According to the U.S. Department of Energy website, energy.gov, typical homeowners spend $12,655 in the first year, including $8,500 in the first six months, after moving into their newly purchased homes.
Efficiency upgrades often take the backseat to new granite countertops and furniture. But if your clients and potential clients consider operational costs a priority, or if they are considering replacing inefficient items anyway, then many high-efficiency options are within reach.
Instead of continuing to shout from the mountain tops (which is tough in Northeast Florida), the E-Council is going to walk the walk with our first efficiency makeover.
The house
Jeff King, owner of King Construction and E-Council board member, has purchased a new personal home and is looking to implement several efficiency upgrades that are often touted at the E-Council’s monthly educational luncheons at the NEFBA offices.
The 1,988-square-foot, single-story house was built in 1985. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and it will be home to Jeff’s family of four. It is a slab-on-grade house with 2-by-4-inch exterior walls and a wood truss roof with attic storage.
The home’s previous owner averaged energy consumption of 1,800-2,000 kWh per month, which would be an electric bill of about $260 per month. The house has been unoccupied since March 2010.
The plan
The plan will be to take a cost-conscious approach to efficiency upgrades that will include lighting, HVAC, water heating, building insulation and air sealing, appliances, water, landscaping and irrigation.
An energy consumption monitor will be installed in the house to assess our progress in reducing the overall energy consumption.
The goal will be to reduce the average energy consumption to 600-900 kWh per month, which would be an electric bill of about $117 per month.
The E-Council will document the process. We will communicate how anyone could get the most bang for their buck in efficiency upgrades
For the next several months, we will be highlighting different upgrades being made to the house in our Bildor News column.
We will also be posting blogs, videos, pictures and more in-depth explanations at the E-Council’s website, ecounciljax.org.
We will host on-site socials at the house to give hands-on demonstrations of the upgrades, so stay tuned for details. If you have any questions or want to learn more, e-mail us at [email protected].