your electricity consumption with solar electricity.

Here are a list of questions to consider before purchasing solar panels.

What to ask for purchasing solar panels?
1. How do the APS rebates work/ how do the SRP rebates work?
2. How do the state and federal rebates work?
3. Who is the ideal homeowner to purchase solar panels?
4. Who is the ideal homeowner to lease solar panels?




What to ask for a solar lease?
1. Is it a one time payment or monthly payment?
2. Who takes over the lease if I sell the house?
3. How is the lease transferred if I sell the house?




General questions to ask before going solar
1. How long do the solar panels last?
2. How long do the inverters last?
3. What is the warranty for the solar panels and the inverter?
4. What happens if your company goes out of business?
5. What is the timeline for installation of solar?
6. How much does the efficiency of the panel really matter?
7. Why is a southern orientation the best for my western facing roof?
8. Will I be able to monitor my power output?
9. Where the solar panels manufactured?
10. How long has the manufacturer been in business?
10. Do you suggest having a BPI energy audit done on my home?

Why baffles along bird vents in your attic are a good idea

Infrared image from inside along the side of a home where the insulation has been blown back because of lack of baffles placed along the bird vents

If you have two or three bird venting holes along the outside of your roof line these are a great way to ventilate your attic along with gable ventilation on each end of the roof end.

The problem lies in that the builders and insulation contractors or any other contractor for that matter essentially do not talk to each other. That is the cause for hot rooms, poor airflow, unless art heat gain into your home and high utility bills but I digress. The lack of communication and just poor practices or laziness on part of insulation contractors is the reason why baffles or ridge vents are not placed at all the bird vents above the house.

But why are they even needed in the first place? The reason is two-fold.

1. Baffles direct airlflow up the roof slope and out the ridge vents if you have them. If you don't have baffles then the air that vents the attic will blow back the insulation a good foot or more from the sides of the house.

2. Some contractors will put a fiberglass batt in-place of a baffle because the fiberglass batt is rigid and won't blow back. The fiberglass batt insulation will allow airlflow to pass through it (as all loose fill insulation will) but there is a problem with this scenario. The fiberglass batt insulation allows hot outside air to pass through it but it does not direct the airflow up and away from the drywall ceiling. So while the outside air is passing through the batt, it is also heating the drywall which defeats the purpose of the fiberglass batt.

Baffles can be cardboard, plastic or Styrofoam material and come in 16" on center or 24" on center sizes. Expect to pay a little more for baffles especially in a retrofit situation and garages are NOT included in the square footage of your attic or in insulation quotes.

Energy efficiency mortgages in Phoenix

This is not a secret and is accessible to any lender, there are standard guidelines through FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac.

Energy efficiency (EE) is a great selling point.

There is strong consumer demand nationwide, from the National Association of Realators, Time Magazine, and the buyers. Everyone asks about energy efficiency from buyers to tenants. In 2010 apartments.com did a survey have found that 89% preferred a green apartment community and more than 25% would pay higher rent. Green also includes low VOC homes and use of recycled content in buildings.

So how as sellers and contractors do we differentiate ourselves? The answer is energy efficiency. EE homes sell for more and at a higher prices. Homeowners want lower utility bills and EE delivers.

An EE home also means fewer buyer inspections with a HERS report already done which can help close a home quickly.

Seattle, Portland and California have all shown an 8.5 to 12% premium for EE homes.

For buyers you can have the dream kitchen you've always wanted plus energy efficient appliances. Plus Energy efficiency mortgages gives better income ratios which means buyers qualify for higher mortgage amounts. Sometimes the air conditioner will get up and walk away during the middle of the night and an EEM will cover the cost of that built into the mortgage.

Plus there are rebates from APS and SRP... up to $1000 is available to put more insulation, duct and air seal a home and shade screens.

An energy audit should be as important as a home warranty or home inspection for all homes. If a homeowner gets a $500 summer bill their first month in their home is not a pleasant surprise for a new homeowner.

Myths
- a bigger AC is better
- an Energy Efficient Home means a homeowner has to go solar
- underwater homes cannot be refinanced (you can refiance without a new appraisal through a new Energy Efficiency Mortgage)
- buyers cannot qualify (more buying power to make the appraisal work in some cases, the more information the better and can be the tipping point)

There are two designations for green realtors.
1. NAR green (how to run a green business)
2. Eco broker (more technical)

If you are not doing green mortgage or energy efficiency mortgage you are leaving money on the table.

