Today we are going to be talking about energy efficiency for your Telluride home and some great local programs to make your home more energy efficient, protect the environment and save you money.
Did you know that the greatest opportunity we have in the Telluride region to conserve energy is through increasing energy efficiency in our homes and buildings? In fact, the Energy Information Administration estimates that homes and buildings in Colorado consume over 50% of the total energy usage in the state.
Energy efficiency is tracked in residential homes by two distinct indexes. For newer homes, the Home Energy Rating System or HERS index is used. Most new homes constructed in Colorado will now have a HERS rating.
The second index was established in late 2015 for existing homes and is called simply the Home Energy Score. Check out Homeenergyscore.gov for more information.
These indexes evaluate heating, electrical and hot water systems as well as insulation, duct sealing, weather-stripping, roof snow melt and alternative energy sources such as solar and geo-thermal.
So, what can you do locally to make your home more energy efficient? Thankfully, I have a full quiver of local resources that you can take advantage of: First, contact a local home energy auditor to have a professional energy audit conducted for your home. This audit is inexpensive and will pay for itself.
Next, check out the plethora of rebates for energy efficient appliances, heating and cooling systems and other green services that are offered by both our power and gas company. You can find information on the websites for San Miguel Power Association for electric and Black Hills Energy for gas.
My last tip for energy and money savings tip for your home is get familiar with eco-action partners. One of the great things they do is their green lights program to offer LED light bulbs for up to 75% off in the form of a prebate. These low energy consuming bulbs can often last over 15 years and again will pay for themselves.
The Colorado Energy office says that by building a new energy efficient home or addressing your current home to make it more energy efficient, Colorado residents can improve our air quality, enhance comfort and health, increase their property values and realize an immediate savings of 20%-30% in their monthly utility bills.
Useful Energy Efficient Home Links
Home Energy Score:
https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/home-energy-score
Eco-Action Partners Green-Lights Program:
http://www.ecoactionpartners.org/greenlights/
San Miguel Power Energy Efficiency:
http://www.smpa.com/content/energy-efficiency
Lotus Energy Home Efficiency Audit:
http://lotusenergysolutions.us/telluride_colorado_energy_audits.html
Black Hills Energy Natural Gas Efficiency:
https://www.blackhillsenergy.com/node/19367
