Energy efficiency incentive program offering $3,000 for home improvements to Ypsilanti residents
Making home improvements that will save money on energy bills can be a costly investment.
But a new program offered to Ypsilanti residents is designed to show where they can save without too much cash up front and will provide up to $3,000 in incentives toward energy efficiency improvements.
Analysts will check appliances for gas leaks and provide energy-saving devices such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, faucet aerators, a programmable thermostat and a low-flow shower head.
Paul Kazmercyk | Dreamstime.com
The BetterBuildings program was initially intended for just two neighborhoods in the city, but has been expanded to include all of Ypsilanti, and 35 homeowners took part in the program in its first month.
To enroll in the program, residents first pay $50 for an inspection of their home by an analyst who will provide a prioritized checklist on where improvements are most needed.
Ypsilanti resident Erika Lycan and her husband used energy credits available through BetterBuildings to pay for an energy efficient furnace. It replaced a 22-year-old furnace in their home, and Lycan said it has saved $95 a month so far.
They also took small steps, such as putting in energy efficient light bulbs and plan on replacing the windows in their historic home in the near future.
"It was great to walk through the house with someone who might work us in the future," Lycan said. "And it was only $50, so that was great."
BetterBuildings is administered by the Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office to promote energy efficiency throughout targeted neighborhoods statewide. Michigan received $30 million in federal funding - partly through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - to offer incentives in 15 cities statewide. It was the biggest allotment to a single state because the communities worked together to apply for it.
So far, residents who have enrolled in the program are saving around $200 annually on their energy bills, said Gillian Ream, communications coordinator for the Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office.
Communities qualified for the program based on proximity to public transit, high home ownership, mixed income housing and a commitment to establishing a green community.
Ream said Ypsilanti has a built-in awareness of and concern for energy efficiency.
“It has been going really good in Ypsilanti considering we’ve only been at it for a month,” she said. “There are a lot of people interested and a lot of people happy to be investing in their home who were quick to take advantage (of the program).”
Ream said a building analyst uses a large fan to blow air through the house and an infrared camera that will locate air leaks. Analysts also will check appliances for gas leaks and provide energy-saving devices such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, faucet aerators, a programmable thermostat and a low-flow shower head.
The analyst also will provide a full report detailing where money can be saved and help prioritize projects. BetterBuildings offers incentives through cash back rebates, matching utility rebates and low interest financing.
“If you’re planning on being in your house more than a year, insulation and energy efficiency is always a good idea,” Ream said, adding that people usually find savings in unlikely spots. “We get people who have lived in their house for 25 years never thought ‘Oh, my recessed light be leaking.’”
Comments
Ben
Thu, Jul 12, 2012 : 5:07 p.m.
"plan on replacing the windows in their historic home in the near future" - Please don't. Historic homes need historic windows, not unrepairable plastic junk. There are classes you can take in repairing and rehabbing original wood windows to cut down on drafts. Add storm windows if necessary. You won't realize until they're gone how much your original windows are an integral part of your home's function and appearance.
Jeffersonian Liberal
Tue, Jun 19, 2012 : 12:28 p.m.
Let's just cut to the chase and make their mortgage payment now, god forbid you take some responsibility when you can have your neighbors pay for it.
City Confidential
Mon, Jun 18, 2012 : 8:45 p.m.
No, this is not a tax rebate program. There is a tax rebate program through the federal government, but this is a different program. You do actually get the money in a check, or you can choose to have the check sent to the contractor directly so that you don't have to wait to save the money off of the cost of the services. I had insulation and sealing done and qualified for $1300 in rebates, which were taken off of the cost of the services up front, so I only paid the difference between the total cost and the rebate amount. The program benefits us all in that it reduces our dependency on fossil fuels to heat/cool our homes - you know, all of that stuff that we have to buy from the middle east?
Mike
Tue, Jun 19, 2012 : 1:38 a.m.
But it is paid for by all of your neighbors in the form of income taxes or it is borrowed from the chinese or some other entity that for some unknow reason would awant to loan money to a country that will never pay it back..........
jns131
Mon, Jun 18, 2012 : 3:59 p.m.
I was told that you pay this money up front. Then you buy what ever they say to buy and you never see the money to pay for the furnace or what ever but you do to upgrade for the energy efficiency, you get to write it off on taxes. You never see the money up close and personal. So this is pretty much a dud if you ask me. O goody I am getting $3000? Nope, only on paper and not a check. Keep walking on this snipe hunt.l
Mike
Mon, Jun 18, 2012 : 2:10 p.m.
Who is paying the building analysts? $50.00 doesn't even come close to covering their cost. Another $30 million in federal grants is what is paying for this program. Just add it to the credit card, I mean national debt. Thanks China........we'll soon all be working for you............