Using online calculators for home energy reviews can help you find ways to shave energy costs or help you understand where that energy is being used. It’s easier if you’re familiar with the details of your home and its air tightness, appliances, lighting and water heater. Plugging that information into the calculator can expose inefficiencies in your energy usage and even reveal how much money you are wasting on your electric bill.
“Any customer considering a large energy-saving project should give us a call,” said DuWayne Dunham, Clark Public Utilities’ energy services supervisor. “It’s not too early to find ways to shave dollars off next winter’s bills — and possibly tap into rebates, incentives or loans we offer for energy-saving upgrades.”
If you’re considering minor changes — installing more efficient light bulbs, replacing old appliances or adding a programmable thermostat — you can wait until late summer to make improvements. Just give yourself time to complete any changes before the cold weather sets in and heating costs start to climb.
A comprehensive home energy calculator and other tools are at www.clarkpublicutilities.com/index.cfm/your-home/energy-calculators. You can select an appropriate calculator from the list on the same page.
In addition, you can find the online calculators through the “My Account” tab on the home page of the utility’s website, and also view your electrical usage this year and last, pay your bill, or review your billing and payment history. Clicking on the “Home Energy Calculator” graphic takes you to calculators preloaded with much of your usage information. There’s less for you to fill out, and your results will likely be a bit more accurate.
If you have questions after you’ve finished an online review, you can talk with an energy counselor at 360-992-3355.
Assumptions built into each calculator are a drawback of online reviews. An in-home review doesn’t make those assumptions. Instead, it relies on an energy counselor’s training and experience.
The downside to an in-home review is that it takes time and needs to be scheduled in advance. However, if you know little about your home, its air tightness, appliances and weatherization status, or are unfamiliar with building heat loss, a personal in-home energy review is a good choice. Energy counselors are in high demand once cold weather hits, because anxious customers often scramble to lower heating bills quickly as the winter sets in. For a quicker response, schedule your review during the “offseason” starting now through the summer.
At the scheduled time, an energy counselor will review your home for an hour or two, looking at the window, door and duct seals, crawl space and attic, insulation and more. You can tag along, ask questions and learn firsthand about energy efficiency. Or, you can go about your routines and let the counselor perform the review.
The in-home review can solve mysterious comfort issues including drafts or inconsistent temperatures in the home, as well as find the culprit for sudden, dramatic increases in your utility bill when there’s no change in your living situation.
“We often take calls from retirees who suddenly see an increase in utility bills,” Dunham said. “Now that their living situation has changed, a visit from an energy counselor can help these customers better understand where the energy is going and how they might save energy without sacrificing comfort.”
On several occasions, energy counselors have found portable heaters running in garages, attics or out buildings that the owner had forgotten about. The counselor might find other things — inadequate insulation, furnace filter maintenance issues, a broken or incorrectly programmed thermostat, or point out how behavior changes can help reduce wasted energy.
Whether you use the do-it-yourself online calculator, want an in-home review or are curious about sudden changes in your bill, don’t hesitate to call an energy counselor. You’ll find an answer and learn more ways to possibly cut energy waste, increase comfort and lower your bill.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
