Energy efficiency programs for homeowners aren’t new. Utilities and government have been offering them for decades. And these programs have always included an in-home energy assessment. These assessments have historically been inconvenient and commanded a great deal of your time…until now.

Data Analysis Makes Our Assessments Quick and Painless

Empower G&E is an official utility registered with the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO). As such, we have the same access to energy use data as any utility. But how one analyzes data is critical to serving homeowners efficiently and with customer care in mind. We combine utility data with public record county auditor data to better understand how homes are using energy. These energy snapshots provide the majority of information we need to determine whether a home would benefit from our Empower Home Energy Tune-Up. It also means our time in your home performing an energy assessment takes only 1-hour or less.

What We Look for in your Home

Here is what we do in your home during our energy assessment:

1. We measure the amount of insulation in your attic or crawl space
   Attic insulation and how well the attic is sealed is the biggest determinant to how efficiency a home uses energy. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends homes have an insulation depth of R-49 (or 16-inches) to be considered energy efficient. We measure how much insulation you currently have, and assess whether your attic is well sealed from outside elements.
2. We look at the perimeter of your home
   Our home energy coach walks around the outside of your home, checking if there are cracks, gaps or holes in the foundation of your home where energy is escaping.
3. We check your air conditioning and furnace units
   The Empower Home Energy Tune-Up is a low cost/high impact energy efficiency package. So we aren’t trying to sell you high-cost elements like new air conditioning units or energy efficiency furnaces. However, we do want to make sure your HVAC equipment is working properly. So we take note of the age of your HVAC system, and assess how well it’s performing.
4. We make sure your basement is well sealed
   Similar to your attic area, you don’t want gaps or cracks in your basement that lead to the outside elements. It causes energy to escape your home, and that costs you a lot of money each year. Our home energy coach looks at the perimeter walls of your basement to make sure you’re not losing money.
5. We look at your lighting and thermostat
   The last thing we do is look at your lighting in high use areas and the type of thermostat you have. Most of the time, our home energy coach will recommend LED light bulbs (which use 50% less energy than CFL bulbs) and a smart thermostat by ecobee, which helps you better manage your home’s energy use.

The Results Produce a Customized Proposal

When your home energy coach completes the assessment, he or she will present you with a customized proposal to install the Empower Home Energy Tune-Up. Based on your assessment, if may include:

• Attic or crawl space insulation (up to R49 level) by Owens Corning
• ecobee smart thermostat
• LED light bulbs for high use areas
• Air sealing of the attic

Your proposal will also include a projection of how much money you will save each year by installing our package. In most cases, the cost for installing the Empower Home Energy Tune-Up will be paid back to you in two or three years through the savings in energy you realize. So that’s why we talk about our package as “saving you more than you spend”…you literally are putting hundreds or extra dollars back into your pocket by making these simple upgrades.

Ready to schedule your free energy assessment? Fill out the form to the right or call 855-343-7884 to start the scheduling process.