FYI- a 203k loan can let you do the kitchen remodel with 5% of the appraised value available

From a real estate perspective, there are two types of energy audits.
1. BPI is required for the utility company
2. RESNET is critical to the mortgage

Real estate agents and loan officers can recommend a HERS rater. The lender will typically have an approved list of contractors.

Builders can use a HERS Index to also differient a builder in the marketplace.

What to look for in an energy efficient home?

A home energy audit is:
- Looking at how the energy is being consumed in the house
- duct leakage test
- combustion safety test
- lighting and appliances
- attic inspection and insulation inspection and quality and quantity
- how the house performs as a system
- measurements of the building dimensions and geometry
- report, HERS Index, improvement analysis report

The lender will check that the EEM premium is greater than the installed cost or the improvements are cash flow positive. This is required for the energy efficiency mortgage can proceed. The certificate of completion is signed by the loan Officier, HERS rater, and contractor. The lender will then release the funds.

It has to be cost efficient to be approved by the loan officer. All parties have to work well together.

What's available out there?

HUD energy action plan
Weatherization- add up to $2000 to any FHA Loan without a value determination on the property. There is no rating, all you need is a contractor and a bid. For the consumer the loan Officier will add it to the sales price. This can be done in every single loan

EEM energy efficient mortgage
FHA is 5% of the value of the property. Energy efficient components to a home and finance right into the main mortgage. No additional appraisal is required.

Fannie Mae- has to have an appraisal

VA - can do up to $6000 out right

Solar package - cost of solar maybe added directly to the base loan amount

Renovation loans (203k) - full renovation options for making several upgrades to improve quality of a home

Weatherization only applied to existing homes.

We can combine an EEM and Wearherization.

What upgrades can be done
- AC replacement
- insulation
- water heaters
- windows
- pool pumps
- appliances

This stuff with everyday expenses. If this is done right APS and SRP rebates can be included and the homeowner will recieve a nice rebate check to offset the initial costs of purchasing or refinancing a home.

Education is key and good expectations should be set, an initial audit is essential (any home built pre 2003 are good candatiates)

After the energy audit contractors will be obtained and the upgrades will be deemed cost effective or not. $5000 can go very fast and different upgrades need to be worked out between the contractor, lender and the homeowner. A $99 APS and SRP energy audit is a good first step to find out what is needed. Usually a good relationship between lenders and HERS raters helps if any of this falls through. It is also a good idea for the homeowner to have some skin in the game. An actual HERS index will cost between $250-$500. A 45 day close to escrow can be done and all this stuff can be done in parallel to what's happening in an energy efficient mortgage.

The improvements need to be completed between 30 and 90 days.

The biggest hurdle is industry professional not knowing about these but we hope that changes.

Appraisers can try to justify value, they cannot create value and these upgrades provide the justification for kWH savings.

www.dsireusa.org is an excellent resource for rebates.

Disclosure: Green ID is both BPI and RESNET certified and performs HERS Indexes and is a certified contractor with APS and SRP's Home Performance With Energy Star's national program and a Phoenix home energy auditor.

SRP Shade Screen Program

Before the SRP home energy audit program, was their long standing shade screen program.  Unlike SRP solar rebates, SRP shade screen rebates have increased over time, to $0.80 a sq ft.  Only south, west and east facing windows will qualify for rebates and screens must be either 80% or 90% sun blockage.  Unfortunately retractable sun screens do not qualify for the rebate nor do shaded windows.  Homeowners should also be aware of their window warranties if new window vinyl windows were installed, often shade screens need to be clipped to the stucco rather than the window frame. 

There are two ways to qualify for the rebates.  The first is to have an SRP energy audit performed on your home for $99.  The home energy audit will pressurize the house to identify air and duct leakage and the auditor will perform visual inspections and make recommendations on the home’s major appliances and energy users, attic and insulation condition and perform a thermal camera imaging of the home.  By performing the energy audit you will qualify for not only shade screen rebates, but also rebates for air sealing, ductwork sealing, and adding more insulation to your attic (if your auditor determines you need these items).  Your auditor will process the rebates on your behalf and perform a post inspection test to ensure the work was done to SRP and Energy Star specifications.

The second way to take advantage of the shade screen rebates is to have a screen company approved by SRP out to estimate and install your windows separately.  There is a separate rebate form, that the installing contractor will sign and leave with the homeowner to mail into SRP.  The SRP shade screen form can be found below.

http://www.srpnet.com/energy/powerwise/savewithsrp/pdfx/Shadescreenrebate12.pdf

For more information on the shade screen program see SRP’s link below.

http://www.srpnet.com/energy/powerwise/savewithsrp/Shadescreens.aspx

Why should you move your washer and dryer to the garage or outside. Helping APS and SRP customers save energy.

