Home Energy Management

 

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

    1. Evaluation
        1. Initial consultation explains options and defines goals.
           
        2. 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.
           
        3. 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.
           
    2. 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.
       
    3. 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!