Six Places to Find Help with Your Energy Costs

As many of you pointed out when answering our first question of the week, energy and heating costs are a big concern this winter. While we can't stop those bills from coming, we can point you to some places to look for help in lowering your costs. Here are six resources where you can find financial assistance, incentives, and programs to help you save energy and money.

1. The Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE). Here you'll find a comprehensive listing of available rebates, loans, grants, and tax incentives for renewable energy technologies and energy efficient improvements, available from your local, state, and federal governments, as well as from utilities.

2. Your state energy office. While your state's resources may be listed in DSIRE, you should also check directly with your state energy office to find out if your state offers any additional rebates or incentives for efficiency improvements or renewable technologies.

3. The EERE Web site. EERE maintains a list of sites offering information on Financial Opportunities for Consumers. In addition to the DSIRE Database mentioned above, there are several resources on financing an energy-efficient home.

4. ENERGY STAR®. ENERGY STAR-qualified products use less energy and can save you money. If you need to make a purchase for your home, search for special offers and rebates available from ENERGY STAR partners. You may just find a great deal on an efficient product from a local or national vendor.

5. Your utility. Check directly with your utility and find out if it offers any programs to help with lowering your energy bills. The programs vary, so visit your utility's Web site or call them directly to discuss what's available. Also, if one company doesn't supply both your gas and electric service, be sure to check with both companies to find out the full range of assistance available.

Some of the utility programs out there include:

• Averaged payment plans, where the estimated energy costs are distributed throughout the year to avoid skyrocketing bills at certain times when usage is higher.
• Rebates or incentives for purchasing efficient products that may lower your energy bill. Sometimes these rebates can be combined with state or federal incentives to give you an even greater reward for your investment. Be sure the products you purchase meet the requirements to receive the rebate. Eligible products range from efficient lighting to appliances to renewable technologies such as solar or geothermal heat pumps. Check with your utility to find out what rebates are available to you.
• Time-of-day or off-peak rates, which can be especially useful for people using electricity for home and water heating. These programs allow customers to pay a lower rate at certain times of the day ("off-peak hours," which every utility seems to define a bit differently). Participating in these programs may require some lifestyle changes in order to avoid using appliances during on-peak hours, when you will pay more than the standard rate.
• Financial assistance. Some utilities offer financial assistance programs for customers who are low-income, who have large families, or who are dependent on certain medical devices.
• Energy audits. Many utilities offer discounted or even free energy audits to help you determine the best improvements you can make to save money and energy in your home.
• Heating system maintenance. Some utilities or gas companies offer assistance with servicing your heating system in the fall, to ensure that it is running at top efficiency for the coming winter months.

6. Your city and county governments. Connie was able to get a subsidy to offset the cost of her energy audit. Check with your local governments to find out if they offer similar programs or other assistance.

Allison Casey is a senior communicator at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which assists EERE in providing technical content for many of its Web sites.

Comments

[PATKI]

WE WANT TO KNOW HOW THE THERMOGRAPHY AUDITS HELPTO IDENTIFY THE AREAS, ALSO LET ME KNOW ALSO IS IT BENIFICIAL IN HVAC.
PLEASE SEND PDF FILES IF ANY FOR TECHNICAL DETAILS

[Allison Casey]

Patki,
Thermography is useful in detecting air leaks in the building envelope. I recommend reading through this page on thermographic inspections for more information.

[wfprobst]

do not preheat the oven

[Ordory]

I Have a question: The Power Factor Correction devices PFC (KVAR, KEC, PFO, Capacitor Bank and Tron Box) realy work and save power in residential use, many USA manufacturers of this kind of devices claim savings form 25 to 60 % in the electric bill. Thanks.

[tony]

Can't believe how much I dig this stuff, I'm passing the url on. Really thank you

[Solomon D. Atkinson]

In reading thru the comments, I failed to notice any upgrades in wood burning stoves. Historically, our Indian Tribe has been a wood burning tribe for both heat and cooking stoves. I can remember back approx 65 years ago, when my dad would chop down a dead tree, that was already dry, and easy to cut. Then he would tie a short tow rope to the tree, after removing the branches, and pull it home over the snow.
My question: Why not upgrade wood burning stoves, give grants o replace all existing stoves with the newer air tight stoves, that would be most efficient. Thereby, decreasing the need for oil burning stoves by 100%. I believe that with the prevailing type tree in southeast Alaska, the Hemlock tree, a highly efficient wood burning stove would have no problem burning the Hemlock Tree.
Perhaps this has already been reasearched, will someone answer please.
My idea is to replace all wood burning stoves with an efficient air tight wood burner, also replace the oil burners to conserve oil . I would propose stock piling wood during the fall and early winter months, and distribute same during the fall and early winter months.
This would bring $500,000.00 immediately into the economy to replace the 400 existing wood burning stoves, and an additional $250,000.00 into the economy by providing jobs for the wood cutters for a few months. This would not only provide jobs, but also assist with the heating bills during the winter months.
I am sure someone has perfected an airtight wood burning stove that would prevent smoke and dust from contaminating the living areas of the home. Any assistance is welcome. Thank you.

[Allison Casey]

Solomon,
Thanks for your question. Biomass stoves do indeed qualify for a federal tax credit of 30% of the cost, up to $1,500. You can find out more information on the ENERGY STAR tax credits page.

Also, you may want to read the Energy Savers information on Wood and Pellet Heating.

Finally, you may want to visit EERE's Tribal Energy Program Web site to find out what resources are available to your tribe.

Cheers,
Allison