If you are like me, your garage is hard pressed for some extra space.  With all my kid’s stuff, holiday decorations, extra boxes and camping gear our storage shelves are packed… but here is a good reason why it’s worth the effort to create some space and relocate your dryer to the garage.

Dryers are work against your AC and furnaces because they exhaust your conditioned air every time they are run.  Next time you take out the garage, take a look up and at your walls and you will see your dryer exhaust vent.  Remember that great smell of doing laundry?  That’s from your dryer exhaust fan.  They are one of the highest exhausting appliances you have depending on how big your kitchen exhaust fan is.  Dryer will pull anywhere from 100 CFM on the low side to 230 CFM on the high side.  This can be potentially a health and safety hazard if you have an attached garage or gas appliances for potential backdraft of carbon monoxide and something your energy auditor will inspect.

An air conditioner is typically sized for 400 sq ft per ton.  That means if you have a 1600 sq ft home, your AC should be around 4 tons.  However, when the dryer is running, it is undermining your AC system by almost half a ton.  So that 4 ton unit actually becomes a 3.5 ton unit with the dryer running.
Dryers typically run off of 240 volts and have a special outlet dedicated just to the dryer.  It is best to hire a qualified electrician to add the proper voltage to the garage or outside.
For gas models, be sure the gas line is shut off when you disconnect the dryer and talk to your plumber about tapping into your barbeque gas line for the dryer or water heater line in the garage.
Here are some DIY steps to help you take the leap and the dryer.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2377893_install-dryer-receptacle.html

http://electrical.about.com/od/appliances/ss/4wireto3wiredryercord.html

I should also note that not using your dryer at all and buying a clothes line or drying rack will save you even more money and a few hours in the desert sun will dry your clothes without fading them.
The average family washes about 400 loads per year and 2.3 kWh/load.  That equates to $92 a year for laundry, not including the air conditioning lost from the exhaust vent.
To find how much energy dryers use, check out the link below.

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/appliances/dryers.html

If you have to run your dryer more than once, read our previous blog on how to troubleshoot it.
http://www.greenintegrateddesign.com/1/post/2011/11/help-i-have-to-run-my-clothes-dryer-at-least-twice-to-my-clothes-dry-a-story-from-a-srp-energy-audit.html

You can also calculate your energy savings by switching to an Energy Star appliance by downloading this cool calculator.

Do I Have Enough Attic Ventilation?

With the recent massive hail storm Phoenix experience two years ago, many homeowners in Glendale were able to claim new roofs and AC units and roofing companies started popping up from out of nowhere.  One thing roofing company’s love is attic ventilation and without an understanding of how a home performs as a system, this can be more harmful than helpful.

Attic ventilation can seem to be a good thing, you cool down your attic in the summer and less heat will get into your home.  Many homeowners also get told more attic ventilation will extend the life of your roof and when roofing sales people start down that path combined with homeowner speculation, too much of a good thing becomes bad?

See roofers gone wild at:

http://gerryraysroofing.com/blogger/ventilation-issues-in-your-attic-space/

http://www.radiantbarrierguru.com/attic-ventilation-basic-tips/

Source: http://www.dom.com/about/conservation/pdf/attic_ventilation.pdf 

There is no documentation that attic fans actually extend the life of roofs and no documentation that they even help cool an attic.  I have stood in from of many attic fans and solar attic fans while performing energy analysis and blowing insulation and I can’t feel a damn thing and that is the truth.  From personal experience I didn’t feel any cooler in an attic with a huge power fan than an attic without.  Well enough of my experience, let’s look at the studies that have been done on this topic.

It has been proven that attic fans installed without air and duct sealing a home will pull your conditioned air up from the house and into the attic.  Yes that’s right, the average house an equilivent of a 1 sq ft window open all the time from leakage connections to the attic.  If you had an attic fan that moves a lot of air (like an attic fan) you might as well leave your door open while the AC is running.

Where attic fans become harmful is when they start pulling carbon monoxide in from an attached garage and cause a gas water heater to backdraft or pilot lights to go out on gas appliances.  Air leaks and wasting energy is fine, that can be fixed but having family become sick because of CO poisoning is dangerous and people need to be aware of attic fan side effects.

Proof about attic fans and their lies:
http://www.dom.com/about/conservation/pdf/attic_ventilation.pdf

“Unplanned Impacts On Houses By Powered Attic Ventilators”http://www.advancedenergy.org/buildings/knowledge_library/ventilation/Attic%20Ventilation%20Case%20Studies.pdf

http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.5-Myths-about-Attic-Ventilation.16547.html

The best way to control your attic temperatures is simply adding more insulation.  Yes the garage and the attic gets very hot in the summer, and heat transfer is driven by temperature differences… but it is also driven by pressures (your AC unit) and pathways (holes and leakage).  You can greatly slow down the transfer of heat into your home with properly installed insulation up to R-30, air sealing attic penetrations and properly sealing your ductwork with verification testing.  If you are purchasing a new roof, light colored shingles are a great way to reflect the sunlight and making sure your home complies with current codes for attic ventilation.  Usually your home already has enough ventilation especially if you have the bird hole venting with gable vents on both sides of your attic, you don’t need any more attic ventilation.  As always if you like this article like us on Facebook for more energy saving tips!

What Are APS’s Energy Saving Hours?

It’s obvious that APS makes money the more energy you use but there are times when even their power plants get stressed from too much, or peak demand.  In Arizona, guess when that happens?  When it’s 110 degrees outside and you want to keep a cool 78 degrees in your home.  With your air conditioner being the biggest energy user in your home, it’s no wonder why APS gets a little stressed during these times… and it’s because of those peak demands that the utility company incentives it’s customers to lower its energy use during those times.  To further the energy issue, the Federal government has mandated that APS reduce its electric usage by 20% by 2020.  That is the main reason why APS is paying its customers to make their homes more energy efficient and sponsoring the Home Performance With Energy Star energy audit program.  The APS energy audit program has the same affect on you, the homeowner in that it is designed to lower your energy bill each month but there is a big difference in the way that is accomplished. 

The biggest difference is the APS time-of-use plan and residential rate plan is about energy conservation, whereas the energy upgrades to make your home more efficient is about energy efficiency.  Saving energy at home through conservation is about tweeking your lifestyle to save energy, putting on a sweater when it gets cold outside rather than turning the heater on, turning the thermostat up in the summer even while you are home are energy conservation examples.

What I love and do everyday is about energy efficiency, and that is designing and installing a better constructed home to work more efficiently, so your energy bills go down every month, but you don’t have to change a thing and you are more comfortable.  These are things like checking and sealing the ductwork for leaks, airflow and room pressure issues and adding more insulation which can make a huge difference in how your home operates as a system.  So that was your tip for the day, now let’s get back to APS rate plans.

APS has several rate plans and depending on your schedule.  They are best suited for people that are regularly done for work Monday to Friday. 

http://www.aps.com/main/services/residential/rates/rates_29.html#standard

I thought APS had another 9 am – 6 pm rate plan, but as of this blog, I couldn’t find it on their website.  There is also the equalizer plan which many people like because of its predictability… except when it’s not predictable.  Under the Equalizer Plan you may the same amount on your bills each month as your usage is averaged over 9 to 12 months.  More information on the APS Equalizer Plan can be found below:

http://www.aps.com/main/services/residential/FAQ/ResFAQ_50.html

If you are interested in other energy efficiency ideas, take our quick quiz to the right sidebar and we’ll send you some insider DIY tips to save money on you bills.

An Energy Auditors Top Efficiency Recommendations for Homes in Phoenix

While no two houses are the same, Phoenix’s housing stock does have similar construction traits and installation practices that are often the cause of high energy bills, temperature differences within rooms and poor indoor air quality.  In this blog series I would like to highlight some of the most common construction defects I find and what you can do to really transform your home for a better quality of life through lower utility bills, better air quality and even better sound-proofing.

Before we explore the wonderful world of your attic and we need to get into the mind-frame of looking at your house as one system made up of interdependent parts.  So your air conditioning and heating system is no longer a separate system that only affects your comfort and how warm you stay in the winter but it can also affect your health and safety.  That way builders typically build houses was that the framer would erect the frame of the house, then the HVAC, plumbing and electrical trades would come in and do their separate trades  etc – and none of these groups would really talk with each other… and that’s were we get these inefficiencies from.  Sometimes inefficiencies are from just laziness where an insulation contractor just laid fiberglass batt insulation on top of the attic studs because the drywall crew did not want to hit any staples when laying their drywall… opps.  There are a number of reasons why homeowners are paying too much for their utility bills or experience different temperatures in their homes and that’s what energy auditors do, identify those deficiencies and make recommendations on how they can be fixed. 

