A ductless heat pump, visible above the wood cabinet, provides quiet, efficient heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.

If you’ve got an aging baseboard or wall heating system in your home, you may be eligible for help replacing that system this year.

Chelan County PUD is planning a pilot program in 2012 to help install ductless heat pump systems. The PUD will offer rebates of approximately $750 per eligible household to help offset the cost of the units, which ranges from $3,000 to $5,000. Homeowners with electric baseboard or wall heaters would be given top consideration, but homes with other electric heat types may be eligible. Local contractors will be invited to participate in a training course to learn about installing and maintaining ductless heat pumps.

A ductless heat pump is a highly efficient and easily installed primary heating and cooling system for electrically heated homes. Ductless systems are ideal for replacing or supplementing less efficient electric baseboard or wall heaters (and window air conditioners in the summer).

Ductless systems operate using 25 percent to 50 percent less energy than electric resistance zonal and forced air systems. Regionally, use of a ductless heating and cooling system in a single-family home with zonal electric heat is estimated to save 3,500 kWh annually. Using Chelan PUD’s average cost of $0.03 per kilowattt hour, upgrading to a ductless heating and cooling system as a primary heat source can save approximately $105 per year. In addition, ductless heat pumps are safer, quieter, and heat rooms more efficiently than zonal heat. And they provide air conditioning in the summer.

If you are a Chelan County homeowner interested in upgrading from baseboard or wall heating systems to a ductless heat pump, send us an e-mail or call (509) 661-8008.

More information about how ductless heat pumps work, their costs and energy savings is available at goingductless.com.

Third-grade teacher Vicki Anderson helps students with a science project in a classroom outfitted with new energy-efficient lighting.

Efficiency upgrades get high marks from students and staff at Chelan elementary school

Major heating and lighting improvements at the elementary school in Chelan are saving money and improving comfort.

Gone are the noisy, inefficient heat pumps and stagnant air. Gone are the irritating fluorescent lights that flicker, buzz and hum.

The only humming at Morgen Owings Elementary now is from school officials tickled with the improved environment and energy savings at the building. They’re singing the praises of PSF Mechanical, the Seattle contractor that worked through the summer to install the upgrades by the first day of school Sept. 5.

Morgen Owings Elementary School Principal Jeff Peck

Seattle-based PSF is an ESCO, or energy services company, pre-qualified by the state Superintendent of Public Instruction to work with K-12 schools.

An energy efficiency audit identified potential savings in HVAC and lighting at both the elementary school and middle/high school.  With help from PSF, the district secured  a state grant for $550,000. Chelan County PUD contributed $41,000 through its Resource$mart program and the school district paid the rest of the $1.1 million cost. 

The elementary school was treated to a complete upgrade of its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system and all new lighting. Chelan Middle/High School received new lighting only.  

The control center for Morgen Owings' new energy management system.

Energy savings at the two buildings is projected at 682,694 kilowatt hours per year — enough to power 31 Chelan County homes.

As part of the package, PSF guarantees that energy savings will occur. If savings projections aren’t reached, PSF agrees to pay the difference, said Dan Hering, business development manager for PSF.

More than 2,000 fluorescent lights were replaced at the two schools. At the elementary school, 52 new high-efficiency heat pumps were installed, air circulation equipment was upgraded, and “smart” controls were added. Thermostat set points now are controlled by a digital thermostat, central computer and network of “distributed intelligence” Hering said. Changes can be made remotely, and the building is monitored and metered for energy consumption.

Chelan Business Manager Scott Renick said if funds allow, a similar HVAC upgrade could occur at the middle/high school building.

Wenatchee High School is in line for a lighting retrofit this school year. Bryan Visscher, maintenance and operations supervisor, said lighting will be replaced throughout the building. Wenatchee is using Ameresco Quantum, another energy services company pre-qualified through the state energy program.

The high school project involves a complete overhaul of all lighting at a cost of about $650,000, Visscher said, with $255,000 covered by a state grant and $51,000 coming from the PUD’s Resource$mart energy efficiency program. The remainder will be paid by the school district.

Work will be done in the evenings beginning this fall and continuing through the spring. Projected energy savings is 858,085 kilowatt hours per year, or enough to power 39 homes.

Click here to view a graph showing early energy savings at Morgen Owings Elementary.

More information:
PSF Mechanical’s recap of the Chelan project

Superintendent of Public Instruction energy grants program

Contestants in Chelan PUD’s wintertime energy-savings contest continued to reduce their electrical use through the spring and summer. 

A review of electric bills shows six of the nine contestants saw significant energy savings in spring and summer of 2011 compared to the spring-summer periods of the previous two years. The remaining three contestants showed similar use to what was experienced in previous years. 

Chelan County is a heating climate, meaning most of the electricity used by residents is to keep their homes warm in the winter. A smaller portion of overall energy use is attributed to summer air conditioning. 

The Reduce Your Use contest ran from January 1 through March 31, 2011. Nine contestants received home energy analyses and recommendations from PUD experts about how to save energy – from adding insulation and weather-stripping to adjusting their thermostats – as they competed against each other to see who could reduce their energy use by the greatest percentage. Overall savings averaged 19 percent. 

The PUD continues to offer rebates to all customers who add insulation and replace old windows. Learn more here.  For tips on saving energy and money in your home, see the Chelan PUD website.

Bryce Newberry

Fourteen-year-old Bryce Newberry of Wenatchee has entered a national young reporters contest with a news clip about saving energy.

Newberry submitted the video for a chance to become a featured reporter for Teen Kids News, a national half-hour weekly program that focuses on events and issues affecting teens. The program airs Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. on KING-TV, Seattle. According to its website, Teen Kids News “highlights positive stories about kids doing amazing things and helping to make the world a better place.”

Newberry’s clip includes an interview with staff at Chelan County PUD, and reminds viewers to check insulation in their homes, switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, use the dishwasher instead of hand-washing dishes, and keep the thermostat at reasonable settings.

This is the second time Newberry has entered a Teen Kids News contest. Last year his clip on the future of newspapers made it to the contest’s top 10. Newberry also has been a special guest on KOMO News in Seattle after broadcasters there saw a videotape Newberry made of himself imitating the KOMO Morning News crew.

Newberry said he’s wanted to be a newscaster for several years. His career goal is to work for a major network.

Winners in the Teen Kids News contest are chosen by popular vote. Voting begins Sept. 12 on the Teen Kids News website. Viewers can vote once a day.

Watch Newberry’s video here.

PUD rebates available for weatherizing your home

Yes, it’s August. But it’s not too early to start thinking about making your home more comfortable this winter with new insulation and energy-efficient windows.

Chelan County PUD homeowners who add insulation or replace old windows may be eligible to receive cash payment for a portion of the cost. The PUD will pay 25 cents per square foot for added insulation and $3 per square foot for new windows.

New insulation must increase the R-value by R-10 or greater. For attics, the existing insulation must be R-19 or less. For walls and floors, existing insulation must be R-5 or less.

Windows must have a U-factor of .30 or lower (the lower the U-factor, the more efficient the window). Glass patio doors must have a U-factor of .35 or lower. Both must be rated by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC); look for this sticker on the windows. Existing windows and patio doors that are being replaced must be either single-pane, or double-pane with metal frames.

Other considerations:

• Customers must have electric heat.
• All homes, including manufactured homes, are eligible up to a 4-plex.
• Shops and garages are not eligible (Must be a living area to qualify.)
• New construction is not eligible.
• Customers may do the work themselves or hire a contractor of their choice.
• The maximum total payment per household is $2,500.

Complete details and application forms are available on the PUD website, or call (509) 661-8008.