|
 Existing
homes and buildings account for about
40% of our nation’s carbon
footprint. Most of the energy used by
homes is for heating, cooling, domestic
hot water and other electrical needs
of the home for appliances, electronics,
lighting, etc.
Good News
One of the largest contributions people can make
to decrease their energy use
and resulting environmental impacts is
to reduce the day-to-day energy use of
their home. And since most of us will
not be building new energy-efficient
homes in the next few years, it makes
sense to look at what we can do now to
improve our homes comfort and energy
efficiency.
Bad News
Almost all the heating and
electricity in North Carolina is
produced from fossil fuels and much of
the electricity is produced from coal,
which has multiple environmental impacts beyond the green house gases
it emits.
Good News
The
understanding of energy loss and use in
homes has been very carefully studied in
recent years, and it is now a fairly
straight-forward process to evaluate a
home’s overall energy performance and
prioritize a list of recommended
improvements. Some improvements are easy
and reasonably inexpensive for a
homeowner to do
themselves.
More Good News
Renewable energy is on the rise. The
state-of-the-art technology for solar electricity
and heating has come a long way in
recent years and has the government's
support in the form of tax credit
increases. Currently, cost efficiency
and reliability make solar energy a very
desirable investment, both as a hedge
against rising energy costs and grid
failures, but more importantly, as a
tangible contribution each of us
can make towards a better energy future
for ourselves and our children.
Three Step Home Energy Management
Process
-
 Evaluation
- Initial consultation explains
options and defines goals.
- Home energy performance audit by
a qualified building performance
specialist using a blower door test,
thermal imaging and duct
pressurization equipment to locate
air leaks, insulation breaks, and
other areas requiring attention.
- Develop an overall home energy
plan that considers the home as a
system and offers solutions within
your budget. This plan integrates energy
conservation, increased efficiency
of heating and cooling equipment
and renewable energy options such as
solar heat, domestic hot water and
grid-tied photo-voltaics depending
on the specifics of your home, site
and preferences.
- Budget Proposal and Agreement
Based on the home energy plan, Sunny
Day Homes will prepare a budget
proposal and agreement that
spells out our exact course of
action
and how much it will cost. At this
time, we can discuss relevant tax
incentives and financing options.
- Implementation and Follow Up
Once the plan and agreement are
finalized, we will schedule and
supervise the necessary
improvements and perform follow-up
tests to confirm the resulting improvements.
Begin enjoying a more reliable,
cost-effective energy future and a
healthier more comfortable home!
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us at 828-265-4123,
email us, or use our
online request form. |