This series is going to be broken up into chewable sections and peppered with energy saving tips and self-checks.  Each recommendation will detail the good and bad affects it can have on your home using the house-as-a-system approach and what you need to be aware of before deciding to work on your home.  We will go into detail about duct leakage and sealing, insulation performance, your home’s heat gain, how a 2-story home differs from a single story home, water heating and many more topics so stay tuned.

Sell your old stuff and gadgets online

Being a Phoenix energy auditor is not all about crawling around insulation, measuring duct leakage and sizing solar electric systems for homes.  We are all about reducing your utility bills but there are many other benefits to an energy efficient home such as a more comfortable home, a home with less dust and a quieter heating and cooling system.  We recommend both conservation and efficiency upgrades to reduce your APS or SRP electric bills.  Conservation recommendations are if it is cold in your home, rather than turning on the heater, you put on a sweater.  Efficiency upgrades have to do with upgrading your insulation, ductwork sealing and window treatments so your home is more comfortable and you don’t have to change a thing.  

Here is a recommendation we don’t always talk about but many homeowners may find useful and that is what you can do with open, unwanted gifts or extra stuff lying around your home.  Lots of us have old books and other knacks we never use and you may not want to go through the effort of a garage sale.  With the web there are many places where you can sell your old stuff rather than the trash.  www.amazon.com is a great place to get rid of old books as is www.ebay.com.  If you aren’t getting any takers on those websites, try www.swap.com.  For your old gadgets try www.gazelle.com  and for your cell phones www.recellular.com or try your local women’s shelter.  Have old Apple iPod or a used iPhone?  www.tunecycle.com is a great place to sell old iPhones and Apple products.  

We hope you have a great holiday season and if you enjoyed this blog, please leave a comment or like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aGreenID.  

What you need to know about green energy barrier scams

While making energy saving improvements to your home is backed by both APS, SRP and the Department of Energy's Home Performance With Energy Star Program there are many unethical companies out there that are taking advantage of these programs and making a bad name for those home performance companies that are doing things right. Many of the unethical companies are using the APS and SRP program as a cover, making it appear that they follow the strict guidelines of their program by simply using their logos, mixing the solar rebate program with the home performance rebates, and taking the rebates off the top of the costs so it appears you are getting the rebate when actually it is just a smoke and mirrors trick. These companies are hurting both homeowners and home performance contractors alike.

Here are some guidelines to help you spot a phony from a real home performance contractor.

1. The company has called you from a auto dialer blast.
2. The company rep does not go past the attic hatch in their inspection of your attic (the pros know this is where the majority of your problems lie and it's not just about adding insulation or radiant barriers)
3. The company rep does not do a blower door test on your home.
4. The green energy company rep is not BPI certified. This is the basic certification all energy consultants will have to know what to look for in your home and to give you energy saving recommendations based on what your home needs.
5. The company will start at a price point in the range of $20,000 for a solar/ solar water heater/ radiant barrier/ solar attic fan package.
6. The company will not perform a test-out audit with a blower door fan.

Here is what you can ask the green energy company to protect yourself from buying something that will not fix your hot and cold rooms or make your home more energy efficient.

1. The green energy companies BPI certification and make sure the energy consultant at your home is BPI certified.
2. Call APS and SRP at (602) 532-2991 to verify they are on the Home Performance With Energy Star Program.
3. Your energy consultant should talk to you about at a minimum hour air leakage, duct leakage, room pressure and duct static pressure. These are part of the required tests all APS and SRP certified companies need to do or their inspection.
4. You should complete a home performance authorization form found on APS and SRP's website.

Don't get us wrong, there is nothing wrong with solar electricity or solar hot water heaters. The danger or harm comes from homeowners thinking they are making their home more energy efficient when many issues are still left unfixed and things that were never tested for or addressed. Things like air balancing, high room pressures, high static pressure, insulation that is installed wrong, air barriers that leave the house uninsulated and thinking that radiant barriers suffice for insulation installed wrong. An additional benefit to using a home performance contractor is that the utility companies will audit our work, so you have another party watching your back.

Disclaimer: Green ID's energy auditors are all BPI Certified. Green ID's founder, David Byrnes, is a BPI trainer and LEED AP professional. We do not recommend radiant barrier products without first addressing a homes' priority needs by performing a whole home energy audit. For more information visit are website at  www.greenintegrateddesign